The short answer: cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing job fields in the United States, and employers genuinely cannot find enough qualified people to fill the roles. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for information security analysts are projected to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034 — compared with about 3% for all occupations. The median annual wage for the role was $124,910 in May 2024, and the Bureau expects roughly 16,000 openings per year over the decade. For someone thinking about starting in 2027, the demand side of the picture is unusually clear. Here is what is driving it, and what it honestly means for a beginner.
The numbers behind the shortage
Demand is only half the story. The other half is how many roles sit unfilled right now. CyberSeek, a workforce data project supported by NIST, counts 514,359 open cybersecurity positions in the US. That gap exists for a few practical reasons. Attacks keep growing in volume and sophistication, so every organization that handles payments, health data, customer accounts, or government contracts needs security staff. Regulation and cyber-insurance requirements mean companies can no longer treat security as optional. And security work does not automate away easily: tools generate alerts, but people still investigate, decide, and respond.
What employers say they cannot find
The shortage is not evenly spread across every skill. In the ISC2 2025 workforce study, security teams named AI as their top skills gap (41%), followed by cloud security (36%). In plain terms: organizations are adopting AI tools and cloud systems faster than their teams can learn to defend them. For a new entrant, that is a useful clue about where to aim. A beginner who learns core security fundamentals now — and stays curious about how AI changes attacks and defenses — is preparing for exactly the gaps employers are struggling with, rather than the ones that are already crowded.
Where the openings actually are
The openings are not limited to tech companies. Banks, hospitals, insurance firms, universities, local government, and defense contractors all employ security analysts, because all of them hold data that attackers want. Many roles are remote or hybrid, and the work exists in every state — not just in a few coastal tech hubs.
The honest part: entry level is competitive
None of this means a first security job is easy to land, and any article that promises otherwise is not being straight with you. Many postings labeled “entry-level” still ask for experience, and hiring managers often receive far more applications than they have openings. What the numbers really say is that the field keeps creating roles faster than the workforce fills them — which rewards people who prepare properly. The beginners who stand out tend to have three things: a recognized certification, hands-on practice they can talk about (labs, home projects, documented exercises), and the ability to explain security ideas in plain language. Demand creates the opportunity; preparation is what converts it into a job offer.
What this means if you are starting now
Timing matters less than sequence. A sensible path looks like this:
- Learn the fundamentals first — threats, networks, access control, and risk, in an order that builds understanding instead of fragments
- Earn a certification employers actually request — CompTIA Security+ is one of the most commonly named credentials in entry-level US postings
- Practice hands-on as you learn, so interviews become conversations about real work, not memorized definitions
- Target realistic first roles — SOC analyst, junior security analyst, and IT support roles with security duties are the common doors in
Salary expectations deserve the same honesty. The BLS median of $124,910 reflects experienced analysts nationally. Published Talent.com (US) figures for Information Security Analyst roles list a low of $85,000, an average of $115,000, and a high of $150,000 — and true first jobs usually start below those ranges and climb with experience. The outlook is strong; the first step is still a first step.
A guided way to start
If you want to prepare for this market with structure and live teaching, IvyBright’s CompTIA Security+ Boot Camp is instructor-led and covers the full SY0-701 exam syllabus, aligned to the domains employers hire for. The next cohort runs December 12, 2026 – January 10, 2027, on weekends, and the course is $499. IvyBright is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is ACS WASC-accredited. The jobs are projected to keep coming — the best time to start building toward them is before you need one.