My Roadmap: CPTS, BTL2 and OSCP
Running offensive and defensive certifications side by side — what each one covers, why I picked them, and how I'll track progress here.
I’m aiming for SOC and vulnerability assessment roles, so I’m working both sides of the fence at once. Here’s the plan and how I’ll report on it.
The three tracks
| Track | Side | Why it’s on the list |
|---|---|---|
| HTB CPTS | Offensive | Deep, hands-on pentest methodology and report writing |
| BTL2 | Defensive | Threat hunting, detection and incident response at the next level up from BTL1 |
| OSCP | Offensive | The industry-recognised benchmark for practical pentesting |
Learning to attack makes me a better defender, and the reverse is true too. Running them together is slower, but the overlap is the point.
How I’ll track it
- A progress post whenever I finish a major module or milestone
- Writeups of retired boxes as I go through practice
- The certs page updated as each one moves from in progress to earned
Next up
The next post will cover my current CPTS module and the notes setup I’m using to keep everything organised.