With the increased number of cyber attacks, cybersecurity has become one of the most in-demand career fields of 2025. Whether it is about protecting cloud infrastructure or defending against ransomware, the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals is at its peak. 

However, most enthusiasts ask – How do I start my career and which certification shall I pursue?

This is why you need to go through the cybersecurity certification roadmap. This guide will help you navigate through the key steps, certifications and skills needed to build a rewarding cybersecurity career.

How to Become a Cybersecurity Engineer and What Does He Do?

Cybersecurity Engineers are the heart of cybersecurity. The main role of a cybersecurity engineer is to implement, manage and design security solutions to protect an organization’s IT infrastructure. 

The main responsibilities of a cybersecurity engineer are as follows:

• Monitoring networks for vulnerabilities and intrusions

• Conducting penetration testing and risk assessments

• Implementing firewalls, IDS/IPS, and endpoint security

• Responding to security incidents and breaches

• Ensuring compliance with regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc.)

First Steps to Cybersecurity Certification Roadmap

• You must start with basic IT knowledge such as networking and IT operations. 

• You must also be aware of security fundamentals through entry-level certifications like CompTIA Security+.

• You can then go for advanced certifications like CISSP, CEH, or CCSP, depending on your career interest.

Our provided roadmap ensures both theoretical and practical knowledge.

What Certifications Do You Need for Cybersecurity?

The most critical part of the cybersecurity roadmap is certifications. Certifications validate your expertise and open the doors to high-paying roles. In order to make it easy for you, we have entry-level, intermediate and advanced-level certifications. A little heads up is that you at least need a graduation degree to become a cybersecurity engineer.

Entry-Level Certifications:

The following are the entry-level certifications you can choose to begin career in cybersecurity:

• CompTIA Security+

It is an entry-level certification to break into core security and eventually cybersecurity. It recognizes your skills in securing networks, applications and devices. This further emphasizes data integrity, confidentiality, and availability.

You can land the job roles after completing the CompTIA Security+ certification:

• SOC Analyst

• Security Analyst

• Junior Penetration Tester

• System Administrator

• IT Auditor

The highlighting details of this certification are as follows:

• Cisco CyberOps Associate

Offered by Cisco itself, Cisco CyberOps is an associate-level certification. You will learn how to monitor, detect and respond to cyber threats and prepare for the Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification.

You can land the following job roles after completing the Cisco CyberOps associate certification:

• SOC Analyst

• Cybersecurity Analyst

• Threat Intelligence Analyst

• Incident Response Specialist

The highlighting details of this certification are as follows:

Intermediate-Level Certifications:

The following are the intermediate-level certifications you can target to become a professional cybersecurity engineer:

• EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEHv13)

Ethical hacking is in fact considered a de facto certification in the hacking world. If you want to represent the red team and defend against attacks by becoming a hacker ethically, this course is for you. You just need a graduation degree and the basics of networking cleared to enroll in this course.

You can land the following job roles after completing the CEHv13 certification:

• Ethical hacker

• Cybersecurity engineer

• Penetration tester

• IT Security Analyst

• Red Team Specialist

• Vulnerability Assessment Analyst

The highlighting details of this certification are as follows:

• CompTIA CySA+

The CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certification is specially created for professionals who want to master threat detection, response, and analysis. The objective here is to learn behavioral analytics and monitoring tools to detect threats inside enterprise networks.

While CEH focuses on offensive techniques, CompTIA CySA+ focuses on the defensive side of cybersecurity. You can land the following job roles after pursuing the CompTIA CySA+ certification:

• Cybersecurity Analyst

• Threat Intelligence Analyst

• Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst

• Vulnerability Management Analyst

• Security Engineer

The highlighting details of this certification are as follows:

Advanced-Level Certifications:

The following are the advanced-level certifications you can target to become a professional cybersecurity engineer:

• CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) by ISC2

Offered by ISC2, CISSP is a managerial-level certification, especially for security architect roles. It validates your knowledge in eight prominent domains in cybersecurity. These domains are mentioned as follows:

• Security and risk management

• Asset security

• Security architecture and engineering

• Communication and network security

• Identity and Access Management (IAM)

• Security Assessment

• Software development security

• Operations security

You can land the following job roles after pursuing the CISSP certification:

• Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

• Security Architect

• Security Manager

• Senior Security Consultant

• IT Director / Security Director

The highlighting details of this certification are as follows:

• AWS Certified Security – Specialty

Provided by AWS, it is an advanced certification in the security domain. It is specifically designed for professionals who are already working with cloud environments such as AWS cloud. You can validate your practical knowledge in cloud-native security tools with the help of this certification.

You can land the following job roles after pursuing the AWS Certified Security – Specialty certification:

• Cloud Security Engineer

• AWS Security Specialist

• Cloud Solutions Architect (Security-focused)

• Security Consultant (Cloud)

• DevSecOps Engineer

The highlighting details of this certification are as follows:

Bottom Line

A clear, structured certification roadmap accelerates your cybersecurity career by pairing foundational IT knowledge with targeted credentials. Start with entry-level certifications like CompTIA Security+ or Cisco CyberOps to build networking and security basics. Then, progress to intermediate qualifications such as CEHv13 or CompTIA CySA+ to specialize in offensive or defensive skills.

Post that, you can aim for advanced credentials like CISSP or AWS Certified Security – Specialty for leadership and cloud-security roles. Combine certifications with hands-on practice, real-world experience, and continuous learning to stay current with evolving threats and maximize job opportunities and earning potential.

FAQs:

Which certification is best for cybersecurity?

There are many prominent certifications offered by CompTIA, GIAC and EC-Council. If you’re a mere beginner, we recommend CompTIA Security+ to grasp the basics. EC-Council’s CEHv13 to become an ethical hacker. EC-Council’s CSA (Certified SOC Analyst) to further upskill in the industry. CompTIA’s PenTest+ to become a penetration tester.

What is the highest certification in cybersecurity?

ISC2 certification, the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) is one of the most respected certifications in the cybersecurity industry. In order to take the certification, you need to have 5 years of experience in any 2 of the 8 domains standardized by ISC2. It is a managerial-level certification in cloud security architecture.

Which certification is best for cybersecurity beginners?

The EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacking (CEHv13) certification is the best for beginners who want to break into the offensive side of cybersecurity. You can also opt for CompTIA Security+ if you have zero cybersecurity knowledge but you want to grasp the basics. 

Which type of cybersecurity is in demand?

Currently, both offensive and defensive cybersecurity professionals are in demand. However, one prominent role that is emerging in cybersecurity is the Cloud Security Engineer. Since enterprises are shifting to cloud, you can earn a high salary in this role. You can opt for our Cloud Security Engineer Master’s Program to get started.

How much does it cost to get certified in cybersecurity?

The cost completely depends on the type of certification you want to pursue. Entry-level certifications range between $400-$1199 USD (example, EC-Council’s CEHv13). The range is comparatively lower for certifications like OSCP or GIAC certifications. If you want to opt for ISC2 certifications such as CISSP, the cost is $749 USD.