Also called: Army 17A, Air Force 17S, Navy Cyber Warfare Engineer 1840, Marine 1702
Leads teams that defend military networks and carry out offensive cyber operations.
Cyber officers plan operations with U.S. Cyber Command, run teams of hackers and defenders, and translate technical details for commanders. Some days are spent in a secure facility watching an operation unfold; others are spent writing policy. Afterward, they are heavily recruited by tech companies, banks, and cybersecurity firms.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 (2nd Lieutenant/Ensign) to O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel/Commander), 2026 estimate. A 20-year career also earns a lifetime pension starting right after retirement.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's degree (computer science or engineering strongly preferred) and commission, then ~9 months of cyber training. 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, 4-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Computer Engineering, Mathematics.
Growing faster than average. Not in BLS projections; the services are actively growing cyber forces and paying large bonuses.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI writes exploit code and spots intrusions faster; planning operations and leading hackers stay human.
Classes: AP Computer Science, AP Calculus, Networking / IT CTE.
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.