There’s No “Best” Way to Get Into Cybersecurity

If you’re considering getting into the cybersecurity space, there’s no shortage of ways to do it.

That makes cybersecurity very unique compared to other fields. For example, if you want to be a nurse, there’s essentially one path. You go to nursing school, you get your RN, and you start practicing.

Now, that’s maybe an oversimplification, because you can become a nursing assistant before getting your RN. But the idea is that because the field is licensed, there aren’t a whole lot of “creative” ways to enter it. Cybersecurity is the opposite. There are multiple ways to enter the field.

Why “What’s the Best Way?” Is the Wrong Question

Through my website, I see a lot of students who are looking to enter the field, and they’re confused. They’re searching ChatGPT and Google for things like “top 5 ways to get into cybersecurity,” or read lists of the best online cyber security degrees.

In my opinion, that’s not the best way to approach this. Because there’s no best approach for everyone. It really depends on your circumstances and goals.

Let me give you a few tangible examples, so you walk away with a framework to help you make your decision.

Path #1: An Online Bachelor’s Degree

First, let’s look at degrees in general in the field.

You can get an online bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, for example, which is a very popular route for many people. But it has big pros and big cons.

The pro is that you have a very formalized training program. You don’t need to learn on your own. You’re literally just following a program that a university created for you.

Of course, you’ll probably have some electives and areas you can specialize or concentrate in. But for the most part, you’re going to be learning cybersecurity on a pre-made track.

That alone could be seen as a pro or a con, depending on how you operate.

And that’s kind of the point of this essay. Even that single data point, from one degree type, has an enormous amount of variation in whether it’s good or bad depending on your career goals.

Path #2: The “Hack The Box” Approach

Another way people enter the field is what I call the Hack The Box-style approach.

This is where people just learn on their own. They do bug bounties and study on their own. They don’t get any formal education. Not even a certificate. Not even Security+. They literally just go off on their own and learn cybersecurity.

That’s a totally fine way to get into the field. A lot of successful people have started that way. And a lot of people didn’t just start that way. That’s how they built their entire career. They started that way and just kept going. They never really got certificates, and they never really got a degree.

Obviously, many do end up getting certificates or degrees later on to formalize their knowledge. But some don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.

So maybe you’re a self-starter who doesn’t want the expense and opportunity cost of an online undergraduate cybersecurity program. You’d rather study on your own time, take as long as you want, skip the stuff you may not even be interested in, and get right into the heart of the matter: learning how to actually do cybersecurity, hands-on. If that’s you, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Path #3: A Master’s Degree

There are also master’s degrees you can jump into if you already have a bachelor’s. This is another common way people enter the field.

They have a bachelor’s degree in either a tech or non-tech field. Then they get a master’s in cybersecurity, and they start their career that way.

Totally fine. A great option for certain people.

And Everything In Between

And then there’s the bootcamp route, certificates, certifications, and other things I haven’t even gotten into here. Each one comes with its own set of trade-offs, and each one is the right fit for someone.

A Simple Framework for Your Decision

Instead of asking “what’s the best way?”, ask yourself questions like these:

• Do you want structure, or do you work better on your own? If you need someone else to set the track, a degree program makes sense. If you’re a self-starter, the self-taught route might suit you better.
• What can you afford, in money and in time? A degree costs tuition and years of your life. Learning on your own costs far less, but nobody is holding you accountable.
• Do you already have a bachelor’s? If so, a master’s in cybersecurity can be a direct way into the field, even if your first degree wasn’t in tech.
• What kind of job do you actually want? Your career goals should drive the path, not the other way around.

My Advice: Stop Looking for the One Right Answer

I’ll conclude by crystallizing my advice from being in this space for the last year and a half or so and seeing a lot of students’ questions come in about how to get started.

I’ll say it again: there’s no best way to enter the field. It really depends on your career goals.

I’ve seen people succeed with the Hack The Box-style approach, where they learn on their own. I’ve seen people fail doing that.

I’ve seen people succeed with an online bachelor’s in cybersecurity. And I’ve seen people fail with that, too, where they don’t complete the program, or the job prospects aren’t as strong as they thought.

The path matters less than whether it’s the right path for you.