01
Red Team
Friendly hackers you hire, with permission, to test your locks before a real attacker shows up.
- Try to break in the way an attacker would
- Find weak spots first
- Write up how to fix them
The career observatory
Paths in Tech.
See what’s possible.
There’s more than one way into tech, and no single right path. Explore what’s out there: the teams, the work they do, and the roles you’ll see.
Teams 101
Meet the Teams
In cybersecurity you’ll hear about the red, blue, and purple teams. Here’s who does what, then explore every path below.
02
Blue Team
The security guards and detectives. They watch, investigate, and stop attacks.
- Watch alerts for anything suspicious
- Investigate odd activity
- Stop an attack and clean up
03
Purple Team
Red and blue working together, so what attackers find makes the defense better.
- Run attacks and see if they’re caught
- Turn every miss into a new alert
- Share lessons across both teams
Which team are you?Three quick questions. Just for fun.Take the quiz
Your match: Blue Team
You’re a defender. You notice details and love solving the case. Every team needs you.
Your match: Red & Purple Team
You’re a tester. You see how things break so they can be made stronger. Every team needs you.
Your match: More Cybersecurity Paths
You’re a planner. You bring order, rules, and the big picture. Every team needs you.
Your match: Paths That Aren’t Cyber
You’re a builder and helper. You make tech work for real people. Every team needs you.
Cybersecurity
Security operations
Detect suspicious activity and help respond to incidents.
Roles you’ll see
- Intrusion Detection / SOC Analyst
- Cybersecurity Analyst/Engineer
- Threat Hunter
- Cyber Intelligence Analyst
- Cyber Incident Responder
Skills involved
Windows and Linux logs, networking, SIEM queries, incident handling.
Try it out
Analyze sample authentication logs, write one detection, and document your triage decisions.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Offensive security
Test defenses in authorized environments and explain how to improve them.
Roles you’ll see
- Penetration Tester
- Red Teamer
- Application Pen Tester
- ICS/OT Security Pen Tester
Skills involved
HTTP, operating systems, networking, scripting, clear reporting.
Try it out
Complete a deliberately vulnerable web lab and write a finding with evidence and remediation.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Digital forensics
Preserve evidence and reconstruct what happened during an incident.
Roles you’ll see
- Digital Forensic Analyst
- Cyber Incident Responder
- Malware Analyst
- OSINT Investigator/Analyst
Skills involved
File systems, evidence handling, operating system artifacts, timelines.
Try it out
Investigate a sample disk image and produce an evidence inventory and event timeline.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Governance, risk and compliance
Connect security controls, business risks, and evidence.
Roles you’ll see
- Cybersecurity Risk Officer
- Compliance Officer
- Controls Assessor
- Cybersecurity Auditor
- Cyber Legal, Policy & Compliance Officer
Skills involved
Risk assessment, control frameworks, evidence review, stakeholder communication.
Try it out
Assess a fictional small business and create a risk register plus a short remediation plan.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Identity and access
Give people the access they need and remove access they no longer need.
Roles you’ll see
- IAM analyst
- Access management analyst
- IAM engineer
- Identity security engineer
- Identity architect
Skills involved
Authentication, authorization, least privilege, directories, automation.
Try it out
Model a joiner, mover, and leaver process and show how you would validate access changes.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Cloud security
Configure and monitor cloud environments with security in mind.
Roles you’ll see
- Cloud Security Analyst
- Cloud Security Engineer
- Cloud Security Architect
Skills involved
Cloud services, IAM, networking, logging, infrastructure automation.
Try it out
Diagram a small cloud environment and explain its access, network, logging, and cost controls.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Security architecture
Design how security controls fit together across a system.
Roles you’ll see
- Security Architect
- Cloud Security Architect
- Security Manager
- Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Skills involved
System design, threat modeling, network and identity controls, business requirements.
Try it out
Create a reference architecture with trust boundaries, a threat model, and a decision record.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Cybersecurity
Application security
Help teams build safer software throughout development.
Roles you’ll see
- Application Pen Tester
- DevSecOps Engineer
Skills involved
Programming, HTTP, secure design, authentication, code review.
Try it out
Build a small application, threat model it, and document one security improvement with a test.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
Software development
Build and maintain applications that solve problems for users.
Roles you’ll see
- Junior software developer
- Web developer
- Software engineer
- Backend engineer
- Technical lead
Skills involved
Programming, version control, testing, APIs, accessible interfaces.
Try it out
Build a small useful application with a README, tests, and a clear explanation of its users.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
Data and AI
Use data to answer questions and evaluate useful models.
Roles you’ll see
- Data analyst
- Business intelligence analyst
- Data engineer
- Data scientist
- Machine learning engineer
AI security roles
- AI/ML Security Engineer
- AI Red Team Engineer
- AI Governance, Risk & Compliance Lead
- AI Threat Intel Analyst
A fast-growing area.
Skills involved
SQL, statistics, data quality, Python, evaluation, responsible data use.
Try it out
Analyze a public dataset and publish your question, cleaning steps, findings, and limitations.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
Networking and infrastructure
Keep systems connected, available, and understandable.
Roles you’ll see
- NOC analyst
- Network support technician
- Junior systems administrator
- Network engineer
- Systems engineer
- Infrastructure engineer
Skills involved
TCP/IP, DNS, routing, switching, operating systems, monitoring.
Try it out
Build a small network lab and document addressing, segmentation, and a connectivity investigation.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
IT support and service delivery
Help people resolve technology problems and improve everyday systems.
Roles you’ll see
- Help desk technician
- IT support specialist
- Desktop support technician
- Systems administrator
- IT service manager
- Endpoint engineer
Skills involved
Troubleshooting, operating systems, customer communication, ticketing, documentation.
Try it out
Create a troubleshooting knowledge base with example tickets, resolution steps, and escalation criteria.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
Technical writing and documentation
Turn complicated information into useful guides people can understand.
Roles you’ll see
- Documentation specialist
- Junior technical writer
- Technical writer
- Developer education specialist
Skills involved
Research, interviewing, writing, editing, information structure.
Try it out
Write a clear getting started guide for a tool, then ask someone unfamiliar with it to follow it.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
Customer success and technology adoption
Understand customer needs and help people get value from technology.
Roles you’ll see
- Customer support specialist
- Customer onboarding specialist
- Customer success manager
- Implementation consultant
Skills involved
Customer communication, product knowledge, discovery, training, follow through.
Try it out
Create a sample onboarding plan for a new software customer, including discovery questions and a clear success goal.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.
Not cyber
User experience and digital design
Understand how people use products and make those experiences clearer.
Roles you’ll see
- Junior digital designer
- UX design associate
- UX designer
- Product designer
- UX researcher
Skills involved
User research, visual design, accessible interfaces, prototyping, usability testing.
Try it out
Interview someone about a frustrating website, sketch an improved experience, and test whether it is easier to use.
Job titles and requirements vary by employer. Everyone’s path looks different.