So you want to get into cybersecurity? Good choice. It is genuinely one of the best career decisions you can make right now, and I say that as someone who has been in IT for over 25 years and has watched this industry evolve from a niche specialism into one of the most in-demand fields on the planet.
But here is the thing — cybersecurity isn't a single career. It is a family of careers, and the path you take depends entirely on what kind of work actually excites you. Are you the person who wants to break into systems and find the holes before the bad guys do? Or are you more interested in building the defenses? Do you want to sit in a boardroom advising an FTSE 100 company on risk, or do you want to be the one in the dark with a terminal and a cup of coffee at 2 a.m., hunting a threat actor through log files?
All of those are real jobs. All of them pay well. And all of them are reachable from where you are right now if you are willing to put in the work.
Let me walk you through the landscape honestly — no hype, no get-certified-quick promises — just a realistic picture of where the careers are, how to get into them, and which certifications actually matter at each stage.
The State of the Cybersecurity Industry in 2026
Cybersecurity is one of the few IT disciplines where demand consistently outstrips supply. The numbers are often quoted — millions of unfilled security roles globally — and while you should treat any specific figure with healthy skepticism, the underlying reality is accurate. Organizations of all sizes are struggling to find qualified security professionals, and that gap is unlikely to close anytime soon.
Why? Because the threat landscape keeps expanding. Every new cloud deployment, every IoT device, every remote worker on a home network is a potential attack surface. Ransomware groups operate like businesses. Nation-state actors probe critical infrastructure daily. And most organizations, honestly, are still playing catch-up.
That is bad news for the world and good news for your career prospects.
The other thing worth understanding is that cybersecurity has moved from being a purely technical discipline to one that sits at the intersection of technology, law, business, and risk management. That means there are career paths here for people who are deeply technical, more analytical, and strong communicators and strategic thinkers. The field is broader than most outsiders realize.
The Main Career Paths
Defensive Security — Blue Team
This is where most people start, and where most security jobs actually are. Blue team work is about protecting organizations — monitoring networks for threats, responding to incidents, managing firewalls and security tools, analyzing logs, and building the systems that keep attackers out.
Roles include Security Operations Center (SOC) analyst, incident responder, threat hunter, security engineer, and network security engineer. An entry-level SOC analyst is one of the most accessible starting points in security — you do not need years of experience, you need solid foundational knowledge, attention to detail, and the ability to stay calm when things go wrong.
The Blue team path suits people who are methodical, analytical, and comfortable with ambiguity. You will rarely have complete information. Your job is to make good decisions with what you have.
Offensive Security — Red Team and Penetration Testing
This is the one that gets all the attention. Ethical hacking, penetration testing, red teaming — the idea of being paid to break into systems is genuinely exciting, and the reality is not far off. Pen testers are hired by organizations to find their vulnerabilities before attackers do. Red teamers simulate full adversary campaigns against an organization's defenses.
Here is the honest truth, though — this is not a beginner role. The best pen testers have a deep understanding of how networks, operating systems, applications, and protocols actually work. You need to understand defense before you can attack effectively. Most people who go straight for the offensive path without that foundation hit a ceiling quickly.
The path typically goes: solid networking and systems knowledge, blue team experience or study, then offensive skills on top. That is not the exciting answer, but it is the right one.
Image copyright Crowdstrike.
Governance, Risk and Compliance — GRC
GRC is the least glamorous-sounding path and one of the most lucrative. If you are the kind of person who can translate technical risk into business language, understand regulatory frameworks, and help organizations build security programs that actually work in the real world, you are worth a lot of money to a lot of companies.
GRC professionals work with frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST, SOC 2, GDPR, and PCI DSS. They conduct risk assessments, write policies, manage audits, and advise leadership on security strategy. Senior GRC roles — Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Security Manager, Risk Director — are among the highest-paid positions in the entire IT industry.
This path suits people who are strong communicators, comfortable with ambiguity, and interested in the business side of security as much as the technical side.
Auditing and Compliance
Related to GRC but more specifically focused on verifying that security controls are working as intended. Auditors assess organizations against standards and frameworks, identify gaps, and produce findings that drive remediation. This role exists both inside organizations and in external audit and consulting firms.
The CISA certification (Certified Information Systems Auditor) is the gold standard here and one of the most respected qualifications in the entire security field.
Cloud Security
As organizations move workloads to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, securing those environments has become a specialism in its own right. Cloud security engineers understand both the security principles and the specific tools and configurations of the major cloud platforms. This is one of the fastest-growing areas in the field right now.
Industrial and OT Security
Operational Technology security covers the protection of industrial control systems, SCADA systems, and critical infrastructure — power grids, water treatment, and manufacturing. It is a highly specialized niche with significant skills shortages and salaries to match. If you have a background in engineering or industrial systems, along with IT knowledge, this is worth exploring seriously.
