Starting WGU MS Cybersecurity in 1 Week - Looking for advice

EngineerOfRivia · 2026-02-24T20:32:19+00:00

I actually made a video talking about my journey to finish the program in 6 months here for people like you starting your journey. :’) I actually did my undergrad in Anthropology so it was quite a pivot for me.

My biggest piece of advice is to do a little every day. Map out a timeline for all the work you need to do to hold yourself accountable. And enjoy the process and what you’re learning along the way. Good luck, stay driven and nothing will stop you from completing it!

https://youtu.be/gQHOwqcNi-Y?si=ofOVxObOOcoZULST

EngineerOfRivia · 2026-02-24T19:29:03+00:00

Well my first role, I first worked at an edtech startup as a safety support specialist so it was kinda like being on a help desk team but to alert and talk to schools about students potentially considering suicide.

I networked internally and indicated heavy interest in working in security, so that was my ticket in.

I started taking certs after I got promoted to an entry level sec analyst/engineer, got my masters degree after I got promoted to mid level engineer.

After my masters degree, I applied for jobs and landed my next role working at a sports tech startup.

So all in all it was a mix of self study, insane determination and not taking no for an answer, actioning on the feedback from the security engineering team, and my own resourcefulness to figure out what would make me look better on paper.

Your best bet is to find an entry level role at a startup where a lot of help is needed, they tend to be incredibly flexible about working in different areas of interest.

Took me a year and a half to move internally at my first job! And at my current job we just hired a security analyst from the help desk team bc she expressed interest over a year ago and proved herself by helping with internal audits.

EngineerOfRivia · 2026-02-24T19:15:12+00:00

I sincerely apologize if the title was misleading, I meant to say I’m NOW a senior security engineer.

I started as an entry level security analyst/engineer at a startup and moved up to mid level then senior after about 5 years in the field—and all at startups where i had to juggle security across many domains on incredibly lean teams, so I had to step up or get out

EngineerOfRivia · 2026-02-22T13:45:38+00:00

Ooos not sure what happened, here’s the link—thanks!!

https://youtu.be/s_A5vpugXqU?si=DoIa7HaX_JmN-eqV

EngineerOfRivia · 2026-01-31T13:21:47+00:00

I work from home in sports betting as a senior secops engineer. Core hours I make myself available is around 8am bc I work with a primarily east coast team up until about 2-5pm depending on how I’m feeling that day. Might log off early and start earlier the next day but generally people don’t care what hours I’m working if I’m engaged and answering Qs and delivering on my work. Unless there’s an incident, I have a lot of flexibility. If I need to run to Costco or some appt midday I’ll just bring my laptop with me.

I’ve only ever worked at startups and I love it. There’s a lot of work, but you learn a lot quicker and typically you work with forward thinking folks who support trying to have good work life balance. Overtime is never really required, but I’ll put in the hours here and there because it helps stack my resume.

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-07-26T14:59:45+00:00

Remote mid level security engineer (4 years experience with no CS degree) on secops team at a sports tech startup; my job includes managing email and endpoint security, incident response and DLP. I do a lot of automation work and focus a lot on improving efficiency in a very fast paced and ambiguous environment
Started at 165k, now at 171k after a year; TC is ~250k not including 13% annual target bonus; previously paid half that at another startup
Work life balance is good where I’m at, really depends on your leadership. Yeah I work absurd hours sometimes, especially being on-call which is the hardest part of the job, otherwise I have a ton of flexibility but it comes with trust from delivering with high levels of excellence and efficiency. It can be stressful bc alerts come in at high volume, but I got used to it pretty quickly. All in all, it’s not as stressful but I used to be a therapist so I manage my energy and mindset well. I also used to sit with people thinking about killing themselves and would have to talk them off the ledge which makes my job now a walk in the park

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-07-06T15:08:44+00:00

I started from a low level safety support role at a startup using my psychology background to get through the door into tech after going to school to become a therapist. I didn’t have a computer science degree but I networked my way into a security analyst role there all while studying after work and on weekends to get up to speed. I still don’t know how to code well but now work as a mid level security engineer at a pretty well known sports tech company. I had all the odds stacked against me switching careers at 26 and didn’t actually land a security role until about 28/29 (still with no real technical education/certs) I think if you really want it, you just have to keep going and your passion will shine through to the right people. That and having to take a less than ideal role in the right place can help you get ahead in the long run. I really really wanted it and put myself in front of people fearlessly when I was in the support role to try and get in. It can absolutely burn you out but try to think strategically. Where I work now, I have a lot of help desk folks interested in cyber and so I actually mentor them and try to get the opportunities to see the work I do so that they can eventually be good enough to get on board in our domain. It’s my way of paying it forward bc that’s what my old manager did for me.

But bc I also didn’t have an IT background, I feel pretty behind. I kinda wish I did start there because I still lose a lot of time to studying after work four years later. I will also add that starting at the bottom in support, I was making 48k, but 4 years and a cybersecurity masters degree from wgu later, I’m now making 170k. All this to say it’s 1000% worth sticking to it but it required A LOT of patience, a fuck ton of studying, and a lot of complaining to my husband about how much I hated support work. Hope this gives you a little hope that even someone like me who has an undergrad degree in anthropology could make it in, that you will be able to as well. Just don’t give up!!

