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1B4X1 Career Guide

Air Force

1B4X1: Cyberspace Warfare Operations

Career transition guide for Air Force Cyberspace Warfare Operations (1B4X1)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 1B4X1 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Cybersecurity Analyst

$105K
High matchVery high demand

Network Security Engineer

$120K
High matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) SecurityExperience with specific network security tools (e.g., Palo Alto, Fortinet)

Information Security Manager

$140K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certificationProject management experienceExperience with security frameworks (e.g., NIST, ISO 27001)

Penetration Tester

$110K
Good matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) or Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)Experience with penetration testing tools (e.g., Metasploit, Burp Suite)

Security Architect

$150K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Cloud security certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Security Specialist)Experience designing and implementing security solutionsKnowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 1B4X1 training built — and where they transfer.

Adversarial Thinking

As a 1B4X1, you constantly anticipate and analyze the tactics, techniques, and procedures of potential adversaries in cyberspace to proactively defend national interests and critical infrastructure.

This translates to a strong ability to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in various systems and processes, allowing you to develop effective mitigation strategies.

System Modeling

You build mental models of complex networks and systems to understand their functionalities, limitations, and vulnerabilities. This includes reverse engineering network nodes and infrastructure devices to determine their capabilities.

You can visualize and understand the interconnectedness of different components within a system, enabling you to troubleshoot issues, optimize performance, and design improvements.

Situational Awareness

Maintaining constant awareness of friendly and adversary operations in cyberspace is crucial for effective command and control. You monitor network activity, interpret data from various sources, and provide timely reports to commanders.

You possess a keen ability to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of a situation, allowing you to make informed decisions and anticipate potential problems.

Rapid Prioritization

In a dynamic cyberspace environment, you must quickly assess and prioritize threats, vulnerabilities, and operational tasks to allocate resources effectively and ensure mission success.

You are adept at quickly triaging tasks based on urgency and impact, ensuring that the most critical issues are addressed first, even under pressure.

After-Action Analysis

You analyze the effectiveness of network attack, defense, and exploitation operations to identify lessons learned and improve future strategies and tactics. This involves evaluating performance data, identifying weaknesses, and recommending corrective actions.

You excel at evaluating past performance, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing changes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in future endeavors.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker)

SOC 15-1299.02

You've been on the front lines of network warfare, understanding attack vectors and defense strategies intimately. As a Penetration Tester, you'll use those same skills to find vulnerabilities in systems before malicious actors do. Your experience in reverse engineering and analyzing network infrastructure makes you a natural fit.

Intelligence Analyst

SOC 15-2051.00

Your work as a Cyberspace Defense Operator required you to gather, analyze, and interpret complex information from various sources to understand adversary capabilities and intentions. As an Intelligence Analyst, you will leverage these analytical skills to support decision-making in various sectors, like business or law enforcement.

Financial Fraud Investigator

SOC 13-2099.04

You're skilled at detecting, analyzing, and mitigating threats within complex systems. As a Financial Fraud Investigator, you will apply those same skills to identify and prevent fraudulent activities, protecting organizations from financial loss. Your experience with network defense and attack attribution will be invaluable.

Emergency Management Specialist

SOC 11-9161.00

You have experience defending critical infrastructure and coordinating with various agencies to reduce vulnerabilities. Emergency Management Specialists develop and implement plans for responding to emergencies and disasters. Your expertise in risk assessment, mitigation, and command and control will make you an effective Emergency Management Specialist.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Cyberspace Warfare Operations Initial Skills Training, Goodfellow Air Force Base, TX

1,280 training hours32 weeksUp to 15 semester hours recommended in Cybersecurity and Networking

Topics Covered

  • Network Attack Techniques
  • Network Defense Strategies
  • Network Exploitation Methodologies
  • Cybersecurity Vulnerability Analysis
  • Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems
  • Incident Response Procedures
  • Command and Control in Cyberspace Operations
  • Reverse Engineering Fundamentals

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

CompTIA Security+70% covered

Study cryptography, access control, and risk management in more detail. Review compliance frameworks.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)60% covered

Focus on the legal aspects of ethical hacking, advanced penetration testing techniques, and detailed knowledge of specific hacking tools.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)50% covered

Expand knowledge in all 8 domains of information security, especially around governance, risk management, compliance, and security architecture.

Recommended Next Certifications

Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)AWS Certified Security - Specialty

Technical Systems Translation

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

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS)Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) like Palo Alto Networks or Fortinet
Air Force Intranet Control Weapon System (AIC)Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems like Splunk or IBM QRadar
Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter Weapon System (CVA/H)Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing platforms like Nessus or Metasploit
Integrated Network Early Warning System (INEWS)Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) like Snort or Suricata
Network Management System (NMS)Network monitoring tools like SolarWinds or PRTG Network Monitor
Kali LinuxPenetration testing distributions such as Parrot OS or BlackArch

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