46 Free Career Guides

How to Break Into Any Career

Step-by-step guides for 46 in-demand careers — including required skills, certifications, realistic timelines, and how to land your first role.

Take the free 60-second Career Fit Quiz

Agile & Project Management

How to Become a Scrum Master

2–6 months$105K median+10%

Business

How to Become a Customer Success Manager

2–6 months$90K median+18%

Communications

How to Become a Technical Writer

3–9 months$78K median+6%

Cybersecurity

How to Become a Security Engineer

1–3 years (typically from security analyst or developer path)$130K median+32%

Data & Analytics

How to Become a Data Scientist

6–18 months$115K median+35%

How to Become a Machine Learning Engineer

12–24 months$145K median+40%

How to Become a Data Analyst

2–8 months$85K median+23%

Data & Technology

How to Become a Data Engineer

6–18 months$130K median+25%

Design

How to Become a UX Designer

3–9 months$95K median+8%

How to Become a Product Designer

3–9 months$110K median+13%

Education & Learning

How to Become a Instructional Designer

3–9 months$75K median+7%

Finance

How to Become a Financial Analyst

6–18 months$85K median+8%

How to Become a Financial Planner

6–18 months (Series 65 and CFP study alongside entry role)$95K median+13%

How to Become a Risk Analyst

3–12 months$80K median+16%

Healthcare

How to Become a Healthcare Administrator

1–3 years (often requires MHA or MBA)$110K median+28%

How to Become a Health Informatics Specialist

6–18 months$85K median+17%

Human Resources

How to Become a HR Specialist

2–6 months$68K median+8%

How to Become a Talent Acquisition Specialist

2–6 months$68K median+6%

How to Become a People Operations Manager

2–5 years (typically from HR generalist path)$90K median+8%

Legal & Compliance

How to Become a Compliance Officer

3–12 months$78K median+11%

How to Become a Legal Operations Manager

3–7 years (via legal operations coordinator or paralegal path)$100K median+13%

Marketing

How to Become a Digital Marketing Manager

3–9 months$95K median+10%

How to Become a Content Strategist

3–9 months$80K median+8%

How to Become a Social Media Manager

1–6 months$62K median+11%

How to Become a SEO Specialist

3–9 months$65K median+9%

How to Become a Growth Marketer

3–12 months$92K median+14%

How to Become a Brand Manager

3–12 months (often via marketing coordinator path)$88K median+8%

How to Become a E-commerce Manager

2–5 years (typically from digital marketing or operations path)$82K median+15%

Operations

How to Become a Project Manager

3–12 months$95K median+7%

How to Become a Business Analyst

3–12 months$90K median+11%

How to Become a Supply Chain Analyst

3–12 months$72K median+18%

How to Become a Program Manager

3–5 years from project manager path$105K median+10%

Operations & Management

How to Become a Operations Manager

1–3 years (typically from operations coordinator path)$95K median+7%

Product & Strategy

How to Become a Product Manager

6–18 months$125K median+10%

Sales

How to Become a Account Manager

1–6 months$72K median+7%

Sales & Technology

How to Become a Sales Engineer

3–12 months (with engineering background)$115K median+10%

Technology

How to Become a Software Engineer

3–12 months$120K median+25%

How to Become a DevOps Engineer

6–18 months$125K median+22%

How to Become a Cybersecurity Analyst

6–18 months$105K median+32%

How to Become a Cloud Architect

2–5 years from entry-level cloud$150K median+18%

How to Become a Solutions Architect

5–8 years from entry-level (via engineering path)$140K median+9%

How to Become a Frontend Developer

3–9 months$105K median+16%

How to Become a Backend Developer

4–12 months$115K median+18%

How to Become a Mobile Developer

4–12 months$125K median+22%

How to Become a QA Engineer

2–8 months$90K median+20%

How to Become a IT Project Manager

3–12 months (with IT background) or 1–2 years (from non-IT)$105K median+10%

Not sure which career is right for you?

The Career Fit Quiz analyses your skills and goals to give you a personalised fit score for all 46 careers — in 60 seconds.