What a Cybersecurity Analyst does in the UK, typical salary, required skills, and the realistic (not instant) path in for career changers.
Cybersecurity Analysts monitor, investigate and respond to security threats. It is one of the most in-demand UK IT specialisms, but honestly, it is rarely a first role. Almost every cybersecurity analyst started in IT support or systems administration first, building the foundational knowledge security work depends on.
People with strong attention to detail, genuine curiosity about how systems can be broken into, and patience for investigative work.
Not usually as a first role. The realistic path is IT support or M365/Azure administration first, then specialising into security once you have foundational systems knowledge.
IT Support/Admin → Security-focused administration → Cybersecurity Analyst → Security Engineer or Consultant.