SOC Analyst Career Path: Complete Beginner's Guide

Introduction

Cybersecurity threats are growing, and Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are on the front line of defence. The people monitoring alerts, investigating incidents, and protecting networks are SOC analysts — one of the most in-demand roles in 2025.

If you’re starting from scratch, the SOC analyst career path can feel daunting. This guide breaks it down into skills, labs, and steps so you can chart a clear route into the SOC.

What is a SOC Analyst?

A SOC analyst is a cybersecurity professional responsible for:

• Monitoring security alerts and logs
  
  
• Investigating suspicious activity
  
  
• Responding to incidents
  
  
• Escalating threats to senior teams
  
  

Think of them as digital first responders — the ones spotting and reacting to cyberattacks in real time.

Why SOC Analyst is a great entry point

• High demand: Nearly every organisation with a SOC is hiring.
  
  
• Clear career ladder: Entry-level SOC analysts can progress to Tier 2/3 analysts, incident responders, or threat hunters.
  
  
• Practical skill set: The role builds transferable skills like log analysis, SIEM usage, and incident triage.
  
  

Skills you need as a beginner

To land your first SOC role, focus on these core areas:

1. Networking basics — TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, ports and protocols.
   
   
2. Operating systems — Windows and Linux fundamentals.
   
   
3. Security tools — SIEMs, IDS/IPS, EDR solutions.
   
   
4. Threat knowledge — common attacks (phishing, malware, ransomware).
   
   
5. Incident response basics — triaging alerts, escalating incidents.
   
   

👉 Hands-on resource: TryHackMe’s Pre Security path covers networking, Linux, and other foundations you’ll need.

The SOC Analyst Career Path (step by step)

Step 1: Build your fundamentals

• Learn networking, operating systems, and IT basics.
  
  
• Practise in labs instead of just reading theory.
  
  

👉 Start here: Pre Security Path.

Step 2: Learn how attackers operate

• Study common attack techniques (phishing, credential theft, lateral movement).
  
  
• Try simple labs that simulate these attacks in a safe environment.
  
  

👉 Good start: Phishing Emails room.

Step 3: Understand defensive tools

• Practise with log files, IDS alerts, and SIEM dashboards.
  
  
• Learn to spot patterns that indicate compromise.
  
  

👉 Hands-on: SOC Level 1 path.

Step 4: Practise incident response

• Learn how to investigate suspicious alerts.
  
  
• Triage, document, and escalate findings.
  
  
• Simulate incident response scenarios in a lab.
  
  

👉 Practical: Intro to Defensive Security and SOC Level 1 path.

Step 5: Build a portfolio

• Document your lab work: screenshots, short write-ups, reports.
  
  
• Publish on GitHub or LinkedIn to show employers your process.
  
  
• Highlight both detection and response exercises.
  
  

Certifications for SOC Analysts

While not always required, certifications can help. Consider:

• TryHackMe’s SOC Level 1 certificate — hands-on proof of defensive skills.
  
  

Where SOC Analysts progress

• Tier 2/3 Analyst — handling advanced incidents.
  
  
• Incident Responder — specialising in active attack response.
  
  
• Threat Hunter — proactively searching for hidden threats.
  
  
• Blue Team Engineer — designing security controls and defences.
  
  

Conclusion

The SOC analyst career path is one of the fastest ways to break into cybersecurity. By learning fundamentals, practising hands-on defensive labs, and documenting your progress, you can move from beginner to job-ready.