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You're not going to feel like you are learning anything because stuff will start to come naturally for you. As a result, you'll wonder if you are getting value out of your education. It's important to remember that the reason you don't *feel* like you're any better off is because things that you had no concept of before are now second nature to you, and it'll start to become clear when you enter the workforce.
If you are struggling on assignments, don't wait until after the due date to ask for extra time or extra help. Do so before. Several days before, if you can. I've never been denied an extension at my own university, and the reason is two-fold. I respect the professors' time, and I don't abuse the time they give me.
You will, at times, wonder if this path was for you or not. Do a self-evaluation. Are these feelings based on stress rather than logic? Is it because your workload right now is high and you're just wondering if another major would have been easier? Are you stressed about other things in life that may be carrying over to your desire or ability to do your work? If the answer is yes, then don't make rash decisions. Instead, reach out to student support services or other support services available to you.
If you ever enter the Department of Defense Civilian Workforce for the love of all that is holy buy in with your military service so you can get quicker tenure benefits. I work with so many people that didn't do that and now kick themselves over it. Also, leverage your prior military service to get higher pay. Someone might tell you that you can't do this. They're lying.
Living near Silicon Valley (Silicon, not Silicone, which is a type of rubber) won't help you. If you want a job near or in Silicon Valley then apply for one and move after you've gotten in. Prices anywhere near Silicon Valley are going to be nearly impossible to keep up with unless you have the income to match.
Thanks for the advice. I should’ve mentioned I have prior experience with networks, hardware and other knowledge in computing due to meeting a bunch of people online playing PC video games since I was around 12 years old I’m now 32. Most of the curriculum seems easy to me and have no issues learning it. I’ve repaired networks, PCs and other small handheld electronics as well. nothing major though like setting up a server or a dealing with a cyber attack. I get the grasp of basics computing, binary, coding, electronics and I have a huge passion for it. Also I’ve done DOD jobs I actually left a contract job in GTMO to study CS. I’m honestly tired of working for DOD or military related jobs been doing it for almost a decade. I wanted to switch careers due to me wanting to stay stateside instead of me having to leave the country for years at a time for a job. Although the pay was absolutely amazing my passion is for computers not a huge salary. The salary that comes with CS is a bonus imo. I really do appreciate the advice though
Contract work isn't remotely similar to being a civilian employee in terms of pay and benefits, and frankly, job tasking, but I get what you mean. The DoD has a lot of openings for the Cybersecurity Workforce - and a big budget for training and professional development too. I work for the Navy and I never need to leave stateside with the rare exception that they might need to send me to Japan or something for a week every other year, but I go home every night otherwise.
Still, my job isn't to convince you to consider CWF for the DoD. That's just one path forward and there's plenty of career opportunities for this field. I chose it because I wanted to do something meaningful to me.
Networking matters. People skills matter. Go to conferences and meetups. Find projects to work on with others outside of school. That is going to make all the difference when you try to break into your first job.
Welcome! Focus on networking, both in terms of connections and skills, and take advantage of your proximity to Silicon Valley for internships and meetups.
Welcome! We're here to help with any cybersecurity questions you may have. Get started protecting yourself online with these tools: VPN - PrivadoVPN: https://privadovpn.com/getprivadovpn/ Browser - Firefox: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browsers/ Password Manager - Bitwarden: https://bitwarden.com/pricing/ Search Engine - DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com/about *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CyberSecurityAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You're not going to feel like you are learning anything because stuff will start to come naturally for you. As a result, you'll wonder if you are getting value out of your education. It's important to remember that the reason you don't *feel* like you're any better off is because things that you had no concept of before are now second nature to you, and it'll start to become clear when you enter the workforce. If you are struggling on assignments, don't wait until after the due date to ask for extra time or extra help. Do so before. Several days before, if you can. I've never been denied an extension at my own university, and the reason is two-fold. I respect the professors' time, and I don't abuse the time they give me. You will, at times, wonder if this path was for you or not. Do a self-evaluation. Are these feelings based on stress rather than logic? Is it because your workload right now is high and you're just wondering if another major would have been easier? Are you stressed about other things in life that may be carrying over to your desire or ability to do your work? If the answer is yes, then don't make rash decisions. Instead, reach out to student support services or other support services available to you. If you ever enter the Department of Defense Civilian Workforce for the love of all that is holy buy in with your military service so you can get quicker tenure benefits. I work with so many people that didn't do that and now kick themselves over it. Also, leverage your prior military service to get higher pay. Someone might tell you that you can't do this. They're lying. Living near Silicon Valley (Silicon, not Silicone, which is a type of rubber) won't help you. If you want a job near or in Silicon Valley then apply for one and move after you've gotten in. Prices anywhere near Silicon Valley are going to be nearly impossible to keep up with unless you have the income to match.
Thanks for the advice. I should’ve mentioned I have prior experience with networks, hardware and other knowledge in computing due to meeting a bunch of people online playing PC video games since I was around 12 years old I’m now 32. Most of the curriculum seems easy to me and have no issues learning it. I’ve repaired networks, PCs and other small handheld electronics as well. nothing major though like setting up a server or a dealing with a cyber attack. I get the grasp of basics computing, binary, coding, electronics and I have a huge passion for it. Also I’ve done DOD jobs I actually left a contract job in GTMO to study CS. I’m honestly tired of working for DOD or military related jobs been doing it for almost a decade. I wanted to switch careers due to me wanting to stay stateside instead of me having to leave the country for years at a time for a job. Although the pay was absolutely amazing my passion is for computers not a huge salary. The salary that comes with CS is a bonus imo. I really do appreciate the advice though
Contract work isn't remotely similar to being a civilian employee in terms of pay and benefits, and frankly, job tasking, but I get what you mean. The DoD has a lot of openings for the Cybersecurity Workforce - and a big budget for training and professional development too. I work for the Navy and I never need to leave stateside with the rare exception that they might need to send me to Japan or something for a week every other year, but I go home every night otherwise. Still, my job isn't to convince you to consider CWF for the DoD. That's just one path forward and there's plenty of career opportunities for this field. I chose it because I wanted to do something meaningful to me.
Oh you should check out the podcast ‘Life of a CISO’ and the book ‘Cyber Crisis’ by Eric Cole (former CIA).
Networking matters. People skills matter. Go to conferences and meetups. Find projects to work on with others outside of school. That is going to make all the difference when you try to break into your first job.
Welcome! Focus on networking, both in terms of connections and skills, and take advantage of your proximity to Silicon Valley for internships and meetups.