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Day 1: Cybersecurity Pathway + CyberSeek Career Map

Lesson Overview
Time 50 minutes
Objectives Explore the Cybersecurity pathway in H&L; investigate Information Security Analyst, Penetration Tester, and Security Consultant Hats; trace a path from middle school to a cybersecurity career using CyberSeek
TEKS d(1)(D)
Deliverable Cybersecurity career notes + CyberSeek pathway traced from entry-level to advanced
Materials H&L Workbook Ch 12, Chromebooks, CyberSeek.org, BLS Information Security Analysts page, projector

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: Have you, a friend, or a family member ever been hacked, scammed, had a password stolen, or received a fake email pretending to be from a real company? What happened?

Quick share, many students will have personal stories. Bridge: "Every one of those situations had a person on the OTHER side trying to protect you. That person is a cybersecurity professional. This week we meet them."

Activity 1: H&L Cybersecurity Pathway Exploration (20 min)

Source: H&L Workbook Ch 12, p. 192, Cybersecurity pathway (one of the 5 IT pathways)

[H&L PLATFORM] Direct students to the H&L IT cluster, then specifically to the Cybersecurity pathway. The workbook (Ch 12, p. 192) describes this pathway as: "Protect computers, networks, and data from hackers, viruses, and cyber threats." Students use the Hat Finder to explore four specific Hats: Information Security Analyst, Cybersecurity Specialist, Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker), and Security Consultant.

The 4 Cybersecurity Hats to explore:

  1. Information Security Analyst: The most common cybersecurity job. Monitors networks for threats, responds to attacks, sets up firewalls and security policies. Median salary in DFW: $90,000+.
  2. Cybersecurity Specialist: Broader title that covers many specializations. Could focus on cloud security, mobile security, application security.
  3. Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker): Hired by companies to TRY to hack into their systems and find vulnerabilities BEFORE bad guys do. Requires deep technical skill plus integrity.
  4. Security Consultant: Independent expert who advises companies on how to improve their security. Often a senior role with 10+ years of experience.

Students spend ~5 minutes per Hat and write down on a notes sheet:

  • Hat name
  • Education needed
  • DFW or national salary
  • One thing that surprised them

Facilitation Tip

Ethical Hacker / Penetration Tester is the role that gets the most student excitement. Tell them the truth: yes, it's an awesome job, but it requires YEARS of programming and networking experience first. You don't start there. You START as an Information Security Analyst and work up.

Activity 2: CyberSeek Career Pathway Map (20 min)

Source: cyberseek.org/pathway.html: Free interactive map maintained by NICE (National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education)

Project the CyberSeek Career Pathway Map on the screen. CyberSeek shows the progression from entry-level cybersecurity careers to advanced senior roles. It also shows real-time data on how many jobs are open in the US right now (the number is shockingly high, usually 500,000+).

Walk students through the 4 layers of the CyberSeek pathway:

  1. Entry-Level (0-3 years): Cybersecurity Specialist, Cyber Crime Analyst, IT Auditor
  2. Mid-Level (3-7 years): Cybersecurity Analyst, Penetration Tester, Cybersecurity Consultant
  3. Advanced (7+ years): Cybersecurity Manager, Cybersecurity Engineer, Cybersecurity Architect
  4. Senior: Cybersecurity CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)

For each layer, click on a job title and look at:

  • Number of currently open jobs in the US
  • Median salary
  • Common certifications required (CompTIA Security+, CISSP, CEH)

Student task: Each student picks ONE entry-level cybersecurity job and traces a 5-step pathway from where they are NOW (7th grade) to becoming that professional. Steps to write in their workbook margin:

  1. Now: 7th grade
  2. High school (9-12): Singley Cybersecurity pathway + Cybersecurity Fundamentals certification
  3. After high school: Community college, 4-year college, OR direct entry with CompTIA A+ + Security+
  4. First job: Entry-level cybersecurity role
  5. 5 years later: Mid-level role you want to reach

DOK 3: What conclusions can you draw about the gap between the number of open cybersecurity jobs in the US and the number of qualified workers? What does this mean for someone starting now?

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Ranked Justification) · Printable PDF:

Rank these three CyberSeek cybersecurity careers from FASTEST to reach (1) to SLOWEST (3) starting from 7th grade today.

  • Cybersecurity Specialist (entry-level, 0-3 years): rank ____
  • Cybersecurity Engineer (advanced, 7+ years): rank ____
  • Cybersecurity CISO (senior / Chief Information Security Officer): rank ____

For EACH rank, write one specific reason (education time, certifications required, or job experience) from today's CyberSeek research.

  • Rank 1 (fastest to reach): _____________

  • Rank 2: _____________

  • Rank 3 (slowest): _____________

Bottom line: CyberSeek showed hundreds of thousands of OPEN US cybersecurity jobs. In one sentence, explain why "high-demand" means these jobs get FILLED faster than people can be trained. (d(1)(D))

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide a printed CyberSeek pathway with the 5 steps pre-labeled. Students just write in their target job. Pre-print the H&L cybersecurity Hat names with one example career filled in.
  • Extension: Students explore the NOVA Cybersecurity Lab game (free, PBS): pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/cyber/. It is an interactive game that teaches phishing, password security, and basic ethical hacking concepts.
  • ELL: Bilingual cybersecurity vocabulary: Hacker = Hacker, Virus = Virus, Contraseña = Password, Análisis = Analysis, Firewall = Cortafuegos, Phishing = Suplantación de identidad. CyberSeek does not have full Spanish translation, so pair ELL students with bilingual peers.