Beginning

krprotoss

I've always been interested in infosec and more specifically pen testing. I realize that becoming a pen tester isn't exactly the easiest thing and you usually have to start somewhere else and become one later. I've been working in an unrelated field for about a year now, I don't have a college degree nor am I currently attending one, I've been out of HS for about 1.5 years. And I've finally decided to try and get into this field that I've always loved. I've lurked for a while and know what all or most of the certs are. Along with how and where to get them. But what I'm curious about is, is getting a college degree necessary? Do I have to get my degree to be hired and get my foot in the door, or can I just study on my own and get relevant certifications? What I would prefer to do is not spend all the time getting the degree if at all possible. I apologize if this is something that is asked far too often.

Jaxin

A college degree isn't required, but it definitely won't hurt, especially considering all your competition when interviewing for pentesting jobs all likely will have 4 year degrees

Majoring in something like Computer Science would be a good way to get related experience, while getting a 4 year degree. Many schools even offer cyber security focused courses or curriculum, so that would be a great place to start.

Getting a technical degree also helps when working on your certificates... all the little details you'd learn while taking an operating systems class, compiler class, or microprocessor classes will just help you understand how it all works "behind the scenes", which will help you to more easily understand why exploits work and how to find them.

NovaHax

Definitely helps. While attending school, I also highly recommend doing some internships or something to get your feet wet and your resume fluffed.