Career Overlap Occupation record
RecordJob

Where an ethical hacker can go next

5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role an ethical hacker already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.

Ethical hackers perform security vulnerability assessments and penetration tests in accordance with industry-accepted methods and protocols. They analyse systems for potential vulnerabilities that may result from improper system configuration, hardware or software flaws, or operational weaknesses.

Also known as network security tester, cybersecurity specialist, cybersecurity tester, ICT security tester, system security tester, red team expert, penetration tester, pentester, offensive cybersecurity expert, vulnerability analyst.

Professionals 74 skills on file 5 career moves 0 above 60% overlap Closest: director of compliance and information security, 58%

Fig. 2 · Career map 5 nearest · ESCO v1.2.1
director of compliance and in… 58% covered cybersecurity risk manager 52% covered digital forensics expert 49% covered ICT security administrator 49% covered embedded systems security eng… 49% covered ethical hacker You are here
  • 70% and above · short step
  • 50 to 70% · real move
  • Below 50% · substantial retraining
The 5 nearest destinations from ethical hacker, each one a link to that move’s record. Distance from the centre is how much retraining the move takes; the figure on each is how much of that role an ethical hacker already covers. All 5 are listed in the tables below.
Table 1

Table 1 · Within reach

Table 2

Table 2 · A bigger jump

Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.

Table 3

Table 3 · What the job itself asks for

An ethical hacker needs 36 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.

Required skill Area
  • execute social engineering tests information skills
  • develop code exploits working with computers
  • penetration testing tool information and communication technologies (icts)
  • computer forensics information and communication technologies (icts)
  • engage with stakeholders communication, collaboration and creativity
  • web application security threats information and communication technologies (icts)
  • ethical hacking principles information and communication technologies (icts)
  • operating systems information and communication technologies (icts)
  • analyse the context of an organisation information skills
  • communicate with stakeholders communication, collaboration and creativity
Table 4

Table 4 · Jobs that lead here

The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what an ethical hacker does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.

Index

Look up another occupation

Ethical hacker is filed under Professionals, ISCO major group 2. The full index lists all ten groups.

Note

How these figures were compiled

Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of an ethical hacker’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.