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dynamik wrote: I don't think it makes sense to get a degree in Banking and Finance when you want to do InfoSec. You just have to secure their information, not interpret it Is there a reason you are only looking at financial institutions?
dynamik wrote: I don't think it makes sense to get a degree in Banking and Finance when you want to do InfoSec. You just have to secure their information, not interpret it
TryPingingTheServer wrote: If you're in a position where you qualify for a masters program in CS/InfoSec....TAKE IT!
bighornsheep wrote: dynamik wrote: I don't think it makes sense to get a degree in Banking and Finance when you want to do InfoSec. You just have to secure their information, not interpret it no no no no no.....quite the contrary my friend, any idea what kind of ridiculous income one could generate if you have a CA/CPA/CFA with CS/InfoSec knowledge? I kick myself in the toe everytime I think about the moment when I skip the box for accounting and finance electives! TryPingingTheServer wrote: If you're in a position where you qualify for a masters program in CS/InfoSec....TAKE IT! ditto x 100000!
bighornsheep wrote: "no no no no no.....quite the contrary my friend, any idea what kind of ridiculous income one could generate if you have a CA/CPA/CFA with CS/InfoSec knowledge? I kick myself in the toe everytime I think about the moment when I skip the box for accounting and finance electives!"
ajs1976 wrote: Personally, I think it is important to have a mix of business and IT skills. I have an Associates in IT, but when I decided to go back to school I picked a business program. Eventually I would like to get a Masters. I will have to wait and see where I am in my career to decide if it is in InfoSec or an MBA.
dynamik wrote: So are you disagreeing with me and telling him to go for a Finance degree, or are you agreeing with me and TPTS and telling him to go for InfoSec
dynamik wrote: I was just saying that it's not realistic to obtain and maintain an expert-level of expertise in two different fields.
benevolent dictator wrote: I think a BSc and advanced certs in IT and IT Security, plus an MSc in Finance and Banking would really set me up perfectly to fill one of those positions.
JDMurray wrote: Many CISSPs also have a CPA and/or MBA. They typically work in auditing or risk management or security policy development for finance or insurance companies. I think the B&F degree with some units in business administration would be an excellent thing for person working in those areas of InfoSec to have.
benevolent dictator wrote: I feel like doing an MSc in Information Security would limit me too much, and I generally see requests for CISSP's more so than someone with a masters in Info Sec. and I've had many people warn me about the lack of value of a Comp Sci MSc.
bighornsheep wrote: no no no no no.....quite the contrary my friend, any idea what kind of ridiculous income one could generate if you have a CA/CPA/CFA with CS/InfoSec knowledge?
eMeS wrote: bighornsheep wrote: no no no no no.....quite the contrary my friend, any idea what kind of ridiculous income one could generate if you have a CA/CPA/CFA with CS/InfoSec knowledge? In most cases, a company that has the resources to hire someone with a CFA wants them focused on financial management activities, and can hire less expensive people (relative to a CFA) that are at the top of their game (qualifications and experience) to focus on information security. A CFA holder will be eligible to make the same amount regardless of their InfoSec qualifications, alot! I have seen the rare case where CPA's are IT auditors and/or IT Security Specialists, however, this is usually after they spent many years as a CPA and chose to go another route. In many states (Texas definitely), to become a CPA requires some period of time working under the guidance of another CPA. It's not a matter of get degree, take CPA test, become CPA... To the OP, my advice is to pick one direction, and don't worry about the other being some kind of "safety net" if you want to change fields. People change fields all the time without a specific degree in that field. There is no safety net...there is (are?) only the results you achieve.... MS
benevolent dictator wrote: So, what you're saying is that there are very few jobs that require you to be proficient and qualified in both areas?
benevolent dictator wrote: P.S. What's wrong with liking the idea of having more options, or a safety net if you will? It's not the deciding factor, but it's a pretty good benefit in the plus column in my opinion.
