Degrees don't equal more money? | Skills are more valuable than experience?

Infosec_Sam

I came across an article today that I thought you guys might find interesting. According to research by Cynet, an academic degree doesn't actually have much of an impact on compensation in some cybersecurity positions, and skill beats experience in several roles as well. Here are some excerpts from the article, and you can read the rest here »

I'd love to hear what you think about their findings! Do you agree with Cynet, or did anything surprise you about what they found?

They weren't surprised to learn banking and finance usually lead in security compensation, says Yiftach Keshet, director of product marketing for Cynet. In the financial sector, 4% of respondents reported salaries of $111,000 to $130,000, 2% earn $131,000 to 150,000, and 2% earn $271,000 to $290,000. Healthcare also has salaries on the high end, with 17% who earn $111,000 to 130,000.

Location also had a tremendous impact on salary. Security analysts in North America report a significantly higher salary than in EMEA and APAC: More than 80% earn between $71,000 and $110,000 compared with less than 35% in EMEA and 21% in APAC earning the same. The highest-paid position recorded was security director, with top-tier earners making $290,000 or more.

"I was surprised to find out that an academic degree can have a relatively low impact on compensation," Keshet says. "That was surprising, especially in geographies like the United States and Europe."

When a candidate applies for an entry-level SOC role, it's easy to see what they know how to do and how they do it. The same goes for a pen tester or network security engineer, who are tasked with testing an organization's defenses and maintaining network defenses, respectively. Sixty percent of pen testers with an academic degree made less than $50,000, while 60% of pen testers without an academic degree made the same amount. A larger percentage of pen testers without a degree made between $51,000 to $70,000 and $91,000 to $110,000 compared with their degree-earning counterparts.

Link to full report, for those who are interested »

DFTK13

I’m not surprised by this. Cyber security isn’t the only specialization in the wide umbrella of information technology in which a degree isn’t  absolutely required to get up in the payscale. I know of people have software, network engineering jobs who got in just because they knew someone already in the field who could vouch for their skills in which they showcased it through a github portfolio, or a simple cert and a small functionality test.  

In fact, I work with a guy who does a lot of network installations and troubleshooting for various businesses on the side, he caught the eye of one particular big name company in which he was recommended to. They were having issues with their network. My coworker managed to solve their problem with a simple but critical connectivity issue, and they offered him a job on the spot, he told me the pay was towards 6 figures. My coworker has no degree, he only has an A+, but it was his skill and constant hands on experience that impressed the most. He turned down the offer ultimately as he enjoyed the freedom of his side business.

A specialized degree is good padding on your resume to get you an interview, but it’s your skills and experience that will get you the jobs you want long term. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my degree has been glossed over as my interviewer just asked me “what can you do?” “What have you done?” Or something specific about X technology.