Introducing the

CompTIA Career Pathways

A vendor-neutral pathway for IT professionals to achieve
infrastructure and cybersecurity mastery, from beginning to end.

INFRASTRUCTURE PATHWAY
Enter where it makes sense
Consider experience and current
certifications or course of study

CORE SKILLS CERTIFICATIONS

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS CYBERSECURITY PATHWAY

Core Skills Certifications Infrastructure Pathway Cybersecurity Pathway Additional Certifications

CompTIA’s core IT skills
certifications level the
playing field and lay
the foundation for a
successful career in
IT, no matter what
path you take.
IT infrastructure is the
bedrock of IT operations
and necessary for any
business to function.
The CompTIA Cybersecurity
Career Pathway helps
technical specialists achieve
cybersecurity mastery, from
beginning to end.
CompTIA’s professional
skills certifications cover
versatile skillsets that help
take your career to the
next level.

In general, the pathways follow a hierarchy of skills needed for
a career in IT security or infrastructure; each certification builds
upon the skills from the previous one. CompTIA certifications
mirror the current job roles of IT professionals, so it makes sense
to earn these certifications to gain the knowledge and hands-on
skills currently being used in the workforce, whether you have
job experience or not.
If you are an IT professional or an employer, you understand
the value of on-the-job experience. IT certifications are a great
place to start, but they are not a replacement. If you have
CompTIA certifications and on-the-job experience, you have
the best of both worlds.
CompTIA CERTIFICATION PORTFOLIO
CERTIFICATION COMPETENCIES JOB ROLES

CORE CERTIFICATIONS

• Install software • Sales Associate

• Establish basic network connectivity • Account Manager
• Identify/prevent basic security risks • Marketing Specialist
• Explain troubleshooting theory and preventative maintenance of devices • Customer Support

• Identify cybersecurity threats • Technical Support Specialist

• Configure operating system security • Field Service Technician
• Understand security best practices • IT Support Technician
• Troubleshoot common security issues • IT Administrator

• Understand networking services and applications • Network Administrator

• Use appropriate network monitoring tools • IS Consultant
• Understand network security vulnerabilities and remedies • Network Field Engineer

• Understand network security • Security Specialist

• Identify and mitigate security threats • Security Consultant
• Understand application, data and host security issues • Security Engineer
• Implement access control and identity management • Security Administrator

INFRASTRUCTURE CAREER PATHWAY

• Configure kernel modules, network parameters and virtualization technologies • Linux Administrator
• Manage software and services • Network Administrator
• Understand best practices for permissions and authentication • Technical Support Specialist
• Analyze system properties and processes • Web Administrator
• Troubleshoot user, application and hardware issues • Systems Administrator
• Execute basic BASH scripts

• Understand, configure and support server components • Server Support Technician

• Support storage devices technologies • Server Administrator
• Apply physical and network data security techniques • IT/Server Technician
• Understand disaster recovery and implement backup techniques • Storage Administrator
• Diagnose and resolve system security issues

• Analyze system requirements to execute workload migrations • Systems Engineer

• Determine proper allocation of cloud resources based on • Network Administrator
performance data • Network Engineer
• Apply appropriate technologies and processes, • Cloud Developer
including automation and orchestration • Cloud Project Manager
• Implement appropriate security controls given requirements • Cloud Engineer
• Troubleshoot issues related to cloud implementations • Data Center Manager
• Cloud Business Analyst
CompTIA CERTIFICATION PORTFOLIO
CERTIFICATION COMPETENCIES JOB ROLES

CYBER SECURITY CAREER PATHWAY

• Plan and scope an assessment • Penetration Tester

• Understand legal and compliance requirements • Vulnerability Tester
• Perform vulnerability scanning and penetration testing • Security Analyst (II)
• Analyze data and effectively report and communicate results • Vulnerability Assessment Analyst

• Configure and use threat detection tools • Security Analyst

• Perform data analysis • Vulnerability Analyst
• Interpret results to identify vulnerabilities, threats and risk • Cybersecurity Specialist
• Security Engineer

• Conceptualize, engineer, integrate and implement • Cybersecurity/IS Professional

secure solutions across complex environments • Information Security Analyst
• Translate business needs into security requirements • Security Architect
• Analyze risk impact and respond to security incidents • IT Specialist INFOSEC

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

• Validates your skills in a traditional or virtual classroom environment • Training Consultant

• Ensures you can teach effectively and step up to • Training Developer/Instructor
the front of the class with confidence • Career Technical
• Demonstrates that you have the necessary skills and knowledge • Training Instructor
to prepare, present, facilitate and evaluate a training session • Academic Instructor

• Summarize the properties of project, phases, schedules, • Project Coordinator/Manager

roles and responsibilities, and cost controls, as well as • Project Team Member
identifying the basic aspects of Agile methodology • Business Analyst
• Predict the impact of various constraint variables and • Manager
influences throughout the project and explain the • Director
importance of risk strategies and activities • Team Leader
• Understand appropriate communication methods of influence
and use change control processes within the context of a project
• Compare and contrast various project management tools
and analyze project and partner-centric documentation

• Explain cloud principles, identify cloud networking concepts • Business Development staff
and storage techniques, and understand cloud design aspects that sell cloud services
• Comprehend the financial aspects of engaging a • Technical Sales Specialist
cloud provider, as well as the business aspects of • Business Analysts
managing vendor relations in cloud adoptions • Business Process Owners
• Explain aspects of operating within the cloud, such as • Technical Support Staff
data management, availability, and monitoring
• Understand how DevOps plays a role in cloud environments,
such as with provisioning or API integration
• Understand risk management concepts related to cloud services and
identify the importance and impacts of compliance in the cloud
 Becoming a CompTIA
certified IT professional is
the best way to reach greater
professional opportunities.
In a multi-device, multi-vendor, connected world, it’s
important for IT professionals to possess validated IT skills.
Three of the “Top CompTIA certification verifies the essential skills in security,
10 Certifications
networking, mobility, cloud, storage, troubleshooting
That Help IT
Workers Get Jobs”
and project management that businesses demand.
are CompTIA
certifications.* Higher Salaries: IT professionals Verified Strengths: Certification is the
with certifications on their resume best way for you to demonstrate your
command better jobs, earn higher competency and knowledge to employers.
salaries and have more doors open to
Universal Skills: CompTIA certifications
new multi-industry opportunities.
are vendor neutral—which means that
Growing Demand: Labour estimates certified professionals can proficiently work
predict some technology fields will with an extensive variety of hardware and
experience growth of over 20% by the year software found in most organisations.
2020.** CompTIA certification qualifies the
skills required to join this workforce.