Thinking about getting into cybersecurity

[sangheilios]

I've been looking for a career that could bring me new opportunities and perhaps expand some of my life experiences.

I've been looking into cybersecurity and there is one top rate bachelor degree program I've been looking at. It's something I could do relatively quickly, assuming everything goes to plan. The program is entirely online, though also offers in person classes. I also have a a very flexible, low stress and decent/solid paying job where I could easily support myself while going to school.

However, the only thing that I'm a bit hesitant about is the fact that I have literally 0 experience working with computers and don't know much beyond just basic usage of the internet, etc.

 

[SW15]

It's a plan worth exploring. Why would you want to go a different direction in your career if you already have a low stress and decent/solid paying job?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

That could be tough. There is a lot to know and there will never be a point where you can stop learning...it's constantly changing and what worked yesterday may not work today.

It would be better if you had a solid background in computers, or, grew up with them and had some in depth knowledge on how they work, etc.

I'm not saying don't do it, but you have to have a certain level of aptitude for that kind of stuff. People say "anyone can do it" but that's not exactly true. There is a huge difference between doing it as a hobby and doing it as a professional. Think of it as the difference between playing pickup basketball at the local gym or park and playing in the NBA or high level pro league.

I would strongly suggest taking some free edX courses to start and see how you do with those before you commit to something like that long term. Those are from very high level schools like MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc...all of them are free to take. Basically the same college courses they teach with lessons, assignments, video lectures, etc

It would let you see if this is something you are actually good at, or something that you likely will be spinning your wheels on.

 

[sangheilios]

It's a plan worth exploring. Why would you want to go a different direction in your career if you already have a low stress and decent/solid paying job?

Because there is no room for advancement and I'm honestly in a setting that is very unique to my area. I'm doing very well financially, it's just that I'm essentially stuck in my geographic location.

 

[sangheilios]

That could be tough. There is a lot to know and there will never be a point where you can stop learning...it's constantly changing and what worked yesterday may not work today.

It would be better if you had a solid background in computers, or, grew up with them and had some in depth knowledge on how they work, etc.

I'm not saying don't do it, but you have to have a certain level of aptitude for that kind of stuff. People say "anyone can do it" but that's not exactly true. There is a huge difference between doing it as a hobby and doing it as a professional. Think of it as the difference between playing pickup basketball at the local gym or park and playing in the NBA or high level pro league.

I would strongly suggest taking some free edX courses to start and see how you do with those before you commit to something like that long term. Those are from very high level schools like MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc...all of them are free to take. Basically the same college courses they teach with lessons, assignments, video lectures, etc

It would let you see if this is something you are actually good at, or something that you likely will be spinning your wheels on.

What you are mentioning here is my primary concern, that being a lack of natural aptitude for the field. I'm confident I could get through the program if I applied myself, I'm just not completely confident if I'd be competitive compared to my peers, let alone actually enjoy it.

I find things like AI, blockchain technology, etc. very interesting but that does not necessarily equate to doing well in this professional field.

Does this site have a good list of courses I could look into? It was the first thing that popped up with a basic search.

30 Best FREE edX Courses with Certificates in Mar 2024 (guru99.com)

 

[BackInTheGame78]

What you are mentioning here is my primary concern, that being a lack of natural aptitude for the field. I'm confident I could get through the program if I applied myself, I'm just not completely confident if I'd be competitive compared to my peers, let alone actually enjoy it.

I find things like AI, blockchain technology, etc. very interesting but that does not necessarily equate to doing well in this professional field.

Does this site have a good list of courses I could look into? It was the first thing that popped up with a basic search.

30 Best FREE edX Courses with Certificates in Mar 2024 (guru99.com)

I would just go to the edX site itself and search for courses there.

Build new skills. Advance your career.

Discover thousands of offerings — from free courses to full degrees — delivered by world-class partners like Harvard, Google, Amazon and more.

www.edx.org

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I would just go to the edX site itself and search for courses there.

Build new skills. Advance your career.

Discover thousands of offerings — from free courses to full degrees — delivered by world-class partners like Harvard, Google, Amazon and more.

www.edx.org

Microsoft would also likely have some free course offerings on this as well.

 

[sangheilios]

Microsoft would also likely have some free course offerings on this as well.

