Cybersecurity Careers: Get Your Foot in the Door
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Cybersecurity Certificate or Degree – That is the Question
Whether you have been in the IT/Cybersecurity field for a while or are just starting, some questions arise – Should I further my education or get a certificate? Which one is likely to get me the best job or the highest pay? These questions are commonly asked and debated by people in the IT world and are difficult to answer. STEMfeed has the facts and some recommendations for you here.
The Degree Option
While it is possible to get a cybersecurity job without a bachelor’s degree, it is an uphill battle. Those who do manage to get into the cybersecurity field without a master’s degree likely have some experience (usually military service) and may be expected to complete further education to advance. For these reasons, we note that by “degree”, this article will henceforth be referencing a master’s degree.
In-Person Degrees
To get a degree, one can go the traditional route at a brick-and-mortar university. If you’re a working professional, this may be a more difficult path to choose. Although some universities do offer night courses. For those in remote work situations or with flexible schedules, an in-person degree could be achievable, especially if your employer is encouraging your continued education path. Either way, the cybersecurity program should be scrutinized for the following:
- It should be accredited, meaning that it passes the same tests as all other higher education.
- It should have a good or neutral reputation.
If you are a working professional, motives for getting a degree are usually for career advancement, salary increase, or both. Attending a school with a bad reputation may be worse than having no degree at all. The degree you earn must prove to your employer or future employer that you have learned the skills and knowledge to do the job well. Find as many resources as possible to track the school’s reputation and talk to people. Find out if anyone you know has been there or has some insight on their reputation. Reaching out to someone on LinkedIn who is doing the work you want to do or has earned the degree you are researching is another option. Whatever the results of your search, if you start to doubt the school, move on.
Most people start with the schools closest to them or in their state university system. If you’re already a working professional or are established in your community with family or other commitments, you’ll generally have an easier time making it to classes if they are nearby. In-state tuition prices are an added bonus for residents, as well.
Online Degrees
It is more common for working professionals to go the online route. Within a master’s degree program, a student will typically have a wide variety of courses covering everything from management to basic coding. Students will typically set their own schedule with 1-2 courses being taken a semester and usually finishing after 2-3 years.
Most career advisors will suggest that the potential student look at the accreditation of the school, though that can be quite tricky as even “diploma mills” advertise themselves as being accredited. For those looking for the online route, STEMfeed suggests online schools that are directly connected to major universities; for example the University of Maryland Global Campus is part of the University of Maryland system and has the same level of accreditation as Johns Hopkins. That stated, when one is attending an online school, a student will typically have to self-regulate. This may be difficult for some as they will have fewer resources and won’t have a professor guiding them closely. For students that find self-regulation difficult, the result is a misunderstanding of the subject matter.
Career Advancement with a Degree
How will it help your career though? Those outside of the IT-sphere in companies (Senior management, HR) will typically respect higher-education. Students with a degree are more likely to get an interview than those without. Furthermore, for higher level government positions, a degree is typically required. Hired.com performed a survey in 2021 which showed that tech workers have a very different opinion on degrees. Their survey showed that only 25% of tech workers believed that their degree was critical, while 31% felt that it was completely unneeded (23% said it was good for a salary boost, and 21% has no idea if it helped).
Certificates
The other option is to get a certification. There are countless certifications in every field within the cybersphere. The decision of which certifications to pursue is highly dependent upon the desired career path. After all, is it worth going through the rigor of a 24-hour long OSCP test if you will never be a Pentester? Probably not. Is it worth it for a non-cloud engineer to work towards a Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification? Not at all!
Narrowing Down the Certification Search
The STEMfeed suggestion is to look for desired job titles or skill sets on LinkedIn. Read through the requirements that companies are listing for your desired position(s). If you begin to notice trends, like AWS certification requirements, then that is what you should go for. For those in cybersecurity, especially those who want to work for the government or as a contractor, it is helpful to look at DoD 8570.1, which explicitly states what certifications are needed for each role. 8570.1 is often used by HR managers hiring for cybersecurity, even when its not connected to the DoD, so its usually an excellent reference regardless of one’s future goals.
Show me the Money!
A special note must be mentioned, outside of base level certifications (A+, ASCP, Linux PDC, etc), you may not need to pay for these yourself. The cost of certifications can get quite hefty, with some going into the thousands of dollars. In addition to the cost of the course, there may be additional costs or fees associated with each time you take the exam. In some cases, there may be training costs, as well. It is a rare person, with lots of experience, who can pass certification exams without taking the course. This is one reason why those within the cybersphere prefer them.
Let’s look at an example. The test to attain SAN’s SEC488: Cloud Security Essentials costs $949, but the course (on-demand) costs $7,640. It is highly suggested that potential employees have their company pay for them, and to look for companies that offer paid training as a benefit while job searching. If you have served in the military, it is worth noting that the GI Bill will cover many of the exams and their courses. As of August 2022, the VA will charge 1 month of GI bill time for every $2,200.96 spent on certifications. Note, they will only pay for 1 test attempt, second attempts are paid by the student, so make sure to study hard.
So Which One Should I Get?
In an ideal world, you would be able to have both a degree and a certification or two under your belt when applying for jobs, but you want to get in now, right? Your path is dependent on the employer, the geographic area, and especially the experience level. Between the time spend of attending school or the financial cost of certification, job seekers early in their careers must decide for themselves what the best option is, knowing that whichever option they chose, they will eventually have to get the other one if they want to advance in the field. In short, advanced degrees are great for getting interviews, but certifications get you the advancement to the career you want.