You Don’t Need a College Degree to Get a Job In Cybersecurity or I.T.
Hey there, future cybersecurity enthusiasts! Today, we're diving deep into an important topic that might challenge some traditional notions – why you don't need to go to college to achieve a successful career in cybersecurity. That's right, we're talking about how practical experience can outweigh classroom education and save you a ton of money along the way.
The benefit is not worth tHe cost
Alright, let's tackle the big elephant in the room first: money. College can be incredibly expensive – tuition, books, housing, and don't even get me started on those looming student loans. But guess what? The cybersecurity field is all about skill, knowledge, and experience. By opting for hands-on training, workshops, certifications, and online courses, you'll save yourself a boatload of money and avoid starting your career with a mountain of debt. Think about the possibilities – you can start earning, investing, and securing your financial future right from the get-go.
It might sound counter-intuitive given the fact that I hold a Bachelor’s Degree, a Master’s Degree, and even a Graduate Certificate from an Ivy League school, but I can promise you - the title is true.
Most companies look for a college degree on a resume for two reasons:
It guarantees the person has at least a basic capacity to problem solve or apply critical thinking.
It guarantees the person holds general knowledge in the field of study.
If you have the capacity to acquire these traits without spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on student loans and tuition, you will set yourself up for a lifetime of success. The United States in particular has built an education system to pipeline children from elementary school to high-cost Universities with the promise that they’ll land a high paying job upon completion. Unfortunately, that promise is no longer true, and the average student loan debt upon completing a four-year degree sits at over $30,000. Meanwhile, bootcamps for expert-level cybersecurity certifications range from $1,000 to $8,000, less than a third of the average student loan debt. This doesn’t even compare to entry-level certification costs which are even lower!
Rapidly changing landscape
Cyber threats change at the speed of light. What's relevant today might be outdated tomorrow. Traditional college curricula can struggle to keep up with these rapid changes. But guess what? Practical learners can adjust on the fly. Cybersecurity requires you to be on top of the latest tools, techniques, and vulnerabilities. Online resources, tutorials, and certification programs are tailor-made for staying current. In this field, your worth is measured by how well you can defend against the newest threats, not by your ability to recite textbook content.
Certifications and Experience matter more
Imagine this: instead of spending years in lecture halls, you're diving headfirst into real-world scenarios. Cybersecurity is a dynamic field where practical experience shines. While college might provide theoretical foundations, the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats demands adaptable and hands-on skills. By jumping into internships, freelance gigs, and personal projects, you'll be learning from actual problem-solving, which is the true essence of cybersecurity. Employers value candidates who can hit the ground running, and your practical know-how will set you apart.
Some of the most successful cybersecurity personnel I know were the ones who ran their own Minecraft servers or forums as teenagers. They were the ones that tinkered with technology and learned through experiential education, not by reading a textbook.
In the real world - Certifications and Experience matter more to organizations that have successful cyber security programs.
Certifications are your golden tickets to proving your skills to potential employers. Many top cybersecurity positions require specific certifications that demonstrate your competence. The beautiful thing is, you can pursue these certifications independently, without setting foot in a college classroom.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD), for example, has minimum certification requirements based on position(often referred to as DoD-8570 requirements). You can check out these baseline certifications on the public.cyber.mil website here. If you take a look at entry-level job postings for Cybersecurity or Information Technology roles, you’ll likely find a requirement for CompTIA, ISC2, GIAC, or platform-related (ex: Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, etc.) certifications.
I always recommend that individuals pursue CompTIA’s Security+ as an initial certification for cybersecurity roles. While it may be labeled as an “intermediate”-level certification in most organizations, I would call it a “difficult-but-necessary” certification as it provides “Inch-deep, mile-wide” content. The content is so broad, but technical only to a depth that you gain a foundational understanding of the entire IT and cyber domain. Check out my proven program on how to pass a cyber security certification.
Experience is far more instrumental in proving that you can perform a job. My favorite question to ask a job candidate is: “What is a project that you’re most proud of?” Not only does this get them excited to talk about something they have accomplished, but it tells me what experience they have and their interests. You don’t have to work for a Fortune-500 company to have experience doing something you are passionate about or an expert at.
I highly recommend you find a topic or niche that you can be passionate about. Whether it’s training on hacking websites like hackthebox and pwning 100+ boxes to sharpen your penetration testing skills, or if you’ve been running your own Minecraft private server or blog since age 12 - find projects, tinker, and improve your skills doing something you enjoy. When looking for my first job I found that while my college courses were a nice check-in-the-box for the HR department, the research projects I worked on outside of the classroom were discussed more than anything else in interviews, and ultimately landed me the job.
Embrace continuous learning
Learning doesn't stop once you leave the classroom or earn a degree. In fact, in cybersecurity, your journey as a learner is just beginning. By embracing a mindset of continuous learning and self-improvement, you'll excel in this field. Online communities, forums, blogs, and webinars are incredible resources for expanding your horizons. Your passion for staying ahead of the curve will drive your success far beyond what any college degree can offer.
I wish I could quantify how many people in the Cybersecurity and Information Technology want you to succeed. The more that our community collectively grows and improves, the easier it makes all of our lives. So many people have been kind enough to develop free resources that we can leverage to learn a new programming language, pass certifications, or sharpen a particular skill. Check out my list of free resources.