This designed to outline the key bodies of knowledge that a competent and effective SOC analyst should master.
Whether you're an aspiring professional or at the early stages of your career, following and committing to this structured path will position you for long-term success.
This road map emphasises deep, practical understanding and equipping you with a comprehensive and operational knowledge base that will serve you well across real-world scenarios and career progression within security operations.
Based on Cognitive Load Theory and empirical studies on memory retention, an effective learning approach should favour short, focused sessions over extended periods, as this reduces cognitive overload, promotes deeper processing, and aligns with the spacing effect. Below is a table of recommended study length. Now this is all personal preference, if you can do more, do more, but it needs to be sustainable
| Study Session Length | Frequency | Ideal Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 20–30 mins | Daily or every 2 days | New, complex topics |
| 45–60 mins | 3–4 times per week | Revision, consolidation |
| Pomodoro cycles (25/5) | 2–3 per session | Maintaining focus and energy |
| Spaced reviews (10–15 mins) | Weekly, monthly | Long-term retention |
| ** |
| Phase | Study Duration | Daily Commitment | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 0 Pre-Game: Orientation & Industry Awareness | 2 Days | 30-45 minutes | Industry knowledge, legal context, career alignment |
| Phase 1 Foundations: Core Systems & Networking | 16-20 weeks | 30-60 minutes | Windows/Linux OS, networking, command-line proficiency |
| Phase 2 Detection & Monitoring | 10-14 weeks | 45-60 minutes | SIEM, logging, detection engineering, use case development |
| Phase 3 Incident Response & Threat Handling | 8-12 weeks | 45-60 minutes | Triage, containment, investigation, IR lifecycle |
| Phase 4 Threat Intelligence & Adversary Context | 6-10 weeks | 30-60 minutes | Intel lifecycle, ATT&CK, adversary behaviour |
| Total | 40-56 Weeks |