1. Having some form of IT/CS/Cyber background (Civ. Education, work experience, certifications, etc) is definitely going to help you get selected for this MOS, however, not have that experience has not limited several people from joining the Cyber Corps.
2. This is an absolutely stupid idea. Sure, the training and certifications (course completion certs) don't exactly translate to a specific civilian certification, however what they do show is the willingness to learn and ability to execute the tasks necessary to perform. Don't look at it as "doesn't translate". Look at it as "I did the training to gain more knowledge".
3. How many civilian employers were polled to find that out? What industries do they function in? How many of them understand the value of a DoD trained, and cleared I might add, employee on staff?
4. Again, how many civilian employers were polled for this? Yeah, sure, minimum wage is minimum wage, however based on your profile your NG, so you'd be able to negotiate your pay with a potential employer. Of course it'll be low when compared to someone who has some time/experience/certs/education under their belt, that's to be expected.

It seems your questions are derived from "I've been told this and that", and the individual(s) that provided you these answers are looking at the perspective in a very negative manner, with no hopes of doing anything like this themselves. I'm going to highly recommend you understand that the path you take ahead of you is going to be what you make of it. Don't have the background you feel you need to get selected? Then go get some experience. Worried about starting pay? Don't, you'll be fine. Take control of your career one way or another and make it your own, and don't let someone else's misunderstanding and negative views on potential determine your actions.

I'm currently trying to reclass to 17C myself, so I can't answer all those questions. But I can partially answer #2, as I currently hold several certificates that you generally get from being in 17 or 25 series. The certificates (Comptia A+, Net+, Sec+, CEH, etc) are industry recognized certificates that can transfer over to civilian jobs, and can set yourself apart from other applicants and can increase your starting salary. But like any job you apply for, every company has different requirements and preliminary skills they look for, so some jobs may or may not accept the aforementioned certificates. Either way, I would highly recommend getting certificates while you are in, since they can run upwards of several hundred dollars.

It helps if you know a lot about computers when you go into either one of the fields. Computer science is a plus but that is generally much more in-depth than what is required.

17C is a 45 week long AIT and is spent within Pensicola and Ft Gordon. If you are looking to reclass to it than you are going to need a cert, probably Sec+ or higher. All of the training is done within the school house and you do not walk away with any commercial certificates/certifications. You can transfer over at your current.

I am a 25D so I can speak to it a little more. There is a lot of information that is give at that time and as such, you need to be either quick on the pick up or know more about it before you go to the class. You will go for GCIH, GCIA, and GCCC. These are commercial certifications. You need to be at least a SGT to put in a packet, and this is non-waiverable.

If you want, email me. I will answer any questions I can for the 25D.