Start from a target role, then choose the practice access that supports that path.
Career paths
Choose the Career You Want.
Follow the Certification Path to Reach It.
Career paths group certification practice around job families, learning sequence, and the skills a learner may need to strengthen for the next step.Use beginner, intermediate, and advanced stages to plan practice without guessing the order.
Use salary and hiring research as context, not as a promise of employment or compensation.
Certification paths
Build foundations before specialization
These sequences are planning guides, not mandatory prerequisites. Provider eligibility rules and practical experience still apply.Cybersecurity
Build IT and security foundations, add an operational specialty, then move into architecture, cloud security, or management.
- Network+
- Security+
- CySA+
- SSCP
- hands-on SOC or security engineering work
- CISSP
- CCSP
- CISM
- SecurityX
Cloud
Start with one platform's fundamentals, build administration or architecture experience, then specialize in security or advanced design.
- AWS Cloud Practitioner
- AZ-900
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate
- AZ-104
- hands-on platform projects
- AZ-305
- AWS Security Specialty
- CCSP
Project management
Learn formal delivery concepts, gain responsibility for real project outcomes, then deepen agile, program, or portfolio leadership.
- CAPM
- Project+
- PMP
- Scrum fundamentals
- stakeholder and risk ownership
- PMI-ACP
- program leadership
- portfolio and governance practice
IT service management
Establish service-value fundamentals, develop practice-level capability, then progress into cross-practice and strategic service leadership.
- ITIL 4 Foundation
- service desk and operations experience
- ITIL practice modules
- continual improvement
- service-level management
- ITIL Managing Professional path
- ITIL Strategic Leader path
- enterprise service governance
Networking
Build vendor-neutral fundamentals, develop configuration and troubleshooting fluency, then specialize in enterprise, automation, or security.
- A+
- Network+
- CCNA
- routing and switching labs
- network monitoring
- professional-level networking
- network automation
- network security
AI fundamentals
Begin with responsible AI and workload concepts, add software and data foundations, then progress into implementation or governance.
- current Azure AI Fundamentals path
- responsible AI
- basic cloud concepts
- Python or C#
- REST APIs and SDKs
- current role-based AI engineering path
- AI architecture
- evaluation and monitoring
- security and AI governance
01
SOC and analyst roles
Cybersecurity Analyst
Prepare for SOC analyst, cybersecurity analyst, ISSO, and junior security engineer roles.
Security foundations
- Security+Included
- Network+Included
Analyst workflow
- CySA+Included
Operational depth
02
Infrastructure operations
Systems Administrator
Build infrastructure readiness across networking, service operations, Linux, and Azure.
IT operations
- A+Included
- Network+Included
Secure administration
- Security+Included
- ITIL 4 FoundationIncluded
Cloud and Linux growth
03
NOC and network roles
Network Administrator
Build the foundations for NOC, network administration, and junior network engineering roles.
Network basics
- Network+Included
Secure operations
- Security+Included
Routing and switching
- CCNAIncluded
04
Cloud support and engineering
Cloud Engineer
Prepare for cloud support, cloud administration, cloud engineering, and cloud security paths.
Cloud fundamentals
- AWS Cloud PractitionerIncluded
Secure cloud work
- Security+Included
Architecture growth
- AWS Solutions Architect AssociateIncluded
05
Project and delivery roles
Project Manager
Move from project coordination into project, agile, and program delivery leadership.
Delivery foundations
- CAPMCatalog
- Project+Catalog
Professional delivery
- PMPIncluded
Agile and service alignment
- PMI-ACPCatalog
- ITIL 4 FoundationIncluded
06
Governance and leadership
Cybersecurity Manager
Prepare for governance, risk, ISSM, cybersecurity manager, and senior security leadership roles.
Security baseline
- Security+Included
Management practice
- CISMIncluded
- CISSPIncluded
Risk leadership
- CRISCCatalog
- CGRCCatalog
07
AI-enabled work
AI-Enabled Professional
Develop Azure AI literacy for business, cyber, project, IT leadership, and analyst roles.
Azure AI fundamentals
- AI-900Included