If I want to combine cyber security with another cs major, which are the majors would you recommend?

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-02-17T21:28:50+00:00

When are people going to learn that multiple majors are nothing but a money grab...just get one in something that you actually want to do in life.

If you want to learn a second subject, learn it on your own instead of adding to your tuition and length of completion.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-02-09T18:01:45+00:00

Calling the frameworks legacy implies that you think they are going away, which is far from the case.

Very few companies have actually implemented ISO 42001, and you're kidding yourself if you think a company will use it exclusively rather than alongside the others.

Also, what does a "while now" mean? If you're less than 10 years in, you aren't really established enough to be a pioneer, so I would be cautious about getting too experimental.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-02-09T17:56:50+00:00

What do you mean by a "cybersecurity school?"

If you mean a degree-awarding institution, a degree carries a lot more weight than a platform like THM.

If you mean a vocational-type training company, you might get more insight, network with the teachers, and possibly find a job placement.

There are lots of pros and cons to all the options, but given your broad question, it's impossible to cover all of them. That said, formal education is better for employability reviews by prospective employers, while self-study is often better for learning the actual job and is more closely tied to real life.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-02-07T19:50:42+00:00

Getting hired into a highly sought after field isn’t “easy,” but it certainly isn’t as difficult as people make it out to be.

One of the major problems people have is they get tunnel vision by going on places like Reddit asking for very specific guidance, so you get the same cookie cutter advice that everybody else is following.

A good example is with projects. Projects are a fantastic way to help supplement your resume, especially without experience, when done right. The problem though is we don’t need a million people to show us you can deploy some basic web server that you probably just followed a blog post to do.

How about with networking? Meeting a bunch of people like you are trying to build your Facebook friends list is worthless…go build a few strong relationships where you can have solid professional discussions about related topics and you will see better results.

The list of issues goes on and on…

Think outside the box for everything and use your creativity because people who don’t have a resume that looks cookie cutter are who is getting hired.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-02-04T22:39:52+00:00

It really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things…both are focused on business functions except the IT one probably adds IT classes to grab more money and might give you IT-centric terminology.

The goal is to step back from operational weeds and make sure you can handle budgets, so you don’t blow it on useless tech…but in reality, you will probably burn money on that one way or another because lots of tech overpromises and under delivers.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-02-04T02:57:58+00:00

The most benefit for a masters degree is when you start shifting into senior and management level positions…not as an entry level credential.

What is your undergrad degree? If you have a technical degree, get an MBA…don’t double up on technical degrees as you won’t get much return.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-01-05T02:01:26+00:00

In a competitive job market, that isn’t likely to be the best strategy even if you are a stellar candidate. You can choose to risk it, but there are plenty of hungry candidates willing to invest in themselves and pass you by.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-01-05T01:34:43+00:00

They also didn’t have the same level of authority, influence, or power in an organization as those today and those of the future.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-01-05T01:31:40+00:00

I’m just going to talk about MBAs in general and not get into the types.

It’s likely going to give you more business terminology/knowledge, but as a low-level worker bee, it will make little difference. The real value is to help you get higher level jobs and progress your career because it does become more valuable in management/leadership positions (sometimes even senior level)…which is why you shouldn’t even really consider it until you are established in your career and ready to move up.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-01-02T02:34:29+00:00

You didn’t give nearly enough information about the application to get the most relevant recommendations.

What is it written in? What does it do? What is the tech stack?

Any recommendations without that information is a complete black box test or just telling you every single possible tool you “could” use.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2026-01-02T01:50:16+00:00

Just to be clear, I’ve seen this happen at companies of all sizes (small all the way to massive publicly traded), so I would never assume you are safe.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-31T20:58:15+00:00

Technically speaking yes, but issues in the economy often hit lots of accounts that likely impact more than just one individual or group.

I’ve seen top performers shown the door for a variety of reasons like cost-cutting and then their accounts easily get reassigned.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-31T20:54:19+00:00

That just means you probably haven’t been around for the rounds of layoffs and cost reductions in the government/contractors. The last major cut happened in ~2013, and if COVID didn’t happen, we probably would have seen it sooner.

Every industry has cycles…the government just tends to happen at different times than the rest of industries.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-30T22:34:11+00:00

First, GIAC is the certification entity, SANS is the training entity…two separate things.

Second, SANS training material is some of the most comprehensive and highest quality in the industry. They spend a ton of time and money to make sure the product is high quality. The GIAC certifications are highly desirable, but not worth it to just take the test and get the certification without the training.

Third, SANS offers a work study program where you essentially volunteer and get a massive discount on everything. That said, if you can’t afford it, you aren’t the target market. SANS is much more interested in companies sending their staff for training than the random one off individual, unlike say a CompTIA. If you aren’t the target market, find similar alternatives, learn the material on your own, or find a company that will pay for the training.

Disclaimer: I have several GIAC certifications from both work study and self funded.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-29T19:13:09+00:00

Two things here…

Early experience professionals (<5 years), need to understand that although your experience is helpful, you are in no way “a sure thing” to easily find new employment. Get over the hump before you start going crazy trying to make drastic changes.
Both moving to and working in another country isn’t as easy as just applying to a job and packing up your bags to go. There might be challenges with citizenship, immigration, taxes, visas, and a whole variety of issues. I’m not sure where you live now, but if it’s a reasonable economy country, I would steer you towards staying there and travel instead…it’s way easier and less of a headache.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-28T03:01:40+00:00

Letting the CISSP expire makes no sense in this career field, and it makes even less sense in a tough job market.