benevolent dictator wrote: I'm looking at doing an MSc in Banking and Finance, (although, I plan to do my CEH and CISSP, I think this may lead me into a security position in a Bank, hopefully). Which brings me to my main question, is it better to have an MSc in Information Security, or are certifications like the CISSP good enough? The reason I'm asking, is that I'm thinking it may be better to just get certified in security, and get a degree in banking if I want to secure a job as a security expert working in a financial institution. What thoughts do you guys have on the subject? Is anyone currently working in a similar position?
eMeS wrote: benevolent dictator wrote: So, what you're saying is that there are very few jobs that require you to be proficient and qualified in both areas? Not intending to be rude, but do you know what a CFA is? Are you familiar with what it takes to get a CPA? Read further below, but as far as I know a degree in finance generally isn't what is required of CPAs... I know of no job that would "require" both a CFA and/or a CPA and an information security certification. Just curious, do you know of jobs that require both/all of these? I have worked in financial services for ~20 years, at times involved with organizations with $1 trillion+ in assets under management (=many of the largest in the world). I've been around very few CFAs. In all of that time and while exposed to different financial services organizations I have met ~20 people that considered pursuing a CFA. None of them worked in IT. Of those 20, 10 looked into it and decided it wasn't for them. Of those 10, only 5 met all of the requirements and attempted one or more levels of the testing. Of those 5, only 2 ever passed and became a "CFA". 1 of those retired at 43 and lives on a large boat somewhere. The other is now 33, and solely manages a portfolio for high net worth investors. He drives 2 very new Maseratis.http://www.cfainstitute.org/index.html Although CPAs are more common than CFAs, a CPA is not easy to achieve. My point is that, generally, the people who get CFAs and CPAs tend to focus on CFA and CPA work.But, I'm not particularly interested in becoming a CFA, at least not right now. My question was merely about jobs requiring proficiency and qualifications in the fields of IT (specifically security) and Finance. benevolent dictator wrote: P.S. What's wrong with liking the idea of having more options, or a safety net if you will? It's not the deciding factor, but it's a pretty good benefit in the plus column in my opinion. Nothing, it's a personal decision. If you saw my entire cv you might think that I chose the "safety-net" approach, when in fact the degrees and other things I have accomplished have been based more on what I was interested in at the time. My "safety-net" is the ability to achieve results. I understood you to be seeking advice about which path to take. Perhaps I need to clarify that advice: 1) Decide what you want. I might have misunderstood, but as it is phrased it sounds like you are thinking about working in one field, but then perhaps doing a 180 and working in another. The two fields that you've mentioned don't seem that close to me. IMO, as it sounds now you are going to subject yourself to the risk of two entry-level career stints. As another poster indicated, you might spread yourself thin. 2) This is directed at everyone. Although without a doubt there is crossover between the worlds of accounting and finance, these are two very distinct fields. In general, it can be said that accounting is the past, whereas finance is the future. Keeping this in mind, education and a career in finance is often very different than an education and a career in accounting. IMO, someone with an accounting background and/or CPA is is probably more likely to move into that security expert role, which is why I think (although they are rare), it is not unheard of to see a former CPA that is a CIA, CISA and/or a CISSP. If you get a job related to finance, you will likely be generating or assisting in generating revenues in some capacity. If you get a job related to accounting, you will likely be verifying activity against plans and/or rules. However, an education in finance might not cover the required education to be eligible for the CPA (depends on the state, etc..). Without added work experience being supervised by a CPA (again, depends on the state), you also won't become a CPA. A CPA is not really a certification like we think of on this site...it is a state license to practice. 3) In my experience, an MBA from a top-notch school works well in financial services. Some of the other posts in this thread echo this (at least the MBA part). Focus more on the school name part than on any particular aspect of the classes required to get the MBA. Make sure it is a school in the top-20. Financial services is very competitive...you will compete against MBA's from Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Fuqua, Duke, Stanford.... 4) Although an MSc in Banking and Finance is a good degree if you want to work in, well, banking and finance, I would avoid that specialization if you are not sure that is what you want to do. 5) I would also avoid that specialization if the school you are attending is not well-known for producing experts in Banking and Finance. I don't know what school you're attending. I also agree with others on here that the InfoSec graduate degree is newer. Therefore I think you are less limited by subjective evaluation of the school that awards a MSc in InfoSec vs. any business degree. 6) If you go into financial services, at some point you are going to have to get sponsored and get one or more securities licenses (depending on your role). If you choose this route, find a way to get involved with an organization now in some manner so that you can start getting this work out of the way. At a minimum you are going to be looking at Series 7 and 63. 7 is federal, 63 depends on the state, and if I am not mistaken if you have 7 then you also have Series 6 covered....verify this. There are a whole list of these, and they're based on what your specific role is (e.g., do you broker futures or only mutual funds?, are you a manager, etc...)I don't live in the US. 7) If point 6 is totally greek to you, then you might want to go the InfoSec route... MS
benevolent dictator wrote: I don't live in the US.
