New Cohort Starts:

Donate

17D1 Career Guide

Air Force

17D1: Cyberspace Operations Officer

Career transition guide for Air Force Cyberspace Operations Officer (17D1)

Translate Your 17D1 Experience Now

Get a personalized AI-powered translation of your military experience into civilian resume language.

Start Free Translation

Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 17D1 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Information Security Analyst

$108K
High matchVery high demand

Network Security Engineer

$125K
High matchVery high demand

Cybersecurity Consultant

$135K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

CISSP certificationBusiness communicationProject Management

IT Project Manager (Cybersecurity Focused)

$115K
Good matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

PMP CertificationAgile Methodologies

Intelligence Analyst (Cyber Focus)

$85K
Moderate matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Data analysis tools (e.g., Splunk, Tableau)Threat intelligence platforms

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 17D1 training built — and where they transfer.

System Modeling

As a 17D1, you're responsible for translating operational needs into detailed engineering specifications for cyberspace systems and architectures. This requires creating models of complex systems to ensure they meet mission requirements.

This skill translates directly to the ability to understand and design complex systems, anticipate potential issues, and develop solutions to optimize performance. You excel at creating models to understand and improve complex interconnected processes.

Adversarial Thinking

In cyberspace operations, you are constantly anticipating and countering the moves of adversaries. You think like an attacker to identify vulnerabilities and develop defensive strategies.

This ability to anticipate and counter threats is highly valuable in civilian roles requiring risk management and strategic planning. You're adept at identifying potential weaknesses and developing strategies to mitigate them.

Resource Optimization

You're involved in directing the preparation and management of budget estimates and financial plans based on operational requirements and resources, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to meet mission objectives.

This translates to the ability to effectively manage and allocate resources to achieve desired outcomes. You're skilled at identifying inefficiencies and finding ways to optimize resource utilization.

Situational Awareness

Maintaining a constant awareness of the cyber environment is critical. You need to understand the current state of networks, potential threats, and the impact of operations to make informed decisions.

This translates to the ability to understand complex environments, identify critical factors, and anticipate potential changes. You are highly skilled at maintaining a comprehensive understanding of your surroundings and making informed decisions.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Business Continuity Planner

SOC 13-1199

You've been rigorously trained to anticipate threats, develop mitigation strategies, and ensure operations continue even under adverse conditions. This experience translates directly to the role of a Business Continuity Planner, where you'll design and implement plans to minimize disruption and maintain business functions during unexpected events.

Financial Risk Analyst

SOC 13-2051

You've honed your skills in adversarial thinking and resource optimization, making you exceptionally well-prepared to assess and manage financial risks. Your ability to identify vulnerabilities and develop mitigation strategies will be invaluable in protecting an organization's financial assets.

Emergency Management Director

SOC 11-9161

Your experience in planning, coordinating, and directing complex operations in dynamic environments makes you an ideal candidate for this role. You're adept at maintaining situational awareness, making critical decisions under pressure, and coordinating resources to respond to emergencies.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Cyberspace Operations Officer Initial Qualification Training, Hurlburt Field, FL

560 training hours14 weeksUp to 9 semester hours recommended

Topics Covered

  • Cyberspace Operations Fundamentals
  • Network Attack (Net-A) Techniques
  • Network Defense (Net-D) Strategies
  • Network Warfare Support (NS) Tactics
  • Information Operations Integration
  • Cybersecurity Policy and Procedures
  • Joint Task Force (JTF) Cyber Operations
  • Cybersecurity Systems and Architecture

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

CompTIA Security+70% covered

Some knowledge of specific CompTIA-covered tools and technologies, and exam-specific question formats will be needed.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)60% covered

Requires focused study on penetration testing methodologies, legal issues, and specific hacking tools covered in the CEH curriculum.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)50% covered

Requires experience in 2 of the 8 domains and study to familiarize with the common body of knowledge.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)Project Management Professional (PMP)AWS Certified Security – Specialty

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
Air Force Cyberspace Defense (ACD)Cybersecurity Incident Response Platforms (SIRP)
Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS)Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) and Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS)
Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter Weapon System (CVA/H)Vulnerability Management Platforms (e.g., Nessus, Qualys) and Threat Hunting Platforms
Integrated Network Management System (INMS)Network Monitoring and Management Tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Datadog)
Air Force Information Warfare Center (AFIWC) toolsCyber Threat Intelligence Platforms (CTIP)
Global Information Grid (GIG)Large-scale enterprise network infrastructure and cloud services (e.g. AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)

Ready to Translate Your Experience?

Our AI-powered translator converts your 17D1 experience into ATS-optimized civilian resume language.

Translate My Resume — Free