Adrian's KB

Career Growth - Notes

3 min read

Core Concept

Strategy notes for growing a cybersecurity career with a focus on remote work, FAANG-level positions, and European opportunities.

💼 Career Strategy & Notes

  • ✅ FAANG Remote Jobs: Target senior positions in companies like Amazon, Google, etc.
  • 🔍 Explore TechPays — Big salaries are possible, especially in cloud and security roles.
  • 🎯 Growth Approach: Keep learning and specializing, but avoid being boxed into a single niche.
  • 🧠 Learn CyberChef: Great tool for encoding/decoding and data analysis.
  • 📚 Familiarize with LeetCode for technical interviews.
  • 🧰 Use Dradis for professional pentest reporting.

🌍 Remote-Friendly European Companies

  • GitLab, Stripe, Spotify, Shopify, Automattic, HubSpot
  • Bending Spoons (Italy):

Did You Know?

Cloud Security Engineering roles can pay €100k+ in Europe.

🇳🇱 Why The Netherlands?

  • Reddit Thread
  • Example: CISSP Consulting
    • Gross Compensation:
      • €97k base
      • €7.76k bonus
      • €11k transport
      • €1.5k bike
      • €15k pension
      • Total: ~€132.26k/year

🧾 Salary Benchmarks

Technical Support

  • Annual: €27,671.37
  • 13th Month: €2,305.95
  • Bonus (5%): €1,498.87
  • Pluxee: €960.00
  • Total: ~€32,436.19 / ~€2,703.02 Monthly
  • Benefits: Insurance, study & certification reimbursement

Penetration Testing

  • Annual: €27,000.00
  • 13th Month: €2,250.00
  • Reimbursements: €840.00
  • Total: ~€30,090.00 / ~€2,507.50 Monthly
  • Benefits: Flexible PTO, holidays, home office, certifications

Vulnerability Assessment

  • Annual: ~€35,141.64
  • 13th Month: ~€2,928.55
  • Bonus (5%): ~€1,903.56
  • Pluxee: €960.00
  • Total: ~€40,933.75 / Monthly: ~€3,411.15
  • Benefits: Insurance, study & certification reimbursement

🧭 Penetration Testing Job Details

  • Internal/External Network Testing
  • Web Application Testing
  • Team: 15–20 consultants, project leads, managers, support engineers

Career Growth Path

graph TD
    A[Intern] --> B[Staff Consultant]
    B --> C[Experienced Pentester]
    C --> D[Senior Consultant]
    D --> E[Principal or Manager]

Specialization Options

  • API Testing
  • Segmentation Testing
  • Red Teaming
  • Social Engineering
  • Wireless Security
  • Application Security

Vulnerability Assessment Job Details

🧾 Role Summary

AreaDetails
DepartmentOperations (Security Tooling & Vulnerability Assessment)
Focus AreasInfrastructure, DaaS, SaaS, Web Application Security (WAS)
ResponsibilitiesTool management, onboarding, scanning, detection, reporting
Tools UsedRapid7 (current) → Tenable, Qualys, CannonVougel, ScanPortal, Prisma
Scanning ScopeCloud agents, container scanning, global deployments

🌍 Team & Location

Team MembersRavi & Mik (Regional Managers)
Regions CoveredRomania, Ireland, Brazil, U.S.
Role GeographyPositions available in India and Mexico
CollaborationExpected to work with globally distributed team

🗓️ Onboarding Timeline

PhaseExpectation
0–3 monthsLearn tooling, processes, team dynamics
3–6 monthsBegin taking ownership of workflows with guidance
6–12 monthsWork independently on core tasks

🧠 Training & Culture

  • Certifications: eCPPT, OSCP+, EWPT, Burp Suite
  • Frameworks: PTES
  • Once hired: Buddy Program for onboarding
  • Focus on continuous learning and day-to-day practice
  • Promotion based on growth into mobile apps, API testing, and purple teaming

✉️ Reporting Basics

  • Notify client of testing window
  • Internal findings report
  • Critical items highlighted for internal team

Graph View