Degree Question

FluxCapacitor

I'm currently attending college at a private university and I'm majoring in Network Security. From what I understand, in order to get involved in a career in network security you must have years of experience in IT. I just got done attending 2 years of vocational/technical school in a computer networking class. I learned a lot about Microsoft operating systems and I worked with Cisco equipment while I was enrolled in the Cisco Networking Academy there. The only problem is...I don't have ANY work experience in IT. Anyways, is majoring in Network Security a good idea? I'm interested in a LOT of aspects of IT but security has kind of caught my eye more than anything else. Does it really matter if my degree is in Network Security or Computer Networking? They're very closely related so I could imagine that with a computer networking degree I could end up doing security or with a network security degree I could end up doing network administration.

Any help would be appreciated.

dynamik

I'm sure you could get into either field with either degree. I'm actually migrating to the security side of things, and I'm wrapping up a degree in psychology.

Is there a reason you wouldn't want to get the degree that is more in-line with your interests?

FluxCapacitor

I just wondered if it would really matter to employers which degree I got.

Hyper-Me

Not really. Degree programs vary so much that the only thing an employer can bet on when you have a BS is that youve passed some general ed stuff.

They cant guarantee nor guage exactly what technical classes you took and of what value, if any, they would be to your possible job with them.

They just want a degree and what its in is less important.

dynamik

Having a degree in your specific field might help you stand apart from someone with, say, a psychology degree

leefdaddy

I'd say either one would be ok... and a nice addition to your resume!

human151

FluxCapacitor wrote: »

I'm currently attending college at a private university and I'm majoring in Network Security. From what I understand, in order to get involved in a career in network security you must have years of experience in IT. .

Your not required to have anything except the qualifications the employers are looking for.

I think you make be confused with the CISSP, which does require you to have some years of experience.

CISSP Education & Certification

dynamik

I think he just means that people typically start in network or systems administration/engineering and then move into security. While there's no amount of time explicitly required, it's rather difficult to get a security position without any prior experience.

human151

oh.

Yeah, what he said

nel

From my experiance, many employers arent too fussed if you have graduated in a different field because the degree also shows other aspects such as dedication, the ability to learn new material etc etc. Infact many people nowadays seem to graduate with stuff like an MBA but pursue a IT career.

You seem to like network security, so if i were you, i would look for a graduate position in network security if possible such as a junior position. Experiance is always key to move up the ladder. Then you could look to security certs such as the Cissp.

Good luck!

tpatt100

I would try to get a sys admin job first if you can. Not having a background in networking is setting yourself up for head aches later on. We have IAM and IAO people who you can tell have no background in networking. They can recite stuff about the CIA triad but do not have a damn clue when I explain to them why I turned down a request for FTP over Telnet or Telnet all together on the Checkpoint. They got their positions because they were project managers for something else.

And regarding what field your degree is in, it really does not matter much since the IT field tends to lack on the degree front. Majority of the people I worked with got their degrees after they got their first IT job and that was mainly to get better pay/promotions. BUT if you have two candidates for a job and they both have the same qualifications I would probably look more favorably on the candidate with an IT degree.

bellhead

Degrees matter to a lot of companies. Don't let people fool you about this. Degrees open doors to many companies, there are a lot of companies who would not look at your resume without a degree or 5 years experience. Also many companies have a requirement for a degree in order to progress into salary or "management jobs" with out the degree the best you can ever hope for is life as a technician.

As for gaining experience you need to see your school about this they should be setting you up with a summer internship or co-op for a semester at a company nearby. Many schools have a network of companies who will bring their interns and co-ops in for experience.

FluxCapacitor

Thanks for all of the helpful feedback everyone.