New Cohort Starts:

Donate

17D2 Career Guide

Air Force

17D2: Cyberspace Operations Officer

Career transition guide for Air Force Cyberspace Operations Officer (17D2)

Translate Your 17D2 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 17D2 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Information Security Analyst

$112K
High matchVery high demand

Network Security Engineer

$125K
High matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) SecurityCertified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Cybersecurity Consultant

$135K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP)Stronger knowledge of specific industry compliance regulations (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS)

IT Project Manager

$120K
Good matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP)Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban)

Intelligence Analyst

$85K
Moderate matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Familiarity with specific intelligence analysis tools and databasesOpen Source Intelligence (OSINT) trainingAdvanced data analysis techniques

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 17D2 training built — and where they transfer.

Adversarial Thinking

In your role, you constantly anticipate and counter potential threats in the cyberspace domain. You're always thinking one step ahead of adversaries, identifying vulnerabilities and devising strategies to protect critical assets.

This translates directly into strong risk assessment and mitigation skills. You can anticipate potential problems, evaluate threats, and develop proactive solutions to safeguard resources and interests.

System Modeling

You translate complex system requirements and architectures into detailed engineering specifications, ensuring smooth integration and operation of cyberspace systems. You understand how different components interact and affect overall performance.

This ability to understand and model complex systems is invaluable in roles that require strategic planning, process optimization, or systems engineering. You can visualize and analyze complex interactions to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Situational Awareness

You maintain a high level of awareness of the cyberspace environment, constantly monitoring networks, assessing threats, and coordinating responses. You can quickly grasp the big picture and make informed decisions under pressure.

This skill translates into exceptional decision-making abilities in dynamic environments. You can quickly assess situations, identify critical factors, and make sound judgments, even when facing uncertainty or incomplete information.

Resource Optimization

You direct the preparation and management of budget estimates and financial plans based on operational requirements and resources. You're adept at allocating resources effectively to achieve mission objectives.

Your experience in resource management allows you to identify opportunities for cost savings and efficiency improvements. You can analyze financial data, develop budget strategies, and allocate resources to maximize impact.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Business Continuity Planner

SOC 11-9199.02

You've been orchestrating complex operations under pressure. As a Business Continuity Planner, you'll use those skills to develop and implement strategies that ensure an organization can continue operating during disruptions. Your experience in identifying threats and vulnerabilities directly translates to protecting business assets.

Intelligence Analyst

SOC 15-2051.00

You've been analyzing complex systems, anticipating threats, and developing strategies to protect critical assets. This makes you uniquely qualified as an Intelligence Analyst. Your understanding of adversarial thinking and situational awareness will be invaluable in identifying and assessing potential risks.

Management Consultant

SOC 13-1111.00

You've been advising commanders and staff on matters of operational effectiveness, combat readiness, organization, and training. As a Management Consultant, you'll use your analytical skills to assess business processes, identify areas for improvement, and develop recommendations for optimizing performance. Your experience in resource optimization and system modeling will be highly valued.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Cyberspace Operations Officer Initial Qualification Training, Hurlburt Field, FL

480 training hours12 weeksUp to 9 semester hours recommended

Topics Covered

  • Cybersecurity Fundamentals
  • Network Operations
  • Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO)
  • Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO)
  • Information Operations (IO)
  • Cybersecurity Policy and Law
  • Incident Response
  • Risk Management Framework (RMF)

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

CompTIA Security+70% covered

Study cryptography, access control, risk management, and security assessments.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)60% covered

Focus on advanced hacking techniques, countermeasures, and legal/ethical issues.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)50% covered

Deepen knowledge in all 8 domains, particularly governance, risk management, compliance, and legal frameworks.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)Project Management Professional (PMP)AWS Certified Security – SpecialtyCertified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Technical Systems Translation

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

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
Air Force Intranet Control Weapon System (AIC)Enterprise network security and monitoring platforms (e.g., Splunk, IBM QRadar)
Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter Weapon System (CVA/Hunter)Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing tools (e.g., Nessus, Metasploit)
Air Force Cyberspace Defense Weapon System (ACD)Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems (e.g., Snort, McAfee Enterprise Security Manager)
Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS)Next-generation firewalls and network security appliances (e.g., Palo Alto Networks, Cisco Firepower)
Unified Platform (UP)Big data analytics and cyber threat intelligence platforms (e.g., Elastic, ThreatConnect)
Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO) tools and techniquesAdvanced penetration testing frameworks and exploit development tools

Ready to Translate Your Experience?

Our AI-powered translator converts your 17D2 experience into ATS-optimized civilian resume language.

Translate My Resume — Free