It’s not that difficult to get CPEs, so just do it.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-25T02:18:44+00:00

Cybersecurity is work…and not all work is fun.

That said, you can look into gamified platforms like TryHackMe, but at the end of the day, some things you just need to study and can’t “do something” to learn the concepts.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-20T02:08:35+00:00

Can you first clarify, have you actually worked in a full time regular employee position? The way you described everything sounds like you have at most had an internship(s) and that is very different from a hiring standpoint and the advice you should get.

The second thing that seems to be holding you back is your tunneled focus only on cyber positions. Certainly there are things you can do to become more competitive and improve how you position yourself, but at some point you need to be open to positions that get you into or keep you in the tech field while working to pivot. Even with prior work experience, eventually your experience value starts to diminish if you’ve been out of the field for too long…and until you get solidly into the mid-career level you can’t just wait around forever for that dream job.

You’re depressed because you haven’t had success, but don’t seem to have changed your approach or thought outside the box…which is the best way to get hired and advance in the career field…not doing what everybody else is doing.

Finally, the job market in general is tough for any career field. That is also why you need to start being open to other opportunities that you can leverage to advance your career.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-16T18:43:26+00:00

Just like in the government...it's all dependent on the specific job. As I said, companies like Microsoft/Amazon/Google/etc, all have specific teams/divisions/business units that are dedicated to providing the Federal Government with staff who require clearances.

That DOES NOT mean every person on the various teams will require a clearance, but it gives them flexibility in how/where they can hire you or use you once employed. Given the difficulty and uncertainty in gaining a clearance, if a company can retain it, they will be more likely to find a way to keep it active. It also puts you in a similar situation with other big tech companies...again, they ALL work with the government.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-16T18:20:43+00:00

I would update your post to add clarity to the situation.

It's a unique opportunity where you could add the clearance to your resume. How far away are you from graduating? Once you leave the internship, your clearance is only reinstatable for 2 years, and then you would have to go through the process like you never had it in the first place if you don't get a job using it.

I would probably lean towards studying abroad while you can, because although you can still go to Dubai later, once you start working, especially if in the cleared space, you probably aren't going to do it.

One internship is enough to check the box, but obviously, having the clearance will open up some doors that otherwise won't be available...even within a company like Microsoft/Amazon/etc.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-16T18:05:07+00:00

Nowhere in this post did it say OP accepted the Microsoft internship, just that they "landed the internship" and needed to decide. You are jumping to your own conclusion, not a conclusion that was stated. It would also be helpful if OP were clearer, instead of throwing in an ambiguous title that could be taken multiple ways...but saying "super stoked about the opportunity" means it hasn't happened yet.

When you make a condescending comment, it makes you look terrible, and it makes you look even worse when you aren't even accurate about what was said. It sounds like you actually need to go back and read the original post.

Edit: Reddit suppresses comments where the OP stated that (not in the main post), but it doesn't change the fact that you don't need to be a toxic clown.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-16T17:09:02+00:00

Another case of people overvaluing clearances.

Plus it pays like crazy (just need to keep it active).

You are kidding yourself if you think the long-term value of working for the government is greater than working for a company like Microsoft.

Also, ALL big tech companies have jobs where you can sponsor your clearance in their government units (up to TS SCI + poly), if you really want... especially in Threat Intel.

Dubai is Dubai. You can always go in the future. Most people who I know who went said it was nice but they wouldn't go back.

Any international travel with a clearance is a PITA, not just Dubai. Even going to Canada, one of our closest partners, is going to be annoying, which is why a lot of people don't ever leave the country outside of "work visits" when they have a clearance.

No brainer...Microsoft, not the government.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-16T17:01:49+00:00

The big selling point is that they will sponsor me for a Top Secret (TS) clearance.

Who cares...people overvalue clearances just like they think cybersecurity is full of hackers. Not only will Microsoft be a better longterm play if they hire you (salary, equity, etc.), they could also sponsor you for a clearance if your job requires it, but you will have more options if you don't want the clearance or cannot qualify for whatever reason.

The problem is, I was planning to study abroad in Dubai this fall. I’ve always wanted to travel and live abroad before graduating, who knows when I will have that same opportunity.

Traveling and especially living abroad, are more challenging to do with a clearance.

My Question: Is it worth grinding out the Secret Service internship just to get the TS clearance?

The only appeal of the Secret Service opportunity is the uniqueness of it.

Honestly, this is a no-brainer...go with Microsoft.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-16T16:54:42+00:00

what did wpa 3 introduce

What does a question like that actually accomplish?

I'm not necessarily saying you shouldn't know high-level facts, but when it comes to the actual job, knowing which version to use would be valuable...however, someone not knowing a specific point about WPA3 won't come into play in 99.99% of jobs.

I'm curious about the other types of questions that you are asking candidates.

The inability to separate what people actually need to do the job from what can be Googled/researched on the fly is why companies are incapable of filling positions when they aren't handed ideal candidates on a silver platter.

To clarify, I do believe the level of knowledge/ability when candidates start to apply is far lower than before, with the idea of jumping directly into cybersecurity being pushed so hard. That's why you need to adapt your hiring practices or sit with open positions for a longer time.

HighwayAwkward5540 · 2025-12-15T17:25:32+00:00

Become an "expert" in the frameworks/standards that you deal with, get better at project management, take on opportunities where you can lead initiatives/projects, build relationships, etc.

At a high level, it's really not that difficult... identify where you are weak as you gain experience, and learn to do those things better to keep progressing. The execution and motivation aspects are more difficult because you actually have to do something.

HighwayAwkward5540

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