Why cybersecurity career paths matter

Becoming a well-rounded cybersecurity professional requires having well-rounded experience. Exposure and experience are critical building blocks of a cybersecurity career early on and will also become valuable (and make you more effective) as your career progresses and you become a senior cybersecurity leader. More importantly, exposure and experience allows you to learn which domains in cybersecurity you want to work in and you can then focus your career path more on those. Before committing to a domain of cybersecurity as a career path, it’s important to get exposure to different areas. 

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Examples of cybersecurity career paths

There are countless career paths within cybersecurity. Because it’s a fairly new and constantly evolving industry, you may see different categories and titles depending on the company or resource you read. However, it’s common to categorize paths in three areas:

1. Management 

2. Technical 

3. Senior leadership

Management: Security governance and oversight roles

The security management and governance domain is all about the oversight and management of cybersecurity within the organization. Though it’s important to understand as much as you can about technology and the technical nuances behind cyber risk, this area tends to be less technical than others. Instead of configuring systems or getting deep into operational support, a career path in this space entails using business savviness, organizational management, and soft skills to programmatically manage security. Example opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Training and awareness: The majority of cyber breaches stem from human error, making training and awareness of employees and customers a critical part of any cybersecurity strategy. A career in this space is one that involves designing curriculums and content in a way that is engaging and lasting to educate people on cyber risks and influence behavioral changes that promote security.
• Audits and compliance: Cybersecurity is all about checks and balances. There are many rules and regulations, like PCI-DSS and HIPAA, that outline cybersecurity requirements for regulated companies. Professionals in this career domain work to achieve, verify and maintain compliance with those rules.
• Third-party risk management: In today’s connected world, companies must pay attention to how their vendors and partners can impact their security posture. Countless security vulnerabilities stem from attackers breaching one company and then using that access to hop over to another connected company’s network. Professionals in this domain help verify and manage third-party security to ensure partners are not introducing risk to the company.
• Project management: Every security strategy includes process and technology components. Designing and implementing these requires superb project management programs to ensure solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently.