Starting to think ahead to your professional goals for the new year? Here are five ways you can grow your career journey with ISACA in 2026.
1. Attend ISACA 2026 Conferences/Events
ISACA has a great lineup of conferences and events for professionals at all stages of their careers in 2026 to advance their careers and grow their networks, beginning with the Virtual Student Summit (5-6 February). This event is ideal for college students and recent graduates who are seeking a pathway into the cyber/IT sector. In May, the ISACA North America Conference takes place in Las Vegas (6-8 May), and the GRC Conference will take place in San Diego 17-19 August. In October, the ISACA Europe Conference will be held in Munich, Germany (7-9 October).
2. Participate in the Member Experience Leadership Series
If you are an ISACA member and have not yet attended a Member Experience Leadership Series webinar, you are missing out on hearing from award-winning thought leaders and groundbreaking innovators, and you can also earn free CPE from attending. The first webinar this year (21 January) features Rachel Botsman, a leading expert on trust in the modern world, who will share her Risk—Trust Lens Framework on why the balance between risk and trust is the hallmark of adaptive leadership.
3. Grow Your Expertise from ISACA Thought Leadership
Each year ISACA puts forth globally resonant research reports related to our domains and other timely topics, including the upcoming State of Privacy report releasing later this month. ISACA also produces survey-related findings covering topics such as cybersecurity and emerging technology throughout the year. Delving into the research and associated thought leadership pieces of these reports can help you stay up to date on trends and data impacting the digital trust fields.
4. Pursue New Learning Opportunities
If you are looking to further your AI education, ISACA has recently released several new AI certifications and learning opportunities, with the most recent being the Advanced in AI Risk (AAIR) certification (currently in the beta period), as well as AAIA, AAISM, and numerous AI courses. Additionally, since ISACA has now been authorized as the CMMC Assessor and Instructor Certification Organization (CAICO) for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, there are new potential career paths for ISACA members: consider becoming a CMMC Certified Professional (CCP), CMMC Certified Assessor (CCA), or Lead CCA.
5. Exploring ISACA’s Career Journey Tool
Whether you are looking to advance in your current field or explore a new path, ISACA’s Career Journey tool is a helpful resource. Start by choosing from the five domains (audit, governance, privacy, risk and security), then select a functional area, and use the tool to map out career goals for the new year and beyond!