💡 Why it matters: As banks, shops and governments move online, fraud and hacking attacks grow. Organisations urgently need people who can protect money and personal information.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.8M – ₦4.5M
- Mid-career
- ₦5M – ₦13M
- Senior
- ₦13M – ₦32M
≈ ₦417k – ₦1.1M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest National Careers Service profile: IT security co-ordinator. Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low and high x 2,080 hours (no national median shown). Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Watch systems for suspicious activity
- Investigate and respond to attacks
- Test systems for weak spots (with permission)
- Teach staff how to avoid scams
- Write reports on risks and fixes
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Problem solving
- Networking knowledge
- Curiosity
- Honesty and ethics
- Staying calm
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Certifications such as CompTIA Security+ or CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)
- Starting in IT support, then moving into security
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Cyber security technologist apprenticeship
- Starting in IT support, then moving into security
🇺🇸 United States
- Starting in IT help desk, then moving into security
- Registered or employer apprenticeships in cybersecurity (availability varies by state)
🇨🇦 Canada
- College co-op programs with paid placements
- Starting in IT support, then moving into security
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Learn how computers and networks work
- 2Practise safely on beginner platforms like TryHackMe
- 3Study Computer Science or earn security certificates
- 4Join a security team as a junior analyst
- 5Specialise in areas like ethical hacking or incident response
⏰ A day in the life
An alert pops up showing someone trying to log in to a bank account from another country. You check the logs, block the attacker, tell the team what happened and update the safety rules.