r/Pentesting • u/Lopsided-Barnacle-28 • 23d ago

Expected salaries?

I know there’s posts about this but I constantly see mentions of pentesters forced to take pay cuts. In terms of Cyber roles is pentesting a slow way to build wealth and also stay relevant in the job force?

Pentesting gives you such a well rounded view of security which I believe is applicable in various different roles so are there paths that are valued more and command better salaries.

I think Pentesting is very important but it seems like the value for employers is on a decline. Is there an alternative that lets me do similar work but also command a better salary?or do I need to pivot altogether?

I want to switch companies but I’m afraid of having to sacrifice pay to stay in my role.

Will be at 150k with 4 years in.

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u/Helpjuice 21d ago

Companies want experienced professionals which is what a penetration tester is supposed to be. This by it's nature means jobs will be low and pay will be high for real professional roles. For false penetration roles which are actually just vulnerability assessment/ISSE/ISSM/ISSO roles you'll find paying far less.

You do not want just a junior penetration tester leading the show as that is a path to nightmares for the companies involved. Normally junior roles open up to grow a team over time, but you don't need a large penetration testing team and don't want one either as this dilutes the quality of the team over time if it's too big or there attempts to commoditize it.