Where to Start — The Beginner Path
If you are starting from scratch with no IT background, here is the honest path. Do not skip steps. Each one builds the foundation for the next.
Step 1: Get Your IT Foundations Right
Before you touch a security certification, make sure you understand how computers and networks actually work. The CompTIA A+ covers the computing fundamentals. The CompTIA Network+ covers TCP/IP, routing, switching, wireless, and the protocols that underpin everything in security. You cannot secure what you do not understand, and most security concepts make a lot more sense once you have solid networking knowledge.
I know some people skip straight to Security+ and manage to pass it. But they often struggle later because they are building on sand. Do the foundations properly, and everything that comes after is easier.
Step 2: Your First Security Certification
The ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) is currently free to sit and is specifically designed for people with no prior security experience. It covers the core security concepts — confidentiality, integrity, availability, access controls, network security, and incident response — at an introductory level. It is a legitimate credential from a respected organization and an excellent starting point. There is genuinely no reason not to do this one first. We teach the CC course on this website, in fact.
The CompTIA Security+ is the next step and probably the most widely recognized entry-level security certification in the world. It is approved under the US Department of Defense 8570/8140 framework, which means it is required for a huge range of government IT roles and contracts. Employers know it, trust it, and constantly ask for it in job postings. If you only do one security certification, make it this one.
Step 3: Pick Your Direction
After Security+, you have enough foundation to start specializing. This is where the paths diverge based on what kind of work you want to do.
Intermediate Certifications — Choosing Your Specialization
For Defensive Security and SOC Work
The CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst) is the natural next step after Security+ for anyone going into blue team or SOC work. It covers threat detection, behavioral analytics, vulnerability management, and incident response. It sits at the intermediate level and is increasingly asked for in SOC analyst and security engineer job postings.
The ISC2 SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner) is worth mentioning here specifically for people who want to progress toward the CISSP eventually but do not yet have the required work experience. The CISSP requires 5 years of paid work experience in 2 or more security domains — the SSCP requires just 1 year, covering similar ground at a lower level. It is a legitimate stepping stone that keeps you moving forward while you build the experience you need.
For Offensive Security and Pen Testing
The CompTIA PenTest+ is a solid introduction to penetration testing methodology, tools, and reporting. It is more accessible than some of the more advanced offensive certifications and is a reasonable starting point for the path.
The EC-Council CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) is one of the most recognized names in offensive security, though opinions in the industry are mixed on its depth. It covers a broad range of attack techniques and is widely listed in job postings, particularly in certain sectors and regions.
For GRC and Audit
The CompTIA SecurityX (formerly CASP+) sits at the advanced practitioner level and is aimed at security architects and senior engineers rather than managers. It is one of the few advanced certifications that is performance-based rather than management-focused.
For the audit and compliance path, start building your knowledge of frameworks — ISO 27001, NIST CSF, SOC 2. The CISA is your target certification, but it requires five years of information systems audit experience, so the interim goal is to get into roles that build that experience.
For Network Security
The Cisco CCNA Cyber Ops (now called Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate) is Cisco's entry into the security space and is well regarded for SOC-focused roles. If you are already on the Cisco path with a CCNA, this is a natural addition.
The CWSP (Certified Wireless Security Professional) is the gold standard for wireless security specialists. Note that the CWNA (Certified Wireless Network Administrator) is a prerequisite — you need to understand wireless networking before you can secure it.
The CompTIA Linux+ and the LPIC-3 Security are worth adding if your work involves Linux environments, which most enterprise security roles do to some degree.
Advanced Certifications — The Senior Level
These are the qualifications that sit at the top of the stack. They typically require significant proven work experience — and organizations verify this seriously. Do not try to shortcut your way to these. They are worth more precisely because they are hard to get.
CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional
The CISSP from ISC2 is the most recognized advanced security certification in the world. It covers eight security domains at a strategic and architectural level and is the standard qualification for senior security roles, security architects, and CISOs. The exam is genuinely difficult — it uses a Computerized Adaptive Testing format that adjusts the difficulty of questions based on your performance.
The requirement is 5 years of paid work experience in at least 2 of the 8 CISSP domains. If you do not have that yet, the SSCP is the official stepping stone — it requires only one year of experience and covers overlapping content. Pass the SSCP, build your experience, then progress to CISSP when you qualify.
CISA — Certified Information Systems Auditor
The CISA from ISACA is the premier certification for IT auditors and is widely required in audit, compliance, and risk management roles. Like the CISSP, it requires five years of relevant work experience. It is highly respected in financial services, healthcare, and any sector with significant regulatory requirements.
