SF@roadmap:~$
SF@roadmap:~$ cat journey.md

Steamfitter →
Cloud Security Engineer

The war map. "I don't pay for school. I pay for the exam that proves I know the material." Gold-standard certs, real skills, and Go as the secret weapon — $130k+ within 3 years, $160k+ within 5–7. Stay in Calgary. No military. No diplomas.

the fast-track — live campaign

Last shift — pipefitting
Final night on the tools, out Sat 05:00. Then the trade becomes a tool, not a life.
FRI NOV 6, 2026
Full-time study block
Work-day structure: gym Mon/Wed/Fri, walk Onyx Tue/Thu/Sat, family hour ~3–4pm, quits at 7pm. Sundays off.
NOV 9 – 30
CompTIA Security+ — EXAM
SY0-701. Voucher in hand. Four timed mocks across the study block; slide option Thu Dec 3.
TUE DEC 1, 2026
Applications — full court press
Everything in before the New Year, front of the line when January budgets open.
DECEMBER
Cisco CCNA — study + EXAM
Starts December at a humane pace, full grind in January. Labs on the homelab + Packet Tracer.
MID-LATE JAN 2027
First cybersecurity role
SOC Analyst Tier 1 / Jr. Analyst. Realistic band $65–78k with the cert stack in hand.
TARGET JAN–FEB 2027

the journey — phases 1 to 5

Phase 1 · Foundation

Target role: IT Support / Jr. Analyst · ~$1,210

The door-opener phase. Security+ is the HR filter, CCNA is the gold-standard networking proof.

Security+ · CCNA

Phase 2 · Defensive Ops

Target role: SOC Analyst / Security Analyst · ~$1,300 · Calgary avg ~$133k

Detection and response: watching the monitors, catching the break-in, running the investigation. Go starts here as a hobby.

CySA+ · RHCSA · Splunk Core User · Go

Phase 3 · Cloud Engineering

Target role: Cloud Engineer · ~$2,400 · $100k jr / $140k mid

AWS-first engineering: architecture, infrastructure as code, Kubernetes security. Go becomes a working tool.

AWS SAA · Terraform Associate · CKS · RHCE · Go

Phase 4 · Cloud Security (optional)

Target role: Cloud Security Engineer · ~$2,000 · $160k mid / $180k+ senior

The specialty: securing the cloud estate itself, at the level the journey was always aimed at.

AWS Security – Specialty · CISSP

Phase 5 · Advanced (optional)

Target role: Cloud Security Architect · $150k+

Governance and architecture credentials for the post-engineer years.

CISM · CRISC · CISA

Total journey cost: ~$5,500 – $6,500 CAD, spread over 3–5 years.

cert tracker

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
Phase 1 · the baseline, the HR filter. Voucher owned.
IN PROGRESS — EXAM DEC 1
Cisco CCNA (200-301)
Phase 1 · gold-standard networking. Study starts December.
PLANNED — JAN 2027
CompTIA CySA+
Phase 2 · threat detection & incident response.
PHASE 2
Red Hat RHCSA (EX200)
Phase 2 · hands-on enterprise Linux. RHEL lab already running on the ThinkPad.
PHASE 2
Splunk Core User
Phase 2 · free via Splunk Academic Alliance.
PHASE 2
AWS Solutions Architect – Associate
Phase 3 · the cloud foundation.
PHASE 3
HashiCorp Terraform Associate
Phase 3 · infrastructure as code.
PHASE 3
CKS — Kubernetes Security Specialist
Phase 3 · requires CKA first.
PHASE 3
Red Hat RHCE
Phase 3 · Ansible automation at scale.
PHASE 3
AWS Security – Specialty
Phase 4 · the specialty the journey aims at.
PHASE 4
CISSP
Phase 4 · later, when the experience requirement is banked.
PHASE 4
CISM · CRISC · CISA
Phase 5 · governance & architecture, post-engineer.
PHASE 5
Cisco CCST
Dropped Oct 30, 2026 — US$125 exam fee, subsumed by Security+ and CCNA. Filler by the gold-standard rule. Free NetAcad training still used as CCNA warm-up.
DROPPED

the rules — locked in

job strategy & the secret weapon

🐹 Go (Golang) — the secret weapon

The language that powers Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform — the language of the cloud, ideal for security tooling and automation. Starts Phase 2 as a hobby, applied in Phase 3.

Agencies & targets

Primary: Procom (Calgary IT roles). Secondary: S.i. Systems, Sure Systems, Pearl Recruitment.

Phase 1 titles: SOC Analyst, Security Analyst, IT Support, Help Desk, Junior IT, NOC Technician.

The edge: OT security. Twelve years inside high-risk industrial plants — permits, procedures, safety culture — plus Linux since 2013 and a production-grade homelab. Energy and utility SOCs are where that story lands hardest.