Need Overall Advice

[Alim83]

Just completed my last course at UMPI with a Bachelor of liberal studies - minor in Management & Political Science.
I transferred all my credits from my uncompleted university degree in my city, and the goal initially was just to get a bachelor's...

I'm currently working doing Help Desk with an IT company, before hearing of UMPI I was planning on getting a BSIT from WGU.  My plan now is to work in the cloud/cloud security in the future...Now I'm debating between getting a Bachelor's in Cloud Computing from WGU or going straight for the Masters's in CyberSecurity... in any case, I'll be working on relevant certs AWS or Azure.

Any advice would be appreciated and taken into consideration.

[ss20ts]

Do you have the requirements for acceptance for the MS in Cybersecurity? Some programs have undergrad requirements. One thing to think about is that if you're hoping for financial aid, there's only loans for 2nd bachelor's and master's degrees. No Pell Grant. A master's would be much faster to complete than a bachelor's - it's 1/4 of the credits.

[Alim83]

Do you have the requirements for acceptance for the MS in Cybersecurity? Some programs have undergrad requirements. One thing to think about is that if you're hoping for financial aid, there's only loans for 2nd bachelor's and master's degrees. No Pell Grant. A master's would be much faster to complete than a bachelor's - it's 1/4 of the credits.

1. Possess a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, a business degree (Quantitative Analysis, Accounting, Economics, Finance), or degree with a similar quantitative focus. 
OR
2. Possess any bachelor’s degree PLUS one of the following:

• Two years of related work experience
  
  
• Relevant and current IT certification
  
  
• Related IT coursework 
  

I know WGU is pretty lax in terms of entry requirements I believe I do have technically 2 years of relevant work experience, and I was planning on getting some Cloud certs before applying anyway. 

I'm not worried about financial aid, more concerned about in terms of a career move .. would It be better to get 2nd bachelor's in the cloud and then do MS in Cybersecurity .. or is that just a waste of time and energy.

What I'm hearing is that cybersecurity is not an entry-level job.

[MNomadic]

I would go for the masters. You already have your foot in the IT-door, so you're working on the experience front. Get a few certs and try to crossover into cloud/cyber while pursuing your master's.

[Alim83]

I would go for the masters. You already have your foot in the IT-door, so you're working on the experience front. Get a few certs and try to crossover into cloud/cyber while pursuing your master's.

I'm inclined to this, I'm thinking of getting a Network cert, and a Linux cert then focusing on Azure as that's what I find more prevalent in my vicinity.
Going through this study plan for the cloud.
https://www.madebygps.com/cloudcamp/

honestly, if I find a company that's willing to pay for it... I might just take them up on the offer.

[allvia]

Definitely go for a master over a second bachelor, but I agree that certifications should be your more immediate focus (the will have a quicker ROI now that you can check the college degree box)

[bjcheung77]

@Alim83, you hit the big 40 this year eh?! You have a good mix of certs, degree, experience under your belt. You're just trying to 'fluff' up the mix and make it better... my suggestion is to continue with the certs, degree, experience trifecta! Continue with higher level certs, gain more experience by applying to different positions, and go for the Masters.

Edit to Add: In short, go for the certs and more that you mentioned (as long as they are in areas of your interest), when applying for jobs, find one that is similar to what you're looking for and that provides tuition assistance or reimbursement, you can then use that towards your future Masters. Take your time, don't rush yourself... Good luck, have fun!

[Alim83]

@Alim83, you hit the big 40 this year eh?!  You have a good mix of certs, degree, experience under your belt.  You're just trying to 'fluff' up the mix and make it better... my suggestion is to continue with the certs, degree, experience trifecta!  Continue with higher level certs, gain more experience by applying to different positions, and go for the Masters.

Edit to Add: In short, go for the certs and more that you mentioned (as long as they are in areas of your interest), when applying for jobs, find one that is similar to what you're looking for and that provides tuition assistance or reimbursement, you can then use that towards your future Masters.  Take your time, don't rush yourself... Good luck, have fun!

I just stepped into my 30s, am tryna to make up for my lack of focus in my 20s. Appreciate the advice, gonna keep beefing up the trifecta .

[davewill]

honestly, if I find a company that's willing to pay for it... I might just take them up on the offer.

Sounds good. One thing to be aware of is any vesting schedule the education benefits require. The way that many people shift jobs, especially in tech, may keep you from vesting...Of course, if the new offer is really good, no reason to let a few thousand bucks hold you back.

[bjcheung77]

Exactly what davewill mentioned, don't write off the job if it doesn't provide tuition assistance or reimbursement, that's just a perk... if it pays really well, I would use the extra cashflow to pay for education. For myself, since I don't have tuition assistance/reimbursement, I always see what the workplace provides for learning stipends. For some reason, if I don't like the 'in house' training options, they will actually pay for other courses as long as it helps with your position, such as Business or IT exams. Maybe I should research tax refund/return credit options for any other educational expenses...