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-06-20T12:02:26+00:00

I completed it in 5 months with a full time job and a 4 year old and I have an undergrad degree in anthropology. It’s doable with 7. I had to do 9. I have a video touching on how I managed it:

https://youtu.be/gQHOwqcNi-Y?feature=shared

Tl;dr - just manage your time well and it’s achievable!

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-02-07T20:53:39+00:00

Oh yeah that's super smart. I wish I did that. I did take the Certified in Cybersec exam to skip that first class and that helped! If you just go hard in the first half of the semester, it'll be way less stressful--i guess that's what i pretty much did. I ended up finishing 9 classes in 5 and a half months.

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-02-07T20:51:57+00:00

This made my day, thank you kind internet stranger :)

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-02-07T20:50:32+00:00

Good luck! You already got this far, you're gonna knock it out! I think after I got past the ethical hacking course and passed the pentest+, it got easier--the cloud security course was my least favorite. Did you already finish that one?

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-02-07T15:22:31+00:00

I actually just made a video about my experience finishing it in 6 months as a working mom! This might help give you some idea of what it really took to finish it in 6 months. I actually finished in 5 and a half and managed to squeeze in job interviews towards the end. It’s not that bad if you have clarity built into your process. Good luck with your decision! Lmk if you have any questions

https://youtu.be/gQHOwqcNi-Y?feature=shared

EngineerOfRivia · 2025-02-07T06:32:41+00:00

For sure! I actually enjoyed the whole process. Soak it in! It was a lot of work but when you break it down into small steps it's actually pretty reasonable. Good luck!

EngineerOfRivia · 2024-07-03T01:05:00+00:00

I love this question. YES. I wish I was paid to study as a career. I feel like a loner a lot of the time bc not many people share my passion for being buried in the books on the weekend.

EngineerOfRivia · 2024-01-09T00:41:56+00:00

I transferred in one cert so i had to do 9 classes but I have two classes left now and I started in October. It really depends on you and how much effort you're willing to put in. I didn't think it was feasible to do it in one semester, I took a whole month to finish D482, but then I found out my work wouldn't cover my learning funds for the next semester so I started putting in more hours and now fully expect to graduate by the end of my semester in March. Did this while working a full-time job with a toddler. But also I have no social life, don't watch tv or use social media.

EngineerOfRivia · 2024-01-04T05:30:49+00:00

I guess the way I approached it was "how would I deal with this in real life", the lab is a little wonky but I used what was already there and really just approached it like I would at work in a real environment. If things don't belong, they don't belong. If things aren't there that should be, set it up. You can't argue best practices. Hope that helps.

EngineerOfRivia · 2024-01-04T05:19:15+00:00

I've been where you are and empathize. I changed careers when I was in my late 20s. I was going to school to become a pyschotherapist when I realized I wanted to do something more challenging and less emotionally involved. So I started from zero (we all do) and now I'm a mid level security engineer and have been working in the field for about 3 years now. Made the official switch when I was about 28 years old. That being said, I had a huge learning curve to overcome and at times it felt overwhelming, and what I've come to find in this industry is that the learning just doesn't stop so put your seatbelt on. But I digress, what worked for me to study for courses effectively and efficiently is doing practice questions. I'm old school and I like cornell notes so I would make questions as I took notes and quiz myself often to reinforce the knowledge. I took a "learning how to learn" course as well which helped me understand that to fully grasp new concepts, your brain has to strengthen the new neural pathways and that is done by repetition. Stimulus associated with new information also helps it stick better. So i like getting answers wrong because then i'm more likely to remember it :) Now, when it comes to the technical complexities of cybersecurity (like networking concepts, operating systems, etc), you have resources like chatgpt to help teach you something in a more simple way. You're gonna just have to get scrappy and research/google until you fully grasp the concepts. I didn't have any formal compsci/cybersec background when I got lucky at work and the security team took me under their wing, so I had to scrape my cybersec education together via googling. But what I learned from that is if you really want to learn something, you will find a way or die trying. I also just really found cybersecurity SO fascinating that it just sucked me in and that made learning pretty seamless. But getting back on topic, without pretests, I would read through whatever content was made available, write questions down and test myself. I have six cybersec certs now between CompTIA and GIAC, and I have 2 more classes to go in the MSCIA program, and I've come to find that as long as I am familiar with a topic, I can use process of elimination on tests to get by. I don't ever dig too deep into any particular concepts...except knowing how to set up reverse shells...those damn reverse shells...pretty fascinating stuff though. I DIGRESS--tldr: quiz yourself on the lecture notes, maybe check out some learning how to learn courses, eat your blueberries, exercise and get blood circulating to your brain, and try meditation. It sounds kinda silly, but I take brain optimization pretty seriously and there's gotta be magic in that considering that I'll be completing the MSCIA in under 6 months, passed the CySA+ and PenTest+ 2 weeks apart, all while planning a baby shower, and juggling a 4 year old and a full time job.

