Career paths

Certification roadmaps tied to real job outcomes

Use these pathways to see where each certification can take you, what to study first, and how salary and exam strategy connect.

6 to 12 months for most candidates moving from fundamentals to architecture-level design.

Cloud Architect

Cloud architects translate business requirements into secure, scalable cloud platforms. They guide landing zone design, networking, resilience, governance, and cost controls across AWS, Azure, and hybrid estates.

Solutions ArchitectCloud Infrastructure EngineerPlatform Architect
B

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Build vocabulary across cloud economics, security, and core services.

I

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

Learn workload design, networking, resilience, and migration tradeoffs.

A

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

Master complex hybrid, multi-team, and enterprise architecture scenarios.

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5 to 10 months to progress from security fundamentals into analyst-level decision making.

Cybersecurity Analyst

Cybersecurity analysts monitor risk, investigate suspicious behavior, improve defensive controls, and turn security policy into measurable operational practice. The role often bridges SOC monitoring, incident response, vulnerability management, and audit readiness.

SOC AnalystInformation Security AnalystSecurity Operations Analyst
B

CompTIA Security+

Lock in baseline security principles, controls, and terminology.

I

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)

Develop analyst skills for detection engineering, alerting, and response workflows.

A

CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional

Move from analyst operations into enterprise security design and leadership.

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6 to 11 months to move from cloud fundamentals into production-grade pipeline design.

Data Engineer

Data engineers build the pipelines, platforms, and governance controls that make trustworthy data available for analytics, AI, and business operations. The strongest data engineers combine platform thinking with careful attention to quality, performance, and cost.

Analytics EngineerCloud Data EngineerBig Data Engineer
B

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Learn core cloud services, cost models, and shared data platform terminology.

I

Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate

Practice ingestion, transformation, orchestration, and warehouse implementation.

A

Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer

Deepen cross-cloud data architecture, reliability, and machine-learning-ready design.

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