Hello everyone. Im a first year college student currently working toward a comp sci degree. I was considering dropping out of comp sci, but I recently found cybersecurity as a much more interesting field with good pay. Ive heard from Neal Bridges that getting a degree is becoming less important in this field as time passes. Will my degree still be worth earning for a career in cybersec by 2024 (the year I will graduate)? If not, I would probably treat cybersec as a trade and go to a trade school while getting certs along the way. Im a bit nervous about dropping out of college if I end up pursuing cyber, however if I can safely drop out without worry of being unemployable then I would do it. It would save my family alot of money and it would save me alot of time, since I would be skipping 2 years of GE classes. Would pursuing a different degree in a different industry while also getting cybersec experience be a good idea so I have something to fall back on? My biggest fear is getting a 4 year comp sci degree (with a focus in cybersec), applying for a job, then realizing how much time and money I wasted taking classes I never needed to take. To be totally honest, I have always hated school (the stress, the lectures, the insane prices for courses/textbooks), so if I can get away with doing trade school instead and still be successful in this field, I would gladly take that route.
There are bootcamps that are way cheaper and are a few weeks to months giving you all the education and experience to get a job. Some places will put you through bootcamps and give you a position upon completion for free but you have to be accepted by interviews.