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33S3 Career Guide

Air Force

33S3: Cyberspace Operations Officer

Career transition guide for Air Force Cyberspace Operations Officer (33S3)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 33S3 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Information Security Analyst

$105K
High matchVery high demand

Network Security Engineer

$120K
High matchVery high demand

Skills to develop:

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

Cybersecurity Manager/Director

$145K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP)Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

IT Project Manager

$110K
Moderate matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Project Management Professional (PMP)Agile methodologies

Intelligence Analyst

$85K
Good matchStable demand

Skills to develop:

Familiarity with specific analysis tools (e.g., Palantir)Enhanced data visualization skills

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 33S3 training built — and where they transfer.

System Modeling

As a 33S3, you create and maintain models of complex cyberspace systems and architectures to understand their behavior and vulnerabilities, enabling you to effectively plan and execute operations.

This translates directly to the ability to understand and simulate complex systems in various civilian sectors, such as finance, logistics, or infrastructure management. You can forecast system behavior and identify potential issues.

Adversarial Thinking

You are trained to think like an adversary to anticipate potential attacks and develop effective defensive strategies. This involves understanding attacker motivations, capabilities, and tactics.

This skill is highly valuable in fields like cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and competitive intelligence. You can anticipate risks and develop proactive strategies to protect assets and maintain a competitive edge.

Resource Optimization

You manage and allocate resources effectively to ensure the success of cyberspace operations. This includes balancing resources across different missions and prioritizing tasks based on operational requirements.

Your experience in resource optimization can be applied to roles in project management, operations management, and supply chain management. You excel at maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste in complex environments.

Situational Awareness

You constantly maintain a high level of situational awareness regarding the cyberspace domain, understanding current threats, vulnerabilities, and operational impacts. This is crucial for effective decision-making.

This ability to maintain a broad awareness of your environment is transferable to roles that require risk assessment, strategic planning, and crisis management. You can quickly assess situations, identify critical factors, and make informed decisions under pressure.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Financial Risk Analyst

SOC 13-2051

You've been trained to analyze complex systems, anticipate threats, and develop defensive strategies. As a Financial Risk Analyst, you'll use these same skills to assess financial risks, develop mitigation plans, and protect your organization's assets.

Supply Chain Manager

SOC 11-3071

You're experienced in resource optimization and maintaining situational awareness. In Supply Chain Management, you'll use these skills to manage the flow of goods, optimize logistics, and ensure timely delivery of products while anticipating and mitigating potential disruptions.

Emergency Management Director

SOC 11-9161

You're adept at maintaining situational awareness and making critical decisions under pressure. As an Emergency Management Director, you'll leverage these skills to plan and coordinate responses to emergencies, ensuring the safety and well-being of communities.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Cyberspace Operations Officer Initial Qualification Training, Hurlburt Field, FL

480 training hours12 weeksUp to 9 semester hours recommended in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or Computer Science

Topics Covered

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

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

CompTIA Security+70% covered

Requires some study of specific compliance frameworks, risk management, and cryptography techniques outside of typical military applications.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)40% covered

Requires significant study across all 8 domains of information security. Focus on areas like legal/regulatory compliance, software development security, and business continuity planning.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)60% covered

Requires study of specific hacking tools and techniques. Focus on areas like footprinting, scanning, enumeration, and vulnerability analysis from an offensive perspective.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)PMI 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 Intranet Control (AFINC)Enterprise network security management platforms (e.g., Cisco ISE, Forescout)
Joint Regional Security Stack (JRSS)Next-generation firewall and intrusion prevention systems (e.g., Palo Alto Networks, Check Point)
Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter (CVA/H)Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing tools (e.g., Nessus, Metasploit)
Air Force Cyberspace Defense (ACD)Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems (e.g., Splunk, QRadar)
Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO) toolsPenetration testing and exploit development frameworks (e.g., Kali Linux, Cobalt Strike)
Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) toolsEndpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms (e.g., CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
Global Information Grid (GIG)Wide Area Network (WAN) infrastructure and services (e.g., MPLS networks, SD-WAN)

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