Career role

Security Engineer

Security Engineers build and maintain security infrastructure. You'll implement security controls, harden systems, and automate security processes. This role is hands-on technical work with significant impact.

IntermediateAlso known as Cybersecurity Engineer, Information Security Engineer

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Why choose this role?

Perfect blend of security and engineering. You'll build real solutions, automate repetitive tasks, and see the direct impact of your work. Strong demand, especially with cloud and DevSecOps skills.

Work environment

Setting: Corporate IT departments, tech companies, managed security service providers
Schedule: Standard business hours with occasional on-call duties
Remote work: Hybrid and remote options increasingly common
Experience: Mid-level (3-6 years in IT/security)

Education requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related field strongly preferred

Key responsibilities

Design and implement security controls
Configure and maintain security tools (SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR)
Automate security processes and workflows
Perform security architecture reviews
Conduct security assessments and hardening
Respond to complex security incidents

Required skills

Security architecture and designCloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)Programming (Python, Go, Java)CI/CD and DevSecOps practices

Career path

Previous roles
Security Analyst Systems Administrator Network Engineer
This role
Security Engineer
Time to next level: 3-5 years
Next roles
Senior Security Engineer Security Architect Security Team Lead

Certifications we recommend

Our editorial picks, based on what each exam covers. They don't show how often employers ask for a certification.

Intermediate1

Microsoft

Intermediate

Microsoft Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate

Proves you can secure Azure, hybrid and AI workloads across identity, network, data and compute; SC-500 replaced the retired AZ-500 in 2026

Exam: $165
Study: 3-4 months

Advanced2

ISC2

Advanced

Certified Cloud Security Professional

Vendor-neutral proof that you can secure cloud architecture, data and operations, and handle the legal and contract side of cloud services

Exam: $599
Study: 4-8 months

Amazon Web Services

Advanced

AWS Certified Security - Specialty

Proves you can secure a multi-account AWS organization, from detection and incident response to KMS keys, now tested on the SCS-C03 exam

Exam: $300
Study: 4-6 months

Expert1

ISC2

Expert

Certified Information Systems Security Professional

Proves five years of security experience across eight broad domains, endorsed by a peer and tested on an adaptive exam of up to 150 items

Exam: $749
Study: 6-12 months

Annual pay

10th percentile: $75k
Median: $129k
90th percentile: $200k

Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212)

BLS doesn't publish figures for security engineers on their own, and O*NET classes information security engineers under computer occupations, all other. These figures cover information security analysts, the closest security occupation BLS reports on its own.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Information Security Analysts: Occupational Outlook Handbook (Pay) (May 2025, United States). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Occupation outlook

Projected growth (2025–35): 21%
Projected openings per year: 14,100

Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212)

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (2025–35, United States). Retrieved 2026-10-18.