CCIE Security — Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Security
The CCIE Security is one of the hardest certifications in the industry. It consists of a written qualification exam followed by an eight-hour hands-on lab exam conducted at a Cisco facility. Pass rates are low, preparation takes years, and the credential is rare. If you reach the CCIE Security level, you are at the top of the technical security profession.
How to Get the Experience You Need
The experience requirements for certifications like CISSP and CISA frustrate many people. Five years sounds like a long time when you are starting out. Here is how to approach it practically.
First, almost any IT role contributes to your security experience if you frame it correctly. Network administration, systems administration, and helpdesk work involving access management or incident response all count toward domains such as identity and access management, security operations, and asset security. Keep a record of your work experience in security-relevant areas from day one.
Second, use the associate pathways. Both CISSP and CISA offer associate status if you pass the exam without the required experience. You have 6 years to gain the experience and earn a full certification. This lets you demonstrate the knowledge now while building the experience over time.
Third, build a home lab. A cheap second-hand server, some virtual machines, a Raspberry Pi, a copy of Kali Linux, and platforms like our own practice labs give you genuine hands-on experience that employers and certification bodies recognize. Document what you build and learn. It counts.
Fourth, contribute. Write about what you learn. Help people in forums. Participate in Capture the Flag competitions. Build a GitHub portfolio. The security community values demonstrated knowledge and genuine curiosity, and these things are visible to employers in ways that a CV line cannot always convey.
A Realistic Cert Roadmap
To pull it all together, here is a rough roadmap depending on where you are starting from. These are suggestions, not rules — your specific goals and current experience will shape the right path for you.
Complete beginner (no IT background): CompTIA A+ → CompTIA Network+ → ISC2 CC → CompTIA Security+. From there, pick your specialization.
Already in IT, want to move into security: ISC2 CC → CompTIA Security+ → CySA+ or PenTest+, depending on direction → SSCP or CEH at intermediate level → CISSP or CISA as long-term target.
Already in networking (CCNA level): CompTIA Security+ → Cisco CyberOps Associate → CySA+ → CEH → CCIE Security as a long-term goal if you want to stay technical.
Aiming for GRC or audit: CompTIA Security+ → SSCP → build audit experience → CISA. Add knowledge of ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and the NIST framework along the way.
Aiming for pen testing: Network+ → Security+ → Linux+ → PenTest+ → CEH → and then the more advanced offensive certifications once you have genuine technical depth.
What Does the Money Look Like?
Salaries vary significantly by location, experience, and specialization, so treat any figures as rough guidance rather than guarantees. That said, in the US and UK, cybersecurity salaries are consistently above the IT average at every level.
Entry-level SOC analyst roles typically start at $45,000-$65,000 in the US. Security engineers with 3 to 5 years of experience typically earn $80,000 to $120,000. Senior security architects, CISO-track professionals, and experienced pen testers regularly earn $130,000 to $180,000 or more. CISSP and CISA holders consistently command salary premiums of 20 to 30 percent over non-certified peers at the same experience level.
Outside the US, salaries are lower, but the skills shortage is equally real, and cybersecurity professionals in the UK, Australia, Canada, and increasingly across Europe and the Middle East are in strong demand.
Is Cybersecurity Future-Proof?
Yes — genuinely, and I do not say that lightly.
AI is changing many IT jobs and will continue to do so. But cybersecurity is one of the fields where AI makes the defenders more capable without replacing them, while simultaneously making attackers more capable too. The net effect is that skilled humans are needed more, not less. AI can automate log analysis and flag anomalies. It cannot replace the judgment, creativity, and contextual understanding that experienced security professionals bring to complex incidents.
The regulatory environment is also tightening globally. GDPR in Europe, increasing SEC disclosure requirements in the US, NIS2, DORA — organizations face growing legal obligations around security and privacy that require qualified people to manage. That demand is structural and not going away.
And threats are not going away either. As long as there are valuable systems and valuable data, there will be people trying to steal or disrupt them. Cybersecurity is not a trend. It is an arms race that shows no signs of ending.
If you are willing to keep learning — and this field demands that you do, because it changes constantly — cybersecurity will reward you with interesting work, good money, genuine job security, and the satisfaction of knowing that what you do actually matters.
It is not an easy path. Nothing worth having is. But it is one of the best career paths available in technology today, and the door is genuinely open to anyone with the drive to walk through it.
We offer courses covering the full security certification pathway at HowToNetwork — from the beginner CC and Security+ right through to CEH, SSCP, CISA, CySA+, PenTest+, CWSP, and LPIC-3 Security. Members get access to all courses, practice exams, performance-based question labs, browser-based virtual machines, and 24/7 live Cisco rack access.
