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Security operations

Cybersecurity Analyst

Watching for the one alert out of ten thousand that matters.

Typical pay

$70k-$150k

How you get in

IT experience plus Security+ and hands-on labs

Outlook

Strong, but the junior market is crowded

Security analysts monitor for threats, investigate alerts and respond to incidents. The reality is far more log review and tuning than the field's reputation suggests, and it is rarely a true entry-level job.

A day in the life

  1. 8:00aTriage the overnight alert queue
  2. 9:30aInvestigate a flagged login from an odd location
  3. 11:00aTune detection rules to cut false positives
  4. 1:00pPhishing report from an employee, analyze the payload
  5. 3:00pVulnerability scan review, prioritize patching
  6. 5:00pWrite the incident summary

How to get in

IT support then security

Duration

2-4 years

Cost

$500-$3,000 in certifications

Credential

Security+, then CySA+ or a SOC analyst cert

  1. Work help desk or sysadmin first — this step is not skippable
  2. Get Network+ and Security+ while employed
  3. Build a home lab and learn a SIEM tool
  4. Move into a SOC analyst role internally or externally

Degree in cybersecurity

Duration

4 years

Cost

$40,000-$150,000

Credential

BS in cybersecurity or information systems

  1. Complete a cybersecurity or IT degree
  2. Do a security internship — this is what actually gets you hired
  3. Get Security+ before you graduate
  4. Enter as a junior SOC analyst

Certification-heavy self-study

Duration

9-18 months

Cost

$2,000-$8,000

Credential

Security+, CySA+, and hands-on platform certifications

  1. Build a home lab with real tooling
  2. Stack Security+ then a practical certification
  3. Compete in CTFs and document what you did
  4. Expect to still start in IT support first at most companies

What people love

  • · High pay and strong demand
  • · Remote-friendly
  • · Genuinely interesting problems
  • · Clear certification ladder

What wears people down

  • · On-call and after-hours incidents
  • · Alert fatigue is real
  • · Not actually entry level — needs IT foundation first
  • · Blamed when something gets through

From people doing it

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