Career Paths in Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity Job Roles

Role	Entry Level	Mid Level	Senior Level
SOC Analyst	L1 Analyst ($60-80k)	L2 Analyst ($80-110k)	L3/Hunter ($110-150k)
Security Engineer	Junior Engineer ($70-95k)	Engineer ($95-135k)	Senior Engineer ($135-180k)
Penetration Tester	Junior Tester ($70-100k)	Tester ($100-150k)	Senior Tester ($150-200k+)
Security Architect		Architect ($130-180k)	Enterprise Architect ($180-250k)
Security Manager		Manager ($120-170k)	Director ($160-220k)
CISO			CISO ($200-400k+)

Certifications

Entry Level

Certification	Focus	Cost	Study Time
CompTIA Security+	General security fundamentals	$400	2-3 months
CompTIA Network+	Network fundamentals	$350	2-3 months
SSCP	Security operations	$250	3-4 months

Professional Level

Certification	Focus	Cost	Study Time
CISSP	Security management, broad	$750	4-6 months
CISM	Security management	$575	3-5 months
CISA	Auditing, compliance	$575	3-5 months
CEH	Ethical hacking	$1,200	3-4 months
OSCP	Penetration testing (hands-on)	$1,500	4-8 months
GIAC (various)	Specialised (forensics, malware, management)	$1,000+	4-6 months

Cloud & Specialised

Certification	Focus	Cost
AWS Security - Specialty	AWS security	$300
Azure Security Engineer (AZ-500)	Azure security	$165
CCSP	Cloud security	$599
CRISC	Risk management	$575

Career Roadmap

Year 0-2: Build Foundation
  - CompTIA Security+ or SSCP
  - SOC Analyst L1 or IT support with security focus
  - Learn: networking, OS fundamentals, security tools
  - Home lab: set up ELK stack + Security Onion

Year 2-5: Specialise
  - CISSP (demonstrates broad knowledge)
  - Choose a path: Defence (Blue Team), Offence (Red Team), or Management
  - Blue: SIEM, EDR, forensics → GCIA, GCFA
  - Red: PWK/OSCP, bug bounties → OSCP
  - Mgmt: CISM, CISA → management roles

Year 5-10: Master
  - Senior individual contributor or management
  - Specialised certifications (SANS, cloud, architecture)
  - Industry recognition (conference talks, open-source contributions)
  - Build network through ISC2, ISACA, OWASP, local meetups

Year 10+: Executive or Expert
  - CISO, Security Director, or Principal Architect
  - Business acumen + technical depth
  - Board advisory, consulting, or CISO-as-a-service

Skills Employers Look For

Technical Skills

Network security (firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPN)
Operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS internals)
Cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Scripting/automation (Python, PowerShell, Bash)
SIEM/log analysis (Splunk, ELK, Sentinel)
EDR/XDR (CrowdStrike, Defender, SentinelOne)

Soft Skills

Communication (explain technical risk to business leaders)
Curiosity (keep learning — the field changes daily)
Analytical thinking (connect dots across disparate data)
Ethics (handle sensitive data and powerful tools responsibly)
Collaboration (work with IT, developers, legal, and executives)

Getting Started (Without Experience)

Build a home lab: VirtualBox + Kali Linux + Metasploitable + Security Onion
Practice on platforms: TryHackMe, HackTheBox, PentesterLab
Contribute to open-source: Submit Sigma rules, YARA rules, detection queries
Get early certifications: Security+ first, then choose a specialisation
Network: OWASP meetups, BSides conferences, Discord/Reddit communities
Apply broadly: SOC analyst, NOC-to-SOC transition, internal IT security
Never stop learning: The threat landscape evolves daily — so must you

Info

The most common question: “How do I get into cybersecurity with no experience?” Answer: Build a home lab. Set up Security Onion (IDS), deploy a vulnerable VM (Metasploitable), attack it, detect it, write it up. That hands-on experience + a Security+ certification + a well-written resume = entry-level SOC role. It works. Thousands have done it.