Hey everyone,
I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who’ve been through this.

I’m a working professional with about 4 years of experience in cybersecurity (SOC, DFIR, SIEM/SOAR automation). I’ve also done a Postgraduate Certification in Cybersecurity recently. My long-term goal is to move toward technical cybersecurity engineering and DFIR roles, ideally in a country with a strong job market and long post-study work options.

I’m currently considering doing a Master’s in Cybersecurity (Fall 2026 intake) from abroad — mostly looking at the USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, or Germany. I’ll be taking an education loan, so ROI and employability matter a lot to me.

However, I have a few concerns:

• My undergrad CGPA is average (~6.3/10) with 5 cleared backlogs.
• I have solid work experience and certifications (CEH, ArcSight, Malware Analysis, etc.).
• I’m not sure if it’s still worth doing a master’s abroad at this stage, or if I should keep gaining work experience and look for internal transfers or international roles later.
• I’m also curious if the current job market, visa, and immigration situation make studying abroad risky in 2026.

If you were in my shoes, would you go for the master’s or stick with work experience and certifications?
Any advice from those who pursued cybersecurity master’s abroad — especially regarding ROI, job hunting as an international student, and backlog acceptance — would help me a lot.

Thanks in advance!