benevolent dictator wrote: So, right now, I'm considering an MSc in Banking and Finance. I think I may leave this field all together due to the poor pay and lack of opportunities. I have approximately two years to make up my mind, but as of right now, I think this is probably the path I will take. It's probably either this, or an MSc in Information Security but, like I said, I don't know if I can put in the effort required to earn an MSc and then have to worry if anyone will offer me a job. There just doesn't seem to be much of a chance for a good job and worthwhile salary in IT, and I'm putting in all this work, and not seeing any payoff. I think it's time to change fields. My grades are good enough to get me in to quite a few masters programs, so I think I'll put my Comp Sci degree to its best use, and get out of the field by doing a masters that will make me some money. Any suggestions? Am I being premature?
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Manager/Senior Manager- Security & Process Controls SAP To be considered, you must possess: ? BSc./BEng./MSc. in information security, computer science, engineering, physics, mathematics or related field or ? understanding of and interest in information security and risk management ? Experience leading teams ? Account management experience ? New business development experience, including significant contribution towards proposal and client facing presentations ? Excellent communications skills including the ability to build rapport and credibility quickly with colleagues and clients ? Prior experience of overseeing the career development of others
benevolent dictator wrote: The MSc in Information Security has to be done abroad, and will probably cost me a minimum of $40, 000 US, whereas I can do the MSc in Banking and Finance here for $12, 500 US.
benevolent dictator wrote: It's a massive difference, as in my local currency, one is $80 thousand, while the other is $25 thousand.
JDMurray wrote: benevolent dictator wrote: The MSc in Information Security has to be done abroad, and will probably cost me a minimum of $40, 000 US, whereas I can do the MSc in Banking and Finance here for $12, 500 US. With a degree like Banking and Finance, the school where you get the degree is important too. You should get into the best school you can for that degree, which means you could end up spending $40K for it as well. You are not only paying for the degree, but also for the business contacts you will be making at the school and the school's name on your resume. benevolent dictator wrote: It's a massive difference, as in my local currency, one is $80 thousand, while the other is $25 thousand. With the depressed dollar, your local currency has greater value over here. So to save money and get a real bargain, I'd suggest getting your education in the USA before our economy rebounds in another two years or so (unless the wrong guy gets in as president).
shednik wrote: I'm not saying money shouldn't be important but if finance or IT is something you are passionate about you shouldn't turn away from something solely on money I'm saying. I'm heading back to school for my masters and I applied for a degree I knew was more then I wanted to spend only because of the quality and how much I like working in IT. You can't just go into a career because of the money its that simple, you need to actually like what you're doing or you'll never end up enjoying the money you make. Both finance and IT are great fields to work in and have a lot of growing and money making potential. I think you should get into a career for the love of it not base it off of money, money needs to be a factor because we all need money to live obviously. From what I've read it seems you have more of an interest in finance rather then IT.
benevolent dictator wrote: I would love to find a role in a bank that involved an in depth knowledge of the banking system and how it works as well as a sound knowledge of IT security.
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