Advice Needed: Cybersecurity Career Growth & Certification Pathway

Parn

Hello everyone,

I’m new to this forum, and I’m excited to join a community where I can learn, contribute, and hopefully grow alongside others who share a passion for cybersecurity.

Let me introduce myself briefly. I’ve been working in the IT sector for about 10-11 years. I hold a higher education diploma in Network and Systems Administrator, I’m currently studying for a university degree in cybersecurity, and I’ve completed certifications such as:

• MCSA Windows Server 2016

• Administration and Configuration Exchange Server 2016

• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Certified: Architect and Foundations

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

• ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)

Professional Experience:

• Helpdesk support technician for 3 years

• System administrator for 4 years

• Senior system administrator for 3 years

• Cybersecurity administrator for 1 year

During my time as a system administrator and senior system administrator, I gained experience in nearly every aspect of IT, including storage, virtualization, cloud (AWS, Azure, and Oracle), networking (design and deployment), backup and restore, system validation, and security (configuring and deploying EDR and XDR platforms). I may not be an expert in every area, but I have a strong working knowledge across these domains and have managed their operations and maintenance.

Over the past year, I decided to pivot my career toward cybersecurity, currently working as a cybersecurity administrator. I am also studying for a degree in cybersecurity and recently earned the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) certification.

Where I need your help:

I’m at a crossroads, unsure which certifications to pursue next or what career path to follow in terms of roles and positions. While I’m clear that I want to advance in Security and Risk Management — assessing and protecting organizational infrastructure, ensuring compliance, and identifying security gaps — I’m less clear on how to prioritize certifications and define a path for career progression. For instance, should I aim for the CISSP next, or is the SSCP a better step for someone with my background?

If anyone could offer guidance on certification paths and role progression based on my experience, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance for any advice, and apologies for the long post!

JDMurray

Welcome to TechExams.Net!

I see you are posting from the EU. Where are you looking for employment geographically?

Parn

JDMurray said:

Welcome to TechExams.Net!

I see you are posting from the EU. Where are you looking for employment geographically?

Thanks. I'm not looking for employment, I just want to trace a roadmap and understand the different positions and roles to start transitioning to a management role.

Regards

JDMurray

Parn said:

Thanks. I'm not looking for employment, I just want to trace a roadmap and understand the different positions and roles to start transitioning to a management role.

You should look at job postings for the type of management jobs that interest you and check what certs they ask for. For a cybersecurity manager, typically ask for are CISSP, CISM, and sometimes CISA. An MBA IT also make candidates look attractive for management roles.