Skills you'll need for SOC Analyst — and how to close the gap
This page lists the skills the SOC Analyst role relies on, in O*NET importance order, and points to a grounded way to build each one. Importance describes how central a skill is to the role, not pay or hiring odds.
Skills this role needs
Importance below is the O*NET role-skill rating recorded in our seed data (1-5). Build a skill through deliberate practice plus study; the skill page collects the grounded roles and cited resources for it.
| Skill | Importance | Build it via |
|---|---|---|
| Incident response | 5/5 importance (O*NET) | Incident response skill page · CompTIA Security+ |
| Security monitoring | 5/5 importance (O*NET) | Security monitoring skill page · CompTIA Security+ |
| Security fundamentals | 4/5 importance (O*NET) | Security fundamentals skill page · CompTIA Security+ |
The cited credential above (CompTIA Security+) is a study path whose published objectives help build these skills. No credential or course guarantees a skill or a job.
If you're coming from another field
Our pathway data lists these career-changer backgrounds as common feeders into SOC Analyst: Customer Service Worker, Help Desk Technician, Military Veteran, Retail Worker, Unemployed / Career Changer. These are non-occupation starting points, so we do not assume what you already know. Whatever your background, the target skill set is the same one listed above — that is your gap to close.
For the full from-your-background view, see the feeder gap matrix, which lists each target role's required skill set per feeder background.
Sources
- Cisco — Cisco Cybersecurity Associate Exam and Training: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/certifications/cybersecurity/associate/exams-and-training.html
- Cisco — Cisco CCST Cybersecurity Exam: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/ccst-cybersecurity.html
- CompTIA — CompTIA Certifications Catalog: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/
- CompTIA — Security+ Certification: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/security/
- National Center for ONET Development — ONET Database: https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
Citation Ledger
| ID | Supports | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | Importance 5/5 for Incident response in SOC Analyst | ONET role-skill rating (ONET role-skill data) | O*NET |
| CIT-02 | Importance 5/5 for Security monitoring in SOC Analyst | ONET role-skill rating (ONET role-skill data) | O*NET |
| CIT-03 | Importance 4/5 for Security fundamentals in SOC Analyst | ONET role-skill rating (ONET role-skill data) | O*NET |
| CIT-04 | CompTIA Security+ is a cited study path toward these skills | Role-certification mapping (RoleMath role mapping) | CompTIA Security+ |
| CIT-05 | Career-changer feeder backgrounds for SOC Analyst | Pathway feeder mapping | RoleMath pathway seed data |