Also called: Army 17C, Air Force 1D7, Navy CWT rating, Marine 1711
Enlisted hacker and network defender who conducts offensive and defensive cyber operations.
Cyber specialists hunt for intruders inside military networks, analyze malware, and in some units, conduct operations against foreign networks. Training is long and technical. Enlistment bonuses are large, and the skills land six-figure civilian cybersecurity jobs.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, hazardous-duty, or skill pays this specialty usually earns. Enlistment/reenlistment bonuses for this field can be $10k-$50k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma, top ASVAB scores, then ~6-12 months of cyber training. Top Secret clearance. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology.
Growing faster than average. Not in BLS projections; cyber forces are expanding and civilian information-security analyst jobs are projected to grow ~29%.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI tools automate threat hunting and malware triage; skilled hands-on operators stay in demand.
Classes: AP Computer Science, Networking / IT CTE, Algebra.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.