I desire a degree in cyber security, but I have no knowledge of the cyber spectrum. Should I go for it or start with IT program and software?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 20:09:55 -0500

Cyber security
IT, program and software development

Response by CW3 Jared Hickox made Feb 9 at 2018 9:07 PM

CW3 Jared Hickox — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:07:01 -0500

Hello, I just retired from the military a few months back. My MOS had little to do with IT. I'm currently pursuing a degree in Computer Networks and Security so that I can go into the cyber world. I'd recommend doing what ever it is that you have an interest in. However, I'd also do quite a bit of research to determine the certificates you will be required to obtain to reach your goal. For instance, you'll need A+ and Sec+ (and potentially Net+ though less likely). You'll also need CISSP or similar. Maybe CEH, CNE, or something like that. Those take time to get. Most jobs also ask for experience amounting to several years. I'd find a place to get some OJT while going to school if Cyber-security is something you're interested in

Either way, good luck!

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 11 at 2018 11:51 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 23:51:47 -0500

when you say "go for it," what does that mean compared to starting with "IT program and software?"

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2018 10:22 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 10:22:23 -0500

Seems like a familiar question but I like to answer them as them recur to try to keep the information fresh.

"Cyber" is a buzzword that encompasses a lot of areas. That being said, when looking at programs, you'll find a lot of areas and concentrations. I link one of the programs from my local community college as an example.
https://catalog.aacc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=20&poid=6817

In an academic sense, they'll really teach you the things you "should" know. But compared to classroom learning, you may not get much hands on experience depending on the program. Any program will have the required general education stuff, and then focused concentration in the area of interest. So you'll need to figure out your area of interest. The below program is a 2 year AAS, so obviously you can do a more advanced additional 2 years for a bachelors, and then even further for a masters. In some cases, it will be how adept you are at learning the technology and material if you think you may not be good enough you may want to take some additional intro courses.

There's always a lot of training available at Skillport for things in the cyber spectrum you can run through for free.

Here are some additional online and free training that you should utilize. It will help your skills and knowledge.

The following courses are on DCITA website (http://www.dcita.edu/ ) I would suggest.

- Unix Shell Scripting
- Advanced Bash Scripting Techniques
- Introduction to PowerShell
- Collecting System Information & Searching Data with PowerShell
- Filtering Network Traffic
- Network Enumeration: Attacker Tactics
- Managing Network Traffic Using Snort
- Creating Trusted Tools for Linux Incident Response
- Creating Trusted Tools kit for Windows
- Anatomy of a Buffer Overflow

Using Sysinternals for Forensics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLwZaarxw90

Use your mail.mil account to sign up for free for Safari Books Online which has a lot of training books.
http://techbus.safaribooksonline.com/uicode=dodarmyhttp://techbus.safaribooksonline.com/?uicode=dodarmy

I also tend to recommend viewing presentations given at DefCon to have an idea of what topics are covered when we talk about "cyber".
https://www.youtube.com/user/DEFCONConference

Program Name: Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (A.A.S.) - Anne Arundel Community College -...

The AACC Catalog is the official source of information for degree information to college policies and procedures. When you declare a program of study, the catalog in effect for that year is your official curriculum guide. AACC offers associate degrees, certificates, letters of recognition and professional certificates in dozens of fields of study. The catalog provides a full listing of the credit areas of study and requirements for each...

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 19 at 2018 8:38 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 20:38:13 -0500

Cyber security and program/software development are two sides of the same coin. Figure out what exactly you want to be when you grow up and go for it. If you don’t push yourself you will always wonder if you could have done it.

Response by MSgt Steve Ketchum made Apr 28 at 2018 12:36 PM

MSgt Steve Ketchum — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 12:36:01 -0400

I am retired from the AF and have been in the field of information security or “Cyber Security”. If this is a field you really want to get into the field there are several fields within Cyber Security you can get into. But back to your question; it is nice to have that practical base of information technology. This is because it gives you a foundation of the technology. A good place to start is NIST’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education or NICE

https://www.nist.gov/itl/applied-cybersecurity/nice

It has a bunch of information and resources that lays out requirements for education and job skills, jobs that fit into the cybersecurity role. For free training on top of what was provided here is a good site:

https://www.cybrary.it/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzpWYy7Ld2gIVSi-BCh0mXQl9EAAYASAAEgLdNfD

If you are active duty, federal employee, or state employee here is a site that can be used for free:

https://fedvte.usalearning.gov/

I have done this job for over 15 years and one thing I can tell you is it never gets old.

If you have any other questions, just hit me up on here

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

The mission of NICE is to energize and promote a robust network and an ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development.

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made Jul 31 at 2018 9:25 PM

CW4 Craig Urban — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 21:25:27 -0400

I would go for the it and software route.as a software engineer army trained that was the route i took.

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made Jul 31 at 2018 9:27 PM

CW4 Craig Urban — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 21:27:44 -0400

I mean to start with the basics

Response by Oliver Muller made May 24 at 2023 6:10 PM

Oliver Muller — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:10:42 -0400

Nice article

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2023 2:45 AM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 02:45:13 -0400

check https://mobilunity.com/blog/overseas-programmers-vs-local-developers/for more details

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