Penetration Tester
Hack systems legally to find vulnerabilities before malicious actors do, protecting organizations from cyber attacks
About the profession
Penetration Testers simulate cyber attacks against organizations' networks, applications, and systems to identify vulnerabilities before real attackers exploit them. They use the same tools and techniques as malicious hackers but with authorization. They work for security consulting firms, tech companies, and government agencies.
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Penetration Tester fits your profile
Career Match Test →Explore the Career Path section to see progression from junior to senior
Jump to Career Path →Start learning — check the Learning Path for free courses
Jump to Learning Path →Personality Fit
Based on the Penetration Tester role, here are the RIASEC personality types that tend to thrive in this career. While these alignments are common, individual success depends on motivation, skill development, and finding the right work environment.
Investigative
Research, analysis, problem-solving
Realistic
Hands-on, practical, technical work
Conventional
Organizing, detail-oriented, structured
Not sure if these types match you? Take the full RIASEC assessment (12-15 min) to discover your personality profile and see how it aligns with hundreds of careers.
Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
Junior Pentester → Pentester → Senior Pentester/Red Team Lead → Director of Offensive Security
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
4
Levels
0K
Top Salary
10+
Years
Learning Path
Skills you need to develop and courses to get there
🚀
Set your current level first
Go to the Career Path tab and select your current level to see your personalized learning plan.
Go to Career PathCareer levels
Conduct basic vulnerability assessments and scans Assist senior testers on penetration testing engagements Learn common attack techniques and tools (Burp Suite, Metasploit, Nmap)…
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Income Dynamics
Conservative and aggressive scenarios for 10–15 years
Year 1-2: $60,000 - $82,000 Year 10+: $140,000 - $200,000+
💰 Pay for Computer Occupations, All Other
BLS OEWS, May 2023The federal survey does not count this job title on its own — it is counted under Computer Occupations, All Other (15-1299).
Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
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Create Free AccountPersonality types that fit this career
Based on career-match data from our Result Library:
The % is JobCannon’s editorial fit rating (0-100) for how well a result suits this career — not a statistical prediction. How we rate each test’s validity →
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Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types