Bell Curve

Bell Curve

1
5%

Municipal Security Agency Intern. Salary: $40,000 or less

You were finishing up your undergraduate degree in mathematics and information science when suddenly you realized you should have done an internship by now. Bad news: The National Security Agency rejected your application. Good news: If you say you intern for the "MSA" fast enough, people think you said you intern for the NSA. Same thing, right?

2
25%

Entry-Level Information Security Analyst. Salary: $60,000

Sure, your first full-time job has more words like "monitoring," "assisting," and "familiarity with Windows 7" than it does words like "leading" or "developing." But everyone starts somewhere, and you need a paycheck. Plus, those threat feeds won't monitor themselves. You're a crucial part of this team.

3
50%

Senior Security Operations Engineer. Salary: $100,000

Helloooo, Silicon Valley. And hello, important security audits, risk analysis reports, and security reviews. That MS in computer science was a great idea...now you just need to pay off your student loan debt.

4
75%

Information Security Administrator. Salary: $120,000

After five years studying security systems in South Korea, Washington, D.C., is calling. The days of testing firewalls are long gone. The pressure is on. Wait, what's that flashing red light? What was code red again?

5
95%

Global Security Program Manager. Salary: $150,000+

According to government records, you work in a car repair shop. Sure, some of your friends are convinced you head the CIA. And it's true, you'd be a great candidate. You speak French, Italian, Korean, and colloquial Arabic. Just last year you were running the largest tech security company in the United States...but don't be silly. You work for a car repair shop.