Part of the Cybersecurity Career Guide — This article is one deep-dive in our complete career guide series.

Best Entry-Level Cybersecurity Jobs in 2026

By HADESS Team | February 28, 2026 | Updated: February 28, 2026 | 9 min read

What Counts as Entry-Level in Cybersecurity
SOC Analyst Tier 1
Junior Security Analyst
IT Security Administrator
Junior Penetration Tester
GRC Analyst
Security Operations Center Technician
Vulnerability Analyst
What Employers Actually Look For
How to Stand Out as an Entry-Level Candidate

What Counts as Entry-Level in Cybersecurity

Entry level cybersecurity jobs require 0-2 years of direct security experience. That is the key word — direct security experience. Many of these roles accept IT experience, help desk time, or relevant lab work as qualifying background. The barrier is lower than most job postings suggest.

According to ISC2’s 2025 Workforce Study, the global cybersecurity workforce gap remains above 3 million unfilled positions. A significant portion of those openings are entry-level and junior roles that organizations struggle to fill because candidates self-select out, assuming they are not qualified enough.

Here are the seven best entry-level roles, what each one actually involves, and what you need to get hired.

SOC Analyst Tier 1

Salary range: $50,000-$75,000 (US) | Check your market rate with the salary calculator

What you do: Monitor security alerts from SIEM tools, triage events, escalate confirmed incidents, and document your findings. You are the first line of defense, watching dashboards and investigating alerts that automated systems flag.

Day-to-day reality: You will spend most of your shift reviewing alerts — the majority are false positives. The skill is knowing which ones to escalate and which to close. You will work with Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or QRadar depending on the organization. Shift work is standard.

Requirements: CompTIA Security+ (or equivalent), basic networking knowledge, familiarity with one SIEM platform, understanding of common attack types (phishing, brute force, malware). IT help desk or sysadmin experience is a strong plus.

Why it is a good starting point: SOC Tier 1 teaches you how security operations actually work. You build pattern recognition for threats, learn enterprise tooling, and develop the analytical skills that every other security role requires. Read the full SOC analyst career guide for the detailed path.

Junior Security Analyst

Salary range: $55,000-$80,000 (US)

What you do: Broader than SOC Tier 1. You assist with vulnerability assessments, review security reports, support incident investigations, and help maintain security documentation. Some organizations use this title for their SOC analysts; others distinguish it as a broader analyst role.

Day-to-day reality: A mix of monitoring, analysis, and project work. You might spend the morning reviewing vulnerability scan results, the afternoon helping write a security policy, and the evening investigating a suspicious email reported by an employee.

Requirements: Security+ or CySA+, basic understanding of vulnerability scanning tools (Nessus, Qualys), knowledge of NIST Cybersecurity Framework, strong written communication for reports and documentation.

Why it is a good starting point: The broader scope exposes you to multiple security domains early, helping you figure out which specialization you want to pursue.

IT Security Administrator

Salary range: $55,000-$82,000 (US)

What you do: Manage and configure security tools — firewalls, endpoint protection, email security gateways, access controls. You are the person who keeps the security infrastructure running.

Day-to-day reality: Configuring firewall rules, managing endpoint detection and response (EDR) agents, maintaining email filtering policies, managing user access in Active Directory, and applying security patches. This is operational security work.

Requirements: Networking fundamentals (Network+ or equivalent), experience with Active Directory, basic firewall and endpoint management, understanding of identity and access management principles. This role frequently hires from IT admin backgrounds.

Why it is a good starting point: If you come from IT infrastructure, this is the most natural transition. You are doing similar work but with a security focus. It also gives you hands-on experience with the tools that every security team relies on.

Junior Penetration Tester

Salary range: $60,000-$85,000 (US)

What you do: Assist senior penetration testers with security assessments. Run scanning tools, document findings, help write reports, and perform basic exploitation under supervision.

Day-to-day reality: You will not be independently popping shells on day one. Most junior pentest roles involve running Nessus and Burp Suite scans, documenting findings in a standardized format, and gradually taking on more hands-on testing as your skills develop.

Requirements: Understand networking and web application fundamentals, familiarity with Kali Linux tools, basic scripting (Python or Bash), knowledge of OWASP Top 10. CompTIA PenTest+ or eJPT certifications help. This is one of the harder entry-level roles to land without a portfolio.

Why it is a good starting point: If offensive security is your goal, getting into pentesting early — even in a junior capacity — puts you on the fastest path to senior offensive roles. Explore offensive security career paths to see the full progression.

GRC Analyst

Salary range: $50,000-$75,000 (US)

What you do: Support the governance, risk, and compliance function. Help with audit preparation, maintain policy documentation, track compliance requirements, and conduct risk assessments with guidance from senior staff.

Day-to-day reality: Spreadsheets, policy documents, audit evidence collection, and meetings with business stakeholders. This role is more process-oriented than technical. You will map controls to frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS), track remediation items, and coordinate with technical teams.