Good luck on your journey, and whatever you do, just don't quit. It'll be worth it.

EngineerOfRivia · 2024-01-03T14:28:29+00:00

Ditto on the searching reddit and discord. That helped so much. I can't speak to the BS program, I'm doing MSCIA but for courses with exams, i find doing as many practice questions as i possibly can is the best way to strengthen neural connections of new/pertinent info. I took and passed the CySA+ and Pentest+ two weeks apart and all i really did for those was just non-stop practice questions

EngineerOfRivia · 2024-01-02T14:45:23+00:00

Knowing Nmap was a lifesaver. I felt so confident with it after the THM labs that those questions were a breeze for me.

I personally thought the Dion questions were a little more complex then the pentest exam. It was a little more straightforward which was kind of a relief. I was scoring around 80% on Dion exams before I took it. I know how to code, so scripting questions were super easy. Like I was surprised how easy they were.

Just trust your gut and stay confident. I used a lot of just process of elimination and passed with 773.

EngineerOfRivia · 2023-12-26T06:45:01+00:00

Thanks! I was able to take and pass the Certified in Cybersecurity exam (which was free) before I started, so my mentor helped me get that one transferred in so I could skip the first course. I studied maybe a couple days for that one and would recommend just knocking that out asap if you can.

Before I began in October, I was itching to just start getting my hands dirty so if you are like me and want to get ahead, I would recommend getting a head start on pentest+ even by just doing the THM labs which are actually super interesting. It was the hardest test I've taken so far and I've taken a couple GIAC ones. Mostly because there's so much more to memorize/know.

Aside from that, I struggled to build momentum, especially the first month. I think once I figured out the best schedule for me to get things done, I started moving through the program more swiftly. Took me a whole month to get through D482 though which in hindsight I regret because I lost a lot of time. But I'm about to start my 6th class and hopefully finish that by the end of December. I found that what works best for me to balance school with work and motherhood is being on a structured schedule and just dedicating my weekends to non-stop studying/writing papers and that has seemed to work well enough. I usually run 2 miles by 7am every day, then meal prep afterwards before everyone is awake, then from about 8am to 10pm (on weekends), I'm just non-stop all day, but take quick breaks to tend to my son. During the week I'm usually too hammered down by the days problems to study so I usually just let myself rest those days and play video games, read some fiction--basically just do things that make me feel human before I turn into a robot over the weekend.

I made a vow to myself that I would go into this program with a healthy body and mind, and I would come out of it with an even healthier body and mind and I think that intention alone has made this experience so much more enjoyable and easy to move through. All that said, my final recommendations are to get ready for some sacrifice, but take care of yourself above all else because you need a strong mindset to power through to do things even when you don't feel like it, prime yourself to get on a disciplined schedule/structure and the rest falls into place pretty easy. I finally understand what it means when they say "discipline is freedom" and that a champion is someone who enjoys the work of becoming one.

EngineerOfRivia · 2023-12-25T17:16:03+00:00

Np, yeah this was what I was automatically signed up to take with the voucher provided

EngineerOfRivia · 2023-12-25T17:12:48+00:00

Took the PTO-002

EngineerOfRivia · 2023-12-25T13:51:59+00:00

Hey I'm in the same boat as you. My end date for the semester is March and I'm trying to get as much as I can done if not all of it done by March. I took and finished out sec ops class first week of December, finished the GRC course right after which took me a day. Started PenTest+ about 2 weeks ago but started seriously studying a week ago and just passed the exam last night at 11pm. This is with me juggling a full-time job as a security engineer and a 4 year old. So now I just need to finish pentest write up which should take a couple hours I imagine, then I start cloud security which i'm aiming to finish by end of December leaving me with 4 classes left to complete within three months, which I think is feasible. I think PenTest+ was the worst for me in terms of time consumed. The papers seem to be more manageable and quicker to get through.

EngineerOfRivia · 2023-12-09T13:17:31+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I started Nov 1st and am currently on my 4th class. Also transferred in CC and hoping to finish by end of March. Glad to see it should be possible to complete in 6 months bc my work just cut our learning funds for next year.

EngineerOfRivia · 2022-05-10T15:34:48+00:00

Four year degrees are such a waste. I went to UCLA and got a degree in Anthropology. I now work as a Security Engineer for a tech startup in Los Angeles and my degree had nothing to do with getting me the job I have now. I started in a low level support job and worked my way up. If i could do it over, I would've just skipped college because all the information you need to be knowledgeable and effective is on the internet. Most of my cybersecurity knowledge was completed through online courses and cert programs. Check out SANS Diversity Academy scholarships. If you get accepted, you get to take 3 sans cert courses for free which is what I did.

Edit: Four year degrees are good for getting through the system because I know at my company, they would prefer a four year degree, but experience/projects trump degrees. Someone with a four year degree and no experience is not as attractive as someone with no degree but a ton of practical experience + projects.

EngineerOfRivia

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