Cybersecurity Career Pathway

Explore the key jobs within cybersecurity, common transition opportunities between them, and detailed information about the salaries, credentials, and skillsets associated with each role.

Entry-Level

1. Cybersecurity Specialist

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$97,138

Cybersecurity Specialist

Primary Skills Needed

-Threat Hunting
-Risk Management Framework
-Threat Intelligence & Response
-Network Firewalls
-Phishing

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
2
73
25

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Oversight and Governance

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • CompTIA Security+
  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    Vulnerability

  • 3

    Auditing

  • 4

    Information Systems

  • 5

    Incident Response

  • 7

    IT Security

2. Cyber Crime Analyst

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$100,150

Cybersecurity Specialist

Primary Skills Needed

-Threat Hunting
-Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
-Anomaly Detection
-Network Firewalls
-Counter Intelligence

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
2
73
25

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Protection and Defense
Investigation

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler
  • GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst
  • GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Threat Intelligence

  • 2

    Vulnerability

  • 3

    Intelligence Analysis

  • 4

    Information Systems

  • 5

    Incident Response

  • 6

    MITRE ATT&CK Framework

  • 7

    Security Information And Event Management (SIEM)

  • 8

    Digital Forensics

3. Incident & Intrusion Analyst

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$101,130

Incident & Intrusion Analyst

Primary Skills Needed

-Incident Response Analysts
-Cyber Threat Hunters
-Incident Managers
-Cybersecurity Incident Response Analysts
-Incident Response Consultants

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
3
56
41

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Cyberspace Intelligence
Investigation

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler
  • GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst
  • Certified Ethical Hacker

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Incident Response

  • 2

    Cyber Security

  • 3

    Incident Management

  • 4

    Computer Science

  • 5

    Cyber Threat Intelligence

  • 6

    Security Information And Event Management (SIEM)

  • 7

    Linux

  • 8

    Triage

4. IT Auditor

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$85,221

IT Auditors

Primary Skills Needed

-Blockchain
-Security Roles & User Privileges
-User Security Management
-Security Insider Threat Management
-ISO 27001

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
4
46
50

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Implementation and Operation
Oversight and Governance

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)
  • Certified Internal Auditor
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • Certified Public Accountant

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Auditing

  • 2

    Accounting

  • 3

    Internal Auditing

  • 4

    Internal Controls

  • 5

    Finance

  • 6

    Risk Analysis

  • 7

    Information Systems

  • 8

    Data Analysis

Mid-Level

1. Cybersecurity Analyst

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$115,795

Cybersecurity Analyst

Primary Skills Needed

-Public Cloud Security
-Comprehensive Software Security
-Threat Hunting
-Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
-Threat Intelligence & Response

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
5
55
40

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Cyberspace Intelligence
Oversight and Governance
Investigation

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • CompTIA Security+
  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    Vulnerability

  • 3

    Auditing

  • 4

    Information Systems

  • 5

    Incident Response

  • 7

    Risk Analysis

  • 7

    Risk Management

2. Cybersecurity Consultant

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$125,243

Cybersecurity Consultant

Primary Skills Needed

-Security Foundation & Threat Intelligence
-Cloud Security
-Threat Hunting
-Preventative Antivirus
-Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Management
-Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
2
33
65

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Cyberspace Intelligence
Oversight and Governance
Investigation

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • Certified Information Security Manager
  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Ethical Hacker
  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    Vulnerability

  • 3

    Auditing

  • 4

    Cloud Security

  • 5

    Identity And Access Management

  • 6

    Risk Analysis

  • 7

    Microsoft Azure

  • 8

    Project Management

  • 9

    Incident Response

3. Penetration & Vulnerability Tester

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$132,457

Penetration & Vulnerability Tester

Primary Skills Needed

-Container Security
-Comprehensive Software Security
-Threat Hunting
-Anomaly Detection
-Threat Hunting
-SaaS Application Security

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
1
55
44

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Oversight and Governance
Investigation
Investigation

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • Offensive Security Certified Professional
  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Ethical Hacker
  • GIAC Penetration Tester

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    Vulnerability

  • 3

    Auditing

  • 4

    Penetration Testing

  • 5

    Vulnerability Management

  • 6

    Vulnerability Assessments

  • 7

    Python (Programming Language)

  • 8

    Operating Systems

  • 9

    Vulnerability Scanning

Advanced-Level

1. Cybersecurity Manager

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$152,403

Cybersecurity Manager

Primary Skills Needed

-Cloud Security
-Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Management
-Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service
-Cybersecurity Strategy
-Security Insider Threat Management

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
2
43
55

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Oversight and Governance

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • CompTIA Security+
  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    Vulnerability

  • 3

    Auditing

  • 4

    Information Systems

  • 5

    Incident Response

  • 7

    Risk Analysis

  • 7

    Risk Management

2. Cybersecurity Consultant

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level Cybersecurity Engineer

$173,992

Cybersecurity Consultant

Primary Skills Needed

-Container Security
-Cloud Security
-Comprehensive Software Security

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
2
48
50

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Oversight and Governance
Investigation

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • Certified Information Security Manager
  • GIAC Certifications
  • CompTIA Security+
  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    Computer Science

  • 3

    Vulnerability

  • 4

    Python (Programming Language)

  • 5

    Automation

  • 6

    Amazon Web Services

  • 7

    Security Engineering

  • 8

    Firewall

  • 9

    Scripting

3. Cybersecurity Architect

Average salary The average annual salary for an entry-level cybersecurity specialist

$230,989

Cybersecurity Architect

Primary Skills Needed

-Container Security
-Cloud Security
-Threat Hunting
-Public Cloud Security
-Microservices Security
-SABSA

Requested education (%))

  • Diploma
  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Masters's Degree
1
40
60

COMMON WORKFORCE CATEGORIES Shows common categories that map to a particular job

Cyberspace Effects
Design and Development
Implementation and Operation
Protection and Defense
Oversight and Governance

Top certifications REQUESTED

  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)
  • GIAC Certifications
  • Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

tOP skills REQUESTED Shows the skills most commonly requested by employers

  • 1

    Cyber Security

  • 2

    IT Security Architecture

  • 3

    Computer Science

  • 4

    Identity And Access Management

  • 5

    Vulnerability

  • 6

    Microsoft Azure

  • 7

    Amazon Web Services

  • 8

    Security Controls

  • 9

    Security Requirements Analysis

The admissions Process

  • 1Submit your
    Application
  • 2Interview with the
    Admissions team
  • 3Join Patchlabs
    Cybersecurity Program

Start anytime!