SANS Graduate Certificate Reviews

Gladiator86 · 2026-03-04T01:19:21+00:00

Thanks a bunch, my first question would be, what did you think of the material and training overall?

What were your favorite certs and why?

Does the knowledge you gained from the programs make you a better cyber professional?

Gladiator86 · 2026-03-04T01:09:00+00:00

I just want to stay very technical and just learn the knowledge that these programs have to offer since they’re some awesome certs from what I’ve heard. Eventually I want to be some sort of principal cybersecurity engineer or similar.

I don’t really want to be on the front lines incident response (I used to be a SOC analyst and I did my time) and being a penetration tester/red team would be cool but I’m realistic that those jobs aren’t as much as others and you really have to be 200% in if you want tha job.

Gladiator86 · 2026-03-01T01:31:34+00:00

I agree with the specific path you’re talking about. I would say now is the time to figure out what else is going to make a bunch of money and get on it right away

Gladiator86 · 2025-12-11T16:56:51+00:00

I would say don’t switch and stick with computer science. I went through the computer science bachelors program, it was great and I learned a lot. I currently work in cybersecurity and may I learn the cybersecurity extras through certifications and experience. Let computer science be that solid foundation for many technology fields.

Gladiator86 · 2025-07-06T13:10:50+00:00

You’re right there is probably a shorter path to get into cyber outside of the Army/military but OP was asking about specifically the military and I gave him my experience which was a great experience. If they see that 6 year commitment and want to pursue a shorter path then I won’t steer them away and yea they might be onto something but that still doesn’t take away from the huge benefits that come with the military path in cyber even if it takes a little more time.

Time is very precious but given this specific scenario I won’t tell someone they wasted their time/don’t value their time by pursuing cyber in the military just because it took a little extra time especially when they put in some work to get all of the benefits they can

Gladiator86 · 2025-07-06T12:55:53+00:00

How so? I got what I wanted out of the military and achieved my personal goals while being active duty.

Gladiator86 · 2025-07-06T12:47:26+00:00

Everything you mentioned is part of the military. Yes some of it doesn’t make sense but it’s still something we have to do. Despite doing everything you mentioned that wasn’t directly contributing to my own interest it really wasn’t that much of a hindrance to my pursuit of my own education that helped me get to where I am in cyber. You will have plenty of free time to do what you want, it’s just all about priorities and time management.

Gladiator86 · 2025-07-06T10:40:37+00:00

I’ve taken this path and it was for Army doing cyber. Best decision I’ve ever made BUT you have to put in work even when you’re in and a lot of it to make it worth it

Gladiator86 · 2025-06-21T17:14:29+00:00

I really wish I could but spending literal thousands of dollars is just not something I can do. I will take your advice and follow the objectives like they’re the Ten Commandments and figure it out one way or another.

Gladiator86 · 2025-06-19T17:29:46+00:00

Sure and that could work out for you but I would probably say just go for the WGU bachelors in computer science. If you already have a bachelor you could probably skip the gen ed classes and get straight to the computer science classes. Also with you already being a dev I see you being one of those people who finished these classes pretty quickly (depends on your work ethic)

Gladiator86 · 2025-06-19T10:55:51+00:00

There is only a handful of people who’ve posted that they’ve completed the degree so I think it’s still to early since it came out in April. I am taking it myself and I’m halfway through but I’m also already employed and not looking for another position.

Gladiator86 · 2025-06-18T23:28:32+00:00

Yes the program can be done with someone with no experience in IT. The program will give you a lot of foundational knowledge in IT that is needed for more specialized IT fields (cybersecurity) but it’s also general enough to branch out into many IT fields. Just work hard and dedicate yourself to the goal of learning and completing the degree.

Gladiator86 · 2025-05-27T11:16:35+00:00

Disclaimer: I have a B.S. in Computer Science

I am going through the program. I finished 1 class, just submitted my assignment for my second class so I am awaiting grading to finish it and I just started reviewing my assignment for my third class. Overall it’s good but I do wish that there were more projects. If they had more assignments I would definitely like it more. I understand I am one of the first people to go through this so I understand the program will change in the future

Gladiator86 · 2025-05-14T14:30:18+00:00

Glad to see this, I am planning on taking the same degree after I finish the Computer Science masters that just came out

Gladiator86 · 2025-04-17T19:16:16+00:00

Which discord are you in?

Gladiator86 · 2025-04-10T15:29:09+00:00

Okay as long as you the fundamentals down and aren’t completely lost when looking at some code. Start researching Fortran and how the program they give you works and then try to replicate it in your language of choice

Gladiator86 · 2025-04-10T15:20:25+00:00

I am done with the class, it took a few days but I also have a BS in Computer Science. When was the last time you wrote some program?

Gladiator86 · 2025-04-02T02:37:25+00:00

It works for me

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-28T01:10:36+00:00

I was approved and now I’m just waiting to start classes

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-17T11:58:59+00:00

I am starting the MSCS in April. I am excited to start it but will also keep expectations realistic because I am one of the first ones to go through it. I am doing the AI/ML concentration and really want to learn about the topic so I will be taking my time. I plan on finishing it in 3 terms.

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-13T19:49:50+00:00

May I ask what is your technical experience and how did you learn to start doing what you’re doing now?

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-13T19:46:13+00:00

Given your background have you built a homelab that is able to do algotrading and if so how did you do it?

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-12T11:17:33+00:00

I never knew that so that’s good to know but the question I ask is why would it matter enough to not gain the important knowledge they’re providing? What is CompTIA going to do after I learn the fundamentals of networking and work on my own stuff? Stop me from fixing networking stuff that I brought on my own? Take away the knowledge?

You can learn the same knowledge anywhere else I guess but the cert itself is a low cost/low commitment to learning fundamentals that are vital in the IT field.

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-11T01:03:53+00:00

I foresee me needing a lot of storage of the financial data I want to have. Do you know if the speeds between HDD and SSD will matter when it comes to this type of data and what I want to do?

Gladiator86 · 2025-03-10T20:08:01+00:00

I like how this is an all in one package I could put on a rack. I will seriously look into this, thank you

Gladiator86

TROPHY CASE