5 Cybersecurity Career Paths (and How to Get Started)

Pursuing a career in cybersecurity means joining a booming industry where available jobs outnumber qualified candidates. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of cybersecurity jobs is expected to increase by 33 percent between 2023 and 2033 [1]. If you're interested in a fast-paced, well-paid career focused on protecting a valuable data and computer systems, a career in cybersecurity could be right for you. Learn about five common career paths within this high-demand field in the following article.

Or, get started right away and earn credentials from an industry leader in as little as six months with the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate program, where you'll learn to identify common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities, as well as techniques to mitigate them.

Cybersecurity career path starting roles

Many cybersecurity professionals start out in an entry-level IT role to gain experience before moving into the cybersecurity specialization. If you don't yet have experience with computer science or information technology, you'll need to develop core IT skills such as programming, networks and systems administration, and cloud computing. Then, you might pursue one of the following entry-level jobs:

• Help desk technician

• Network administrator

• Systems administrator

• Software developer

If you already have some experience in the field, you may go straight to an entry-level cybersecurity role such as:

• Information security analyst

• Cybersecurity analyst

In an analyst role, you can decide to take your career in a few different directions, depending on your interests and goals. If you enjoy planning and building, you may choose to pursue security engineering and architecture. Maybe you enjoy the thrill of incident response, or perhaps you’d prefer to hone your hacking skills to stay one step ahead of bad actors. While you don’t necessarily need a degree to get a job in cybersecurity, having one or some form of structured training such as certificate programs or online classes might accelerate your path toward a job.

5 career paths for an information security analyst

Whether you're just getting started or looking to take the next step, there are multiple directions your career can go, each with its own focus, challenges, and opportunities. In the sections below, we’ll break down five key career paths in cybersecurity. Understanding these options can help you make informed choices about where you want to grow and how to get there.

1. Engineering and architecture

As a security engineer, you’ll use your knowledge of threats and vulnerabilities to build and implement defense systems against a range of security concerns. You may advance to become a security architect, responsible for your organization's entire security infrastructure. 

Security engineering and architecture could be a good fit if you enjoy tinkering with technology and like to take a big picture approach to cybersecurity.

Skills to develop:

• Critical thinking

• IT networking

• System administration

• Risk assessment

Common certifications: CompTIA Security+, Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer

2. Incident response

Despite a company’s best security efforts, security incidents still happen. The field of incident response involves the next steps after a security incident. As an incident responder, you’ll monitor your company’s network and work to fix vulnerabilities and minimize loss when breaches occur. 

Another area of incident response involves digital forensics and cybercrime. Digital forensic investigators work with law enforcement to retrieve data from digital devices and investigate cybercrimes. 

Incident response could be a good fit if you work well under pressure and love a good mystery. 

Skills to develop:

• Attention to detail

• Technical writing and documentation

• Intrusion detection tools

• Forensics software

Common certifications: GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), EC-Council Certified Incident Handler (ECIH), Certified Computer Examiner (CCE), Certified Computer Forensics Examiner (CCFE)

Learn about threat analysis, investigation, and response with the Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals Specialization.

3. Management and administration

As you gain experience in cybersecurity, you may choose to advance toward a leadership position within your organization. Cybersecurity managers oversee an organization’s network and computer security systems. In this role, you might manage security teams, coordinate between teams, and ensure security compliance. Typically, the highest security role in an organization is that of chief information security officer (CISO). Working in security at the executive level often means managing operations, policies, and budgets across the company’s security infrastructure.

Management and administration could be a good fit if you’re organized, an excellent communicator, and enjoy working with people.

Skills to develop:

• Project management

• Risk management

• Leadership

• Collaboration

Common certifications: Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), GIAC Certified Project Manager (GCPM), CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)

4. Consulting

Companies hire security consultants to test their computer and network systems for any vulnerabilities or security risks. In this role, you get to practice cybersecurity offense and defense by testing systems for vulnerabilities and making recommendations on how to strengthen those systems.

Consulting could be a good fit if you enjoy variety and want to make an impact by helping others manage their security.

Skills to develop:

• Penetration testing and vulnerability testing

• Threat management

• Operating systems

• Encryption

Common certifications: CompTIA Security+, Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), Certified Security Consultant (CSC)

5. Testing and hacking

This field of cybersecurity goes by many names, offensive security, red team, white hat hacking, and ethical hacking among them. If you work in offensive security, you’ll take a proactive approach to cybersecurity. You’ll do this by playing the part of the intruder, trying to find vulnerabilities before the bad guys do. 

As a penetration tester, you’ll seek to identify and exploit system weaknesses to help companies build more secure systems. As an ethical hacker (also known as a white hat hacker), you can try out even more attack vectors (like social engineering) to reveal security weaknesses.

Testing and hacking could be a good fit if you want to outsmart the bad guys and get paid to (legally) hack into networks and computer systems.

Skills to develop:

• Cryptography

• Penetration testing

• Computer networking

• Scripting

Common certifications: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), CompTIA PenTest+, GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

How much can you make? Cybersecurity salaries by role

Cybersecurity professionals tend to get paid well for their skills, even at the entry level. As you gain experience and move into more advanced roles, salaries often go up as well. To give you an idea of what’s possible, here’s a look at the average total pay of several cybersecurity jobs in the US in May 2025, according to Glassdoor.

• Intrusion detection specialist: $127,396

• Junior cybersecurity analyst: $138,832

• Digital forensic examiner: $132,161

• IT security administrator: $108,266

• Incident response analyst: $97,322

• Cybersecurity consultant: $118,837

• Information security analyst: $105,299

• Ethical hacker: $123,085

• Penetration tester: $112,372

• Security engineer: $128,106

• Cybersecurity manager: $179,674

• Security architect: $164,097

• Chief information security officer: $197,579

Cybersecurity degrees and certifications

Fifty-six percent of cybersecurity specialists have a bachelor's degree, and 23 percent have an associate degree [2]. Relevant areas of study include computer science, computer information systems, and information technology. In cybersecurity, the right credential can help set you apart from other job seekers and make your resume more attractive to hiring managers.

Resources

• Listen in: Cybersecurity Podcasts

• Cybersecurity Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ

• Is Cybersecurity Hard to Learn? 9 Tips for Success

Get started in cybersecurity

If you’re interested in starting a career in cybersecurity, consider the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate. You'll learn about the importance of protecting networks, devices, people, and data from unauthorized access and cyberattacks using Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools.