What to Study After CompTIA Security+? Next Certification Path (2026 Guide)

Earning Security+ is a major milestone — but what comes next?

After passing CompTIA Security+, many professionals ask:

🔎 Which certification should I take next to grow my salary and career?

The answer depends on your career direction — defensive security, ethical hacking, cloud security, governance, or advanced cybersecurity leadership.

This guide breaks down the best certification paths after Security+ in 2026, based on job demand and salary growth.

If You Want to Become a SOC Analyst (Blue Team Path)

Security+ gives you foundational defensive knowledge. If you want to specialize in monitoring and incident response, consider:

CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst)

• Focus: Threat detection & SIEM analysis

• Skill Level: Intermediate

• Ideal Role: SOC Analyst, Threat Hunter

CySA+ builds directly on Security+ concepts and is perfect for defensive security professionals.

 Salary Range (2026): $85K–$115K

If You Want to Become an Ethical Hacker (Red Team Path)

If you enjoy penetration testing and offensive security:

CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)

From EC-Council

• Focus: Exploitation & attack techniques

• Skill Level: Intermediate

• Ideal Role: Penetration Tester, Red Team Analyst

 OSCP (Advanced Option)

From OffSec

• Hands-on penetration testing

• Highly respected in offensive security

💰 Salary Range: $95K–$140K

 If You Want to Move into Cloud Security

Cloud skills are highly demanded in 2026.

After Security+, consider:

 AWS Security Specialty

From Amazon Web Services

 Microsoft Azure Security Engineer (AZ-500)

From Microsoft

These certifications combine cloud architecture with security controls.

💰 Salary Range: $100K–$150K

If You Want to Move Toward Governance & Leadership

If you prefer risk management and policy roles:

 CISSP

From ISC2

• Focus: Enterprise security architecture

• Ideal for: Security Managers, Architects

 CISM

From ISACA

• Focus: Security management & governance

 Salary Range: $120K–$170K

If You Want Advanced Technical Security

Stay in the CompTIA ecosystem:

 CompTIA CASP+ (Advanced Security Practitioner)

• Advanced enterprise security

• Technical leadership focus

• Alternative to CISSP for hands-on professionals

Recommended Path for Most Professionals

For most candidates, the natural progression is:

Security+ → CySA+ → CISSP or CEH → Specialized Cloud or Leadership Certification

But your path should align with your interests:

• Like attacking systems? → Red Team

• Like defending networks? → Blue Team

• Like designing systems? → Cloud Security

• Like managing teams? → Governance

How to Choose the Right Next Certification

Ask yourself:

✔ Do I enjoy hands-on labs or theory?
✔ Do I want technical or managerial roles?
✔ Do I prefer cloud or on-prem security?
✔ What roles are in demand in my region?

Choosing strategically can accelerate your salary growth faster than randomly collecting certifications.

Conclusion

Security+ proves you understand cybersecurity fundamentals.

But in 2026, specialization is what unlocks six-figure roles.

Your next certification should align with:

• Your strengths

• Your long-term career goal

• Market demand

Smart progression = Faster growth.