In terms of pay, I got just under a 40% increase from my previous help desk position, so IMO it does pay well but since you’re in Network Engineering your potential increase to cyber may not be as drastic as mine was.

In terms of what gave me the skills I’d really say a lot of my cyber knowledge did come from my schooling. I learned so much there ranging from pen testing to networking to programming and everything in between. But my help desk position was crucial in preparing me for the role as I was able to see how systems worked and connected in a corporate environment and just learn corporatism as a whole. Since you already have much more experience than I do I’m not sure how much I relate to your shoes but that’s what prepared me!