Exploit Developer
Median salary, education path, job outlook, and related careers — based on U.S. labor data.
Median salary
$145,000/yr
Typical range
$115,000 – $185,000
Education
Bachelor's degree
Time to entry
About 4 years
What a Exploit Developer does
Engineers reliable, weaponized proof-of-concept code for newly discovered software vulnerabilities, working for government agencies, bug-bounty platforms, or offensive security firms to demonstrate real-world impact.
Education & path
The typical entry point is a bachelor's degree. About 4 years.
Estimated cost of that path: ~$40,000. Estimated payback: ~1 year. Estimates only — actual cost varies widely by school and financial aid; payback assumes ~20% of income applied.
Related careers
- SCADA/ICS Security Specialist — $120,000/yr
- Red Team Operator — $138,000/yr
- Malware Reverse Engineer — $128,000/yr
- Firmware Reverse Engineer — $135,000/yr
- Digital Forensics Examiner — $88,000/yr
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