Do you recommend just a basic intro to computer science course or something else? I'm not entirely sure what course would be the best one to commit time to that will give me a solid grasp of whether this is something I should continue pursuing.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Do you recommend just a basic intro to computer science course or something else? I'm not entirely sure what course would be the best one to commit time to that will give me a solid grasp of whether this is something I should continue pursuing.

Intro to computer science is good to get some basic knowledge like understanding algorithms and how code works, etc.

I actually did one of those edX courses from MIT on that and it was exceptional, I would highly recommend it.

Security deals with more things regarding how to find vulnerabilities and prevent them, etc tho, so unsure how much that would be of use, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[sangheilios]

Intro to computer science is good to get some basic knowledge like understanding algorithms and how code works, etc.

I actually did one of those edX courses from MIT on that and it was exceptional, I would highly recommend it.

Security deals with more things regarding how to find vulnerabilities and prevent them, etc tho, so unsure how much that would be of use, but it couldn't hurt.

Would you feel that the cyber security/operations degree would lead to job prospects or would I be better off pursuing a comp sci degree, software engineering degree or something along those lines?

Are many of these jobs remote/work from home? IF I was to get into this field, should I expect a heavy demand from employers or will it offer a solid work-life balance?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Would you feel that the cyber security/operations degree would lead to job prospects or would I be better off pursuing a comp sci degree, software engineering degree or something along those lines?

Are many of these jobs remote/work from home? IF I was to get into this field, should I expect a heavy demand from employers or will it offer a solid work-life balance?

Security is a big hot topic issue now, even in places that typically haven't worried about it much up til this point. I don't expect that to change anytime soon...the attacks are getting more organized and sophisticated every day.

Some of them are remote. I've been full remote for over 4 years now, in fact they recently closed our office since barely anyone went in and told us we were permanently remote. It all depends on the company tho.

Again, work life balance is largely dependent on the company and how well run it is and how much they value their employees. Some of them are terrible and others are related good.

I've been very lucky to always work at places that highly value work life balance and have treated us pretty well. The last two places explicitly banned working on weekends and devs actually got in trouble if they did it unless it was authorized prior.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I have been thinkings about going into cyber security myself, if only because I find it interesting and I follow a couple of YTers who talk about it endlessly (Mental Outlaw and Eric Murphy). However it is ridiculously complex and dynamic and you have to constantly be up to date which I hate... it gets old after a while. If you already have an IT degree it might be easier as you can get Security+ and other security certificates but that still isn't enough to be really qualified...

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I have been thinkings about going into cyber security myself, if only because I find it interesting and I follow a couple of YTers who talk about it endlessly (Mental Outlaw and Eric Murphy). However it is ridiculously complex and dynamic and you have to constantly be up to date which I hate... it gets old after a while. If you already have an IT degree it might be easier as you can get Security+ and other security certificates but that still isn't enough to be really qualified...

At the end of the day your aptitude for that type of work and understanding it almost like it comes natural is what will determine your abilities far more than any degrees or certificates.

Those are the people who are at the forefront of cyber security because they know it the same way they know how to drive home from the store.

 

[Young OG]

OP, you will need to either get a degree or certifications or both. Since you don’t have any IT experience, I would suggest checking out the CompTIA A+. If you can get through that then next would be Network+ and then Security+. This site has free training videos for all 3 certifications:

Home - Professor Messer IT Certification Training - CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+

Professor Messer's CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ training videos, notes, study groups, and IT certification study materials.

www.professormesser.com

 

[BackInTheGame78]

OP, you will need to either get a degree or certifications or both. Since you don’t have any IT experience, I would suggest checking out the CompTIA A+. If you can get through that then next would be Network+ and then Security+. This site has free training videos for all 3 certifications:

Home - Professor Messer IT Certification Training - CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+

Professor Messer's CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ training videos, notes, study groups, and IT certification study materials.

www.professormesser.com

Yeah, would need to really get all 3 to be of any value for a security role as each build upon the foundations of the last one, with the final one being the most important but hard to grasp without the building blocks of the 2 before it.

 

[Young OG]

Yeah, would need to really get all 3 to be of any value for a security role as each build upon the foundations of the last one, with the final one being the most important but hard to grasp without the building blocks of the 2 before it.

True. These are all stackable. I did get my Security + without the other two but I already work in IT so I had a good understanding. He would need all 3 since he zero experience for sure.