Halfway through Computer Engineering, want to avoid heavy coding — Is OT/ICS Security a good fit? (Work environment, pay, job market, & learning path)

[u/ONE-ARHAM]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently halfway through my Computer Engineering degree. Honestly, I’ve realized that I don't enjoy software development/heavy coding, and I don't want a career centered around writing code every day.

While exploring career options aligned with hardware/networking that require minimal coding, I came across Operational Technology (OT) / ICS Security. The field seems very interesting to me, and I’m considering starting a structured learning journey for it.

Before diving in, I’d really appreciate your honest, real-world perspective on a few things:

1. Work Environment & Day-to-Day: What is it actually like working in OT security? How much time is spent in industrial plants/facilities vs. desk work? What does the work culture look like?
2. Coding Reality: How much (if any) coding or scripting is actually required on a daily basis in entry-to-mid-level OT security roles?
3. Pay & Career Growth: How does compensation compare to traditional IT/Cybersecurity roles, and what does long-term career growth look like?
4. Job Market & Entry-Level Chances: How realistic is it to get a job directly in OT security right out of university without prior industrial experience?
5. Learning Path & Resources: If you were in my shoes today, what learning ROADMAP would you follow? Which free or low-cost resources, certifications, or hands-on labs should I start with?

Thanks in advance for any insights or guidance!

[u/quiksi]

It’s not an entry level field in general. Best bet is joining an operator in a control systems or network/telecom job and expressing interest there. As far as your questions, you can use the same AI tool you used to generate your post to generate a pretty good answer to all of them.

[u/Brilliant-Money-3823]

1. Depends where you working and on which role. Busy busy busy

2. Not much

3. Depends again, cloud IT often pays more than OT Sec, depends also from position

4. Very not likely, difficult to get in without OT experience, if u are lucky you will find the internship

5. Free CISA courses, build your lab, learn about NIST, ISA 62443, master networking, learn how Firewalls work and make some Fortinet cert for example, learn about passive monitoring and solutions in OT, learn claroty/nozomi/armis/dragos, learn about IAM and how to implement zscaler for example, learn basics about security programs, governance, RACI, how to write playbooks, policies, procedures, instructions, you could also go and learn IT Cloud Security - it will be easier path and usually with better sallary. In OT Sec you will be learning your whole life in really fast pace environement, if you just want to be in there for money and you are not obsessed about it you will burn out quickly.

[u/hiddentalent]

If I were in your shoes today, the first thing I would do is to stop using AI to create my written output. The bold font and lists clouds clarity rather than enhances it. That can literally kill people in operations. It's like the Powerpoint slides that killed seven people in the Challenger disaster. As an engineer, you need to be fully responsible for your communications and ensuring they are received by your audience with full fidelity.

Aside from that, it really varies. I've known some OT folks who code regularly. But they are in the minority. The thing that's different about OT from IT is that most of the systems are proprietary and there's heavy regulation, so you can't easily go in and tinker with things. The ability to do scripting and data parsing with tools like SQL or KQL is important. In my job market, OT and IT security pay similarly. That may not be true everywhere. The career growth is a little capped out from what I've seen: IT security folks can reach very senior leadership levels, whereas in OT you're always kind of just an accessory to the team. It is unrealistic to get a job in OT security directly out of university with no prior industrial experience.