Requirements: Understanding of security frameworks, strong documentation and communication skills, attention to detail. A Security+ helps but is not always required. Some organizations accept candidates from audit, compliance, or project management backgrounds.

Why it is a good starting point: GRC leads to management and CISO tracks faster than most technical roles. If you are more interested in the business side of security, this is your entry point.

Security Operations Center Technician

Salary range: $45,000-$65,000 (US)

What you do: A more hands-on, infrastructure-focused version of SOC Analyst. You maintain SOC tooling, manage log ingestion pipelines, configure alert rules, and ensure the monitoring infrastructure works.

Day-to-day reality: Making sure log sources are connected and sending data, troubleshooting parser errors, tuning detection rules to reduce false positives, and maintaining the SOC’s technical documentation.

Requirements: Linux basics, networking fundamentals, familiarity with log management (syslog, event forwarding), basic scripting. This role values IT operations experience heavily.

Why it is a good starting point: You learn the back end of security operations — how the infrastructure that enables detection actually works. This leads to security engineering and SIEM engineering roles.

Vulnerability Analyst

Salary range: $55,000-$78,000 (US)

What you do: Run vulnerability scans, analyze results, prioritize findings by risk, and coordinate remediation with IT teams. You track the organization’s vulnerability posture over time.

Day-to-day reality: Running scheduled scans with Nessus, Qualys, or Rapid7. Reviewing results to separate real vulnerabilities from false positives. Working with system owners to get patches applied. Producing metrics and reports for management.

Requirements: Understanding of CVEs and CVSS scoring, familiarity with at least one scanning platform, basic networking and system administration knowledge, ability to communicate risk to non-technical stakeholders.

Why it is a good starting point: Vulnerability management teaches you how to think about risk prioritization — a skill that applies to every security discipline.

What Employers Actually Look For

Job postings for entry-level security roles often list requirements that are aspirational rather than mandatory. Here is what actually matters in interviews:

Problem-solving approach. Can you walk through how you would investigate a suspicious login alert? Employers want to see your thought process, not textbook answers.

Foundational knowledge. You need to explain basic concepts — TCP/IP, DNS, how firewalls work, what phishing is, how encryption works. These come up in every entry-level security interview.

Hands-on experience. Home labs, CTF competitions, TryHackMe or HackTheBox completions, open-source contributions. Any evidence that you have actually used security tools, not just read about them. The HADESS workspace provides structured lab environments for this.

Communication skills. Security is a team sport. Can you explain a vulnerability to a developer? Can you write a clear incident summary? This differentiates candidates.

Willingness to learn. Security changes constantly. Hiring managers want candidates who demonstrate initiative — reading blogs, following threat intel feeds, pursuing certifications.

How to Stand Out as an Entry-Level Candidate

Build a portfolio. Document your home lab, write up CTF solutions, create a blog. Show your work. The resume builder helps structure this for maximum impact.

Get certified. Security+ is the minimum. Adding CySA+ or a cloud certification (AWS Cloud Practitioner → AWS Security Specialty) differentiates you significantly.

Contribute to the community. Write blog posts, answer questions on security forums, present at local meetups. This builds visibility and demonstrates expertise.

Apply broadly. Do not limit yourself to jobs titled “Cybersecurity Analyst.” Look for IT roles with security responsibilities — they are often easier to land and provide legitimate security experience.

Use your network. Attend BSides conferences, join SANS community resources, connect with security professionals on LinkedIn. Many entry-level hires come through referrals.

Take the skills assessment to identify which of these roles best matches your current background and target the most accessible path.

Related Guides in This Series

Take the Next Step

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get an entry-level cybersecurity job with no experience?

Yes, but “no experience” usually means no direct security experience. Most candidates who land entry-level security jobs have some IT background — help desk, networking, system administration — or have built equivalent skills through home labs, CTFs, and certifications.

What is the easiest entry-level cybersecurity job to get?

SOC Analyst Tier 1 and IT Security Administrator have the highest volume of openings and the broadest acceptance of adjacent experience. GRC Analyst is also accessible for candidates with process and documentation backgrounds.

How much does an entry-level cybersecurity job pay?

In the US, entry-level security roles typically pay between $50,000 and $85,000 depending on role, location, and company. SOC analysts start around $55,000-$70,000 in most markets. Use the salary calculator for your specific situation.

Do I need Security+ for an entry-level role?

It is not universally required, but it is the most commonly listed certification for entry-level positions. Having it removes a common screening barrier and demonstrates foundational knowledge. DoD contractor roles specifically require it per DoD 8570/8140 requirements.

How many jobs should I apply to?

Apply broadly — 50-100+ applications is normal for entry-level security candidates. Customize your resume for each role category (SOC analyst applications should emphasize different skills than GRC analyst applications).

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HADESS Team consists of cybersecurity practitioners, hiring managers, and career strategists who have collectively spent 50+ years in the field.