// PAY REALITY
Every number here is dated, sourced, and caveated. Where we could not verify a figure, it is left blank on purpose instead of guessed.
the myth
"Cybersecurity pays six figures and there are a million open jobs."
This is the line most recruiting ads and bootcamp funnels lead with. It is not a lie, but it describes the middle of a career, not the start of one.
the data
The federal median for information security analysts is about $124,910. A realistic first job in Florida IT support pays about 38,000 to 52,000.
Both are true at the same time. The gap between them is the ladder below, and it takes two to four years of real work to climb.
// ./cat wages.csv
Federal survey data where it exists, employer postings where it does not. Tap a column heading to sort.
querying database...
// privilege-escalation
Six steps most people actually take, with Florida pay bands next to national ones.
// honesty-check
the shortage is real, the door is not open
Demand is concentrated in experienced and specialized roles. In the ISC2 2025 workforce study, nearly a third of organizations reported having no entry level security staff at all. Plan for an IT first step, not a security first step.
isc2.orgthe 2026 hiring reset
Federal cyber hiring is volatile this year. Agency roles may be frozen, reduced, or paused with little notice, and contractor pipelines move with them. Confirm on USAJOBS or the agency site before relying on any posting.
usajobs.govcost of living
Florida has no state income tax, which makes a Florida salary go further than the same number in New York or California. Housing and insurance have climbed sharply, though, so compare a remote national offer against a local one before assuming Florida wins.
bls.gov// jobs-report
From the CyberSN Cybersecurity Jobs Report (October 2026, data pulled October 7, 2026), covering U.S. postings across 41 security roles.
235,786
U.S. postings, Jan to Sep 2026
26.4% fewer than the same months of 2025, but only 3.7% fewer than 2024. 2025 was an unusually strong year.
78k to 79k
postings per quarter in 2026
Quarterly volume has held steady all year, which reads as a lower plateau rather than a continuing slide.
14.8%
share going to governance, risk and compliance
Up from 9.4% in 2023, mostly from privacy attorney postings. Defense roles still lead at 41.5%.
9.5%
of postings were entry level
14.6% mention AI or machine learning, 22.9% are remote, and 9.2% are contracts.
What it means for students: the drop is broad (nine of ten job families posted less than a year earlier), and the report itself leaves open whether it reflects weaker demand, a return from a strong 2025, or changes in how jobs are titled. Research roles grew 26.1%, led by cryptography and cyber data science. Plan for a competitive entry market and build proof of work.
// future-of-the-work
How AI is likely to reshape each role, with the skills that hold value in each case.
Build
Watch
Do Not Bet On
// talking-points
Written for parents and students. Copy it, print it, or read it out loud.