Career paths
Five paths, described honestly
Each path describes the work, the competencies employers commonly expect, and the certifications iSecPath recommends along the way. We make no employment or salary claims.
Security Operations
Detect, triage and respond. The most common entry into the profession from IT support, networking or helpdesk work.
SOC Analyst · Detection Engineer · Incident Responder
Path detailsCloud Security
Secure identity, workloads and data inside cloud platforms, usually alongside platform and DevOps teams.
Cloud Security Engineer · Cloud Security Analyst · Platform Security Engineer
Path detailsSecurity Testing
Find and prove weaknesses before an adversary does, then communicate them so they actually get fixed.
Penetration Tester · Application Security Analyst · Red Team Operator
Path detailsSecurity Architecture
Set the technical direction: patterns, standards and the trade-offs behind them, across cloud and hybrid estates.
Security Architect · Cybersecurity Architect · Principal Security Engineer
Path detailsSecurity Leadership
Own the programme: governance, risk, budget and the argument you make to executives and auditors.
Security Manager · Head of Information Security · GRC Lead
Path detailsHow to read our certification mappings
Every certification attached to a path is part of the iSecPath Recommended Path — our learning-path logic, not an official requirement. We only use Prerequisite where the certification provider authoritatively requires it.
- Recommended
- iSecPath recommends this step in this path. Not a provider requirement.
- Prerequisite
- Authoritative: the certification provider requires this.
- Alternative
- A comparable option that covers similar ground.
- Complementary
- Adds adjacent depth alongside the main sequence.
- Employer-relevant
- Frequently named in job postings for this path.