BSNOS or BSCIA

[coryjunior19]

Hello. I am new in the field and would like advice on if I should get my degree in Cybersecurity or Network Operations? I was told Network Operations was good for newbies. But is Cybersecurity too hard for newbies? Which one is quicker to get? Cybersecurity has way more certs, so is that better? Also, would a degree in Cybersecurity disqualify me for the SANS program?  TIA!

[MNomadic]

The main highlight of the BS NOS is the CCNA and a few AWS certs. Both degrees have a lot of overlapping courses and can prepare you for similar jobs but the BS NOS will better prepare you for network engineer type roles. No one degree is quicker than another.

Cybersecurity isn't "too hard" for newbies, you're just not as likely to get an entry level cyber security job as you would a networking job.

More certs aren't necessarily better. CCNA is one of the most requested certs on the job market.

What SANS program are you talking about and why would a degree disqualify you from it?

[LevelUP]

My advice is to do the easier general IT degree and then get the certs independently.

However, if, for example, you choose the BSNOS degree, then I would get the CCNA and AWS Sys Ops certs ahead of time because those 2 certs by themselves could take you 3-6 months to get.

Same for the BSCIA degree, get the 2 or 3 hardest certifications done before starting classes at WGU.

This would save you a bunch of $'s if you are paying out of pocket and you make sure this is the field you want to go into.