Why pick a career in application security?

According to industry experts, research done in 2022 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) show that 680,000 enterprises have a fundamental technical skills gap, while 1 in 3 has an advanced skills gap.

It is especially true of AppSec, one of the leading career choices today. Just browsing through the news makes it obvious that there is a need for more cybersecurity experts. As data breaches and hacking are becoming increasingly common, more companies realize they must defend themselves.

Due to the increased need for cybersecurity services, there has never been a better moment to pursue a career in this expanding area. There will be a new Gold Rush for jobs in the tech industry, not for cloud or Web3, but an Application Security Gold Rush.

Choosing a career in AppSec today will be like striking gold in 2023. Here's why:

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Reasons why you should pick a career in AppSec

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5 things are making jobs in AppSec extremely sought-after:

Exponential growth over the next five years
A massive security talent shortage
Top salaries in tech
Lack of skilled employees who are adept in cloud computing
An improved company culture with more opportunities for remote work

Let's go over these in detail!

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1. Massive industry growth

In light of the Covid-19 outbreak, there is an increased demand for application security solutions. For example, many businesses are refocusing their security efforts on endpoint protection for work-from-home systems. The need for efficient AppSec solutions is growing due to security groups within businesses that lack the resources to deploy these solutions to handle various web application security issues.

The AppSec market is set to expand from $7 billion in 2021 to $22 billion by 2028. That's over 300% growth in just over 5 years. It also means more jobs, better pay, and better support from upper management for bigger security initiatives at companies.

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2. Security talent shortage

Even faster than businesses can hire, the need for cybersecurity experts has been rising, and this trend is anticipated to continue. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the number of open cybersecurity positions worldwide increased by 350% between 2013 and 2021, from 1 million to 3.5 million.

Additionally, market research predicts there will still be the same amount of unfilled positions in five years. 76% of companies are facing a massive talent shortage in AppSec. Tons of jobs that need to be filled, but there's no one to fill them. Experts say the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 65% to meet the demand. You could be one of those people.

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3. Top salaries in tech

One of the industries with the fastest job growth is undoubtedly AppSec. A career in this industry has several advantages, including high compensation. The IT sector offers many fascinating options. On average, application security engineers in the US make $124,000 plus benefits. In fact, it is almost equal to high-demand jobs like cloud architects and much more than network engineers typically make ($90k).

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4. Skills shortages in cloud

According to a recent piece in The Wall Street Journal, there was a shortage of skilled cloud personnel before COVID-19, and the epidemic sparked a new wave of demand. Between 2017 and 2020, yearly postings of cloud jobs increased by more than 90%. Skills shortages have reached a crisis level at most companies.

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You can guarantee a high-paying job if you specialize in cloud security (AWS, Kubernetes, etc.).

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5. Improving company cultures

According to Deloitte's Core Beliefs and Culture Survey, 94% of executives and 88% of workers think a distinctive workplace culture is crucial to corporate success. More than ever, companies are doing more to attract high-skill experts and retain them. Companies are now more open to remote work and offer better support, training, and opportunity for growing their careers.

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How to get a job in the AppSec industry?

Let’s not forget that these opportunities are available only if you have the skills. To get skills, you need training. Learning AppSec might not be super easy or engaging because the information is scattered all over the internet. Most importantly, you need hands-on training to get skills FAST.

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Luckily, AppSecEngineer has that. We have 600+ hands-on labs in:

We use video lessons + hands-on labs across nearly 50 courses. We won't spoil it for you before you try it out for yourself! Go to appsecengineer.com and get your free account to start learning today.

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Source for article

Aneesh Bhargav

Aneesh Bhargav is the Head of Content Strategy at AppSecEngineer. He has experience in creating long-form written content, copywriting, producing Youtube videos and promotional content. Aneesh has experience working in Application Security industry both as a writer and a marketer, and has hosted booths at globally recognized conferences like Black Hat. He has also assisted the lead trainer at a sold-out DevSecOps training at Black Hat. An avid reader and learner, Aneesh spends much of his time learning not just about the security industry, but the global economy, which directly informs his content strategy at AppSecEngineer. When he's not creating AppSec-related content, he's probably playing video games.