There are over 514,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions in the United States right now, according to CyberSeek and CompTIA. That number has been climbing for years. And unlike a lot of tech hiring, which cooled off after 2022, security never slowed down.
If you’ve been thinking about breaking into tech, entry level cyber security jobs are one of the clearest on-ramps available. The pay is strong, the demand is real, and you don’t need a four-year computer science degree to get started. What you do need is the right combination of skills, a certification or two, and a plan.
This guide breaks down the actual entry level cyber security jobs that are hiring in 2026, what they pay, what hiring managers look for, and how to position yourself as a candidate even if you’re switching careers from a completely different field. Let’s get into it.
Table of contents
- Why entry level cyber security jobs are everywhere right now
- The entry level cyber security jobs you can actually get
- What entry level cyber security jobs pay
- Skills and certifications hiring managers screen for
- How to get hired with no experience
- The “entry level” trap: job posts that aren’t really entry level
- Where these jobs lead in 2-3 years
- Get started with Coding Temple
- FAQs about entry level cyber security jobs
Why entry level cyber security jobs are everywhere right now
The numbers tell a pretty clear story. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 29% job growth for information security analysts between 2024 and 2034. That’s roughly seven times faster than the average for all occupations. And it’s not a projection based on optimistic assumptions. Companies are getting hit with ransomware attacks, data breaches, and compliance requirements that didn’t exist five years ago. They need people.
Globally, the gap is even more dramatic. There are 4.8 million unfilled cybersecurity positions worldwide, according to ISC2’s 2024 Workforce Study. That means for every security professional currently working, there’s nearly one empty seat next to them. The talent shortage isn’t theoretical. It’s the reason companies are willing to hire people without traditional backgrounds and train them on the job.
What does this mean for you? If you’re considering a career change, entry level cyber security jobs are one of the few areas in tech where demand still dramatically outpaces supply. Employers aren’t just open to hiring career changers. Many of them have built onboarding programs specifically for people without prior security experience.
The entry level cyber security jobs you can actually get
Not every cybersecurity role is accessible right out of the gate. Penetration testing, security architecture, and incident response leadership all require years of experience. But several positions are genuinely designed for people just starting out. Here are the ones worth targeting:
SOC analyst (Level 1)
This is the most common starting point. SOC stands for Security Operations Center, and a Level 1 analyst is the first line of defense. You’ll monitor security alerts, investigate whether they’re real threats or false positives, and escalate anything serious to the senior team. Think of it as triage. You’re watching the dashboards, reviewing logs, and making quick decisions about what needs attention.
Most SOC analyst positions use SIEM tools (Security Information and Event Management) like Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or IBM QRadar. If you can navigate one of these before your first interview, you’ll stand out. If you want a deeper look at what this role involves day-to-day, here’s a full breakdown of what a cyber security analyst does.
IT security specialist
This role sits at the intersection of IT support and security. You’ll help configure firewalls, manage user access permissions, apply security patches, and make sure company systems meet compliance standards. It’s less about threat detection and more about making sure the defenses are set up correctly in the first place.
If you already have some IT experience, even help desk or system administration, this is a natural bridge into cybersecurity. The technical overlap is significant.
Information security analyst (junior)
Junior information security analysts work on risk assessments, help draft security policies, and assist with audits. This role tends to be more documentation-heavy than a SOC position. You’ll spend time reviewing how systems are configured, identifying where vulnerabilities exist, and recommending fixes.
Organizations in healthcare, finance, and government hire heavily for this role because they deal with strict regulatory requirements like HIPAA and PCI-DSS.
Vulnerability assessment analyst
Your job is to scan systems for known weaknesses using tools like Nessus, Qualys, or OpenVAS. You run the scans, review the results, prioritize what needs fixing, and write reports for the engineering team. It’s methodical and detail-oriented work, and it’s a great stepping stone toward penetration testing if that’s where you eventually want to go.
GRC analyst (governance, risk, and compliance)
GRC is the business side of cybersecurity. You’re not staring at log files. You’re reviewing policies, tracking compliance with frameworks like NIST or ISO 27001, and helping the organization pass audits. If your background is in project management, finance, or operations, GRC might feel like the most natural fit.
