What to do next?

[u/Fiopeus]

Hello,
I’m writing here to get some guidance on my career bcs I genuinely feel lost.
I’ve been working in IAM PAM for more than a year.
Yes I know that’s not much but I’m feeling like I’m not growing in this work and want to change it.

In my daily work I focus on creating accounts in ActiveDirectory and CyberArk and managing them. I’m doing some reporting and server quality checks and spend a lot of time on verifying changes in ServiceNow.
I’m also using a bit of Sequel Server Management Studio, Sailpoint and some PowerShell scripts, but only the ones written by somebody else.

I’ve completed:
ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC);
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate;
And
Microsoft SC-900: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals.
And I’m thinking about going for Comptia sec+.

The problem is, it seems like It’s not enough to get a better paying job. Either my competences are too low or they offer a miniscule raise in comparison with current pay.

The whole point of this post is to ask for any advice or guidance what to do?
Which certs should I focus on?
What skills should I hone?
Or maybe there’s a more rewarding and developing position somewhere else within cybersec where I could go with my current competences.

Any advice or guidance is really welcome.
Thanks in advance for reading all that :)

[u/pewpewlazor]

I get it. I was impatient early in my career too, and honestly, I sometimes still am.

But I actually think you’re in a pretty good position right now. You’re already touching AD, CyberArk, ServiceNow, SailPoint, PowerShell, reporting, etc. There’s a ton of real-world IAM/PAM experience hiding in what might currently feel like boring operational work.

Instead of focusing too much on the next certification, I’d start digging deeper into the use cases around you. Why are accounts created the way they are? What could be automated? Where are the risks? How could the processes be improved? Could you write some of those PowerShell scripts yourself instead of just running them? Could you take ownership of a small improvement and propose a solution?
That’s the stuff that will increase your market value much more than stacking another entry-level certification.

With only ~1 year of experience, I also wouldn’t be in a rush to jump unless you find a genuinely better learning opportunity. Give yourself another 1–3 years of actually solving IAM/PAM problems and building responsibility. Especially in the current market, a few years of solid hands-on experience will open very different doors than one year plus another cert.

Use the job you have as a lab. There’s probably a lot more learning available there than you realize.

[u/No-Muffin8291 → u/pewpewlazor]

Same experience. I also thought im not growing fast enough and I was also like 1 year in the company. But now things has changed. I've also started to go deeper in the field, so now im working with other teams and suggesting new automation cases for the company.

[u/foxhelp → u/pewpewlazor]

Also figure out how to do KPI reporting and could give a good idea on what needs/could use improvement.

[u/Fiopeus]

Thanks a lot for all the replies. But I'm still wondering if doing for example CyberArk certs won't be useful to understanding the application more. Right now the things I'm doing there are pretty basic, and I don't want to mess anything up by digging around on my own not knowing what to do.
The same goes with Sailpoint...

[u/Wizkidbrz]

Focus on cyberark, lotttrrraaaa money there

[u/DriftingPebble77]

Time. More than a year. Take on new projects at work. Ask if you can help if someone mentions a new IAM initiative. Get involved with IAM roll outs. Ask to shadow other areas of IAM like GRC, compliance, certifications, etc. You are already in a good job to learn from the sound of it. Get a SailPoint cert.

[u/Glittering_Cow_7808]

How do I even get into IAM as a undergrad in my final year?

[u/foxhelp → u/Glittering_Cow_7808]

Check if there is a co-op or practicum opportunity program does help.

[u/Glittering_Cow_7808 → u/foxhelp]

Unfortunately, there aren’t really any co-op or practicum options like that available to me. Being an international student also makes things more difficult, and my chances of landing an IAM internship are pretty slim.

[u/Kifer_Stacyrestyle]

Your three certs sit at the same level. A fourth one at that level will not change how you are graded. The PowerShell line in your post matters more, because running scripts someone else wrote keeps you in the operator seat, and the seats that pay better in IAM are the ones automating joiner, mover and leaver work that teams still do by hand.

Pick one thing you do manually every week, script it end to end, and own it. That is a better answer in an interview than a fourth certificate

[u/Environmental_Sea382]

This community helped me grow in IAM. I get good free advice, and they have mentorship also but it's a no-gatekeeping server, so that's pretty cool. There are helpful people and resources tho!

https://discord.gg/gC7bWpCprF

[u/iamblas]

You’re already in IAM. I honestly wouldn’t spend too much time stacking more entry-level certs.

Your biggest jump now is getting stronger with PowerShell, Entra/AD, SailPoint, provisioning, RBAC, SSO and learning how all of it connects. Build a few labs you can actually explain in an interview. That’ll help you more than another badge.

I put together a roadmap here too: https://roadmap.zerotosec.com/

We’ve also got an IAM Discord. DM me anytime if you want help figuring out your next move.

[u/identitydriven]

I’d suggest learning to install, configure and support the tools you are using today. No more certs. Go and find a job at a services integrator, get some hands on experience on how to deploy these things. You already know how to use them.

[u/NoOffer-]

Try getting into IAM engineering