Find your career path in information security

As you begin your career in information security, mapping out a path can help you identify both short- and long-term goals.

Your journey will be specific to your interests, experience, and opportunities, but you can foster greater success by focusing your efforts on one of information security’s general areas: audit, forensics, management, or administration.

Starting out

Information security professionals often come from a more general information technology background. Once you’ve gained some experience, it may be time to consider an entry-level certification. In the field of information security, professional certifications show employers you’re well versed in your industry, ready to meet a range of challenges, and committed to professional growth.

Moving forward as an associate

After you’ve established some work history, you may be ready to move out of entry-level positions and into associate roles. Additionally, you can consider taking some certification exams that have minimum education or work experience requirements.

Getting ahead as a professional

Once you have some years of working in the field under your belt, you could decide to make the move into a specialty area, such as forensics, management, audit, or administration. To sharpen your skills in your niche, consider one or more certifications that focus explicitly on the skills and knowledge required for your chosen area.

Becoming an expert

The payoff for reaching the top of the information security field can be sizeable. The chief executive position is an alluring end goal for many information security professionals who have cultivated technical know-how and leadership skills throughout their careers.

Explore some of the most popular and promising career path options at cyberseek.org.

Regardless of which career path you choose, you can increase your chances of success by creating a thoughtful career plan that can be adjusted as your skills grow and you encounter new opportunities.