What entry level cyber security jobs pay
Let’s talk money. Entry level cyber security jobs typically pay between $60,000 and $85,000 per year, depending on your location, certifications, and the specific role. That’s the realistic range for someone just getting started.
Here’s how it breaks down by role:
- SOC Analyst (Level 1): $50,000 to $70,000. This is the lower end of entry-level security, but many SOC positions include shift differentials for nights and weekends that push total compensation higher.
- IT Security Specialist: $55,000 to $75,000. Slightly higher if you’re bringing existing IT experience to the table.
- Junior Information Security Analyst: $65,000 to $85,000. The compliance and risk assessment focus commands a bit more.
- GRC Analyst: $60,000 to $80,000. Organizations in regulated industries tend to pay toward the top of this range.
For context, the median salary across all experience levels for information security analysts is $124,910, according to the BLS (May 2024 data). The top 10% earn over $186,000. Cybersecurity salaries scale fast once you have two to three years of experience and a couple of advanced certifications under your belt.
Skills and certifications hiring managers screen for
You don’t need to know everything on day one. But hiring managers are looking for a baseline. Here’s what actually shows up in job postings and screening calls for entry level positions:
Technical skills
Networking fundamentals are the foundation. You need to understand how data moves across networks, what TCP/IP is, how DNS works, and what a firewall actually does. If terms like subnets, ports, and packet capture don’t mean anything to you yet, start here. Everything else in security builds on this.
Operating system knowledge comes next. Most enterprise environments run a mix of Windows and Linux servers. You should be comfortable navigating a Linux command line and understanding Windows Active Directory at a basic level. You don’t need to be a sysadmin. You need to know where to look when something goes wrong.
SIEM tools are your daily workspace in most entry-level roles. Splunk is the market leader, but Microsoft Sentinel and Elastic Security are gaining ground. Even basic familiarity with how these platforms work, how to search logs, build queries, and configure alerts, puts you ahead of a lot of candidates.
Certifications that get you past the resume screen
CompTIA Security+ is the gold standard for entry level. It covers the fundamentals of network security, threat management, and cryptography. A lot of job postings list it as a requirement, not a nice-to-have. If you’re going to get one certification before applying, make it this one. For a full breakdown of where to start, check out the best cyber security certifications for beginners.
CompTIA Network+ is worth considering if your networking knowledge is weak. It’s not security-specific, but it fills the gap that Security+ assumes you already have.
Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) from EC-Council is increasingly popular for people targeting SOC roles specifically. It’s more specialized than Security+ and maps directly to what you’d do on the job.
Soft skills that actually matter
Communication is a bigger deal in security than most people expect. You’ll write incident reports that non-technical executives need to understand. You’ll explain risk to people who don’t know what a firewall is. The ability to translate technical findings into plain language is something hiring managers actively screen for in interviews.
Attention to detail matters for obvious reasons. In a SOC role, missing a subtle pattern in a log file could mean missing a real attack. And problem-solving under pressure is part of the deal, because security incidents don’t wait for a convenient time.
How to get hired with no experience
If you’re coming from a completely non-technical background, our deep-dive guide to entry-level cyber security jobs with no experience walks the zero-to-hired path in detail. The section below is the quick version — focused on what to do next once you’ve picked a target role from the list above.
This is where most people get stuck. The job posting says “entry level” but the requirements list asks for two years of experience. It’s frustrating. But it’s also more navigable than it looks.
First, understand that many cybersecurity hiring managers treat certifications as a proxy for experience. A Security+ certification combined with a portfolio of hands-on lab work can substitute for work history in a lot of cases. Employers know the talent gap is real. They’re not going to let a perfect candidate walk away because they haven’t logged two years at another company.
Build a home lab. You can set up a virtual environment on your laptop using VirtualBox or VMware, install Security Onion or a similar open-source SIEM, and start practicing. Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions on platforms like TryHackMe and Hack The Box give you hands-on experience that you can actually reference in interviews.
If you’re coming from another career entirely and want structured training to get you there fast, a cybersecurity bootcamp can compress months of self-study into a focused program that covers exactly what employers are looking for.
And don’t overlook adjacent experience. If you’ve worked in IT support, system administration, or even a compliance-heavy role in another industry, you have transferable skills. Frame them in security terms on your resume. “Managed user access and permissions” is an IT support task. It’s also a security task.
