Education · 1 of 5

The path

No licence. Employers hire on proven skill: certifications, a home lab, and practice challenges you can talk about.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Computer science, math and English. Start learning Linux and basic networking at home now.

2. 2

   Diploma or degree

   2 to 4 years

   A 2-year college cybersecurity diploma (Seneca, Algonquin, and the polytechnics in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver) or a 4-year computer science degree. Co-op programs help a lot.

3. 3

   First job in IT or security

   1 to 3 years

   Help desk, network technician, or security operations analyst. Most testers do 1 to 3 years here first. Practice hacking legally on training platforms in your spare time.

4. 4

   Get certified and move into testing

   6 to 12 months of study

   The OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) is the certification most employers ask for. Its exam is a 24-hour hands-on test where you break into real machines.

5. 5

   Specialize

   Ongoing

   Web apps, cloud, mobile, hardware, or red teaming (full attack simulations). Each specialty raises your rate.