The “entry level” trap: job posts that aren’t really entry level
Here’s something nobody talks about enough. A huge chunk of jobs listed as “entry level” on LinkedIn and Indeed aren’t entry level at all. They want three to five years of experience, a CISSP certification (which literally requires five years of professional experience to earn), and a laundry list of tools.
Don’t let these posts discourage you. They exist because companies copy-paste job descriptions from senior roles and slap an “entry level” label on them, or because HR doesn’t understand the difference between a junior analyst and a mid-career engineer.
Look for these signals that a job is actually entry level:
- The posting mentions Security+ or equivalent rather than CISSP, CISM, or OSCP. Advanced certs mean advanced roles.
- The description focuses on monitoring and triage rather than architecture or incident response leadership.
- “0-2 years experience” is stated explicitly. If it says “3+” and “entry level” in the same posting, it’s mislabeled.
- There’s a training or mentorship program mentioned. Companies that genuinely hire entry level typically have onboarding structures in place.
Apply anyway if you meet about 60% of the stated requirements. The worst they can say is no. And in a market with 514,000 open positions, somebody is going to say yes.
Where these jobs lead in 2-3 years
Entry level cyber security jobs aren’t a dead end. They’re a starting point. And the career trajectory from here moves faster than in most tech fields, largely because the talent shortage pushes people up the ladder quickly.
A Level 1 SOC analyst with two years of experience and a couple of additional certs (think CySA+ or a cloud security certification) can move into a Level 2 or Level 3 analyst role, where you’re doing deeper investigation and threat hunting rather than triaging alerts. Salaries at that stage typically jump to $85,000-$110,000.
From there, the paths branch. Penetration testing, cloud security engineering, security architecture, and management are all within reach by year five. Some people move into GRC leadership, where salaries easily top $130,000. Others specialize in incident response or threat intelligence.
The point is this: your first entry level cyber security job isn’t the destination. It’s the credential that opens every door after it. For more on what the full trajectory looks like, read how to get started in cyber security.
Get started with Coding Temple
The cybersecurity job market isn’t waiting for anyone. With over half a million open positions and a 29% growth rate over the next decade, the window for career changers is wide open right now.
At Coding Temple, our cybersecurity bootcamp is built for exactly this moment. It covers the networking fundamentals, security tools, threat analysis, and hands-on lab work that hiring managers are looking for, and it’s designed to get you job-ready without spending years in a degree program. Whether you’re coming from IT, a completely different industry, or you’re just getting started, the program meets you where you are.
Apply to Coding Temple today and take the first step toward your first cybersecurity role.
FAQs about entry level cyber security jobs
Do you need a degree to get an entry level cyber security job?
No. Many employers accept industry certifications like CompTIA Security+ combined with hands-on experience as an alternative to a degree. A bootcamp or structured training program can fill the knowledge gap much faster than a four-year degree.
What is the best first certification for cybersecurity?
CompTIA Security+ is the most widely recognized entry-level certification. It’s listed as a requirement in thousands of job postings and covers the foundational knowledge that every other security cert builds on.
How long does it take to get an entry level cyber security job?
It depends on your starting point. Someone with IT experience might be job-ready in two to three months with a Security+ certification. A complete career changer going through a bootcamp can typically be prepared in three to six months. The job search itself usually adds another one to three months.
Can you work remotely in entry level cybersecurity?
Some entry-level positions are remote, especially SOC analyst roles where the work is done entirely on a computer. That said, many employers prefer on-site or hybrid for junior hires so they can provide hands-on mentorship. Remote options increase significantly once you have a year or two of experience.
What’s the difference between a SOC analyst and a security analyst?
“Security analyst” is a broader title that can cover risk assessment, policy review, and compliance work. A SOC analyst is specifically focused on monitoring, alert triage, and incident detection within a Security Operations Center. SOC analyst tends to be the more common entry-level title.
How much do entry level cyber security jobs pay compared to other tech jobs?
Entry level cyber security jobs pay $60,000 to $85,000, which is competitive with entry-level software development and higher than most entry-level IT support or help desk positions. The salary growth curve in security is also steeper. Mid-career security professionals regularly earn over $120,000.