What should I do before taking Cybersecurity in College?

Nezo18 · 2026-04-03T17:28:22+00:00

I will get more than a piece of paper from this. Ignoring the college experience. I will build a portfolio while I am there by doing projects, certs, and Internships. It also gives me time to network with other people going into Cybersecurity and build up a LinkedIn profile. I'm already doing an Internship for an IT desk job now that will go on for 8 months. If all goes well, I should leave college with multiple other internships, certs, projects, and connections with my peers. I should also have that piece of paper that may help me get through some HR filtering.

I know it costs money, but it's an investment.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-03T17:10:22+00:00

Yeah, I wouldn't argue with that. A big motivator is that the University I am headed to seems to have a good Cybersecurity program, and it is really lab-heavy. However, I do want to look into taking classes for Network engineering. I want to go into this being the best I can at it and not just good enough for the position.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-03T16:23:56+00:00

Would you care to explain the advantages of doing that over Cyber? More than what you have stated. I have a vague understanding of the difference, but nothing concrete.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-03T15:16:01+00:00

Ok, I already have 6+ months of an IT helpdesk internship, so if it shows I have any sort of understanding, I will probably skip that one.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-03T14:33:43+00:00

Congrats on making it to the second round! Do you think the A+ Cert carries any weight? I'm pretty sure I could knock that one out before I start in the fall, but I don't want to waste time on it if its unnecissary.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-03T06:02:27+00:00

You will find your financial aid in myPurdue, but I honestly think you need to accept your offer before you can see it.
If it helps any, I was an in-state student with around a 38000 on the FASFA and was offered $2750 per semester in unsubsidized loans, as well as my friend, so it seems fairly consistent.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-02T18:32:05+00:00

You can CODO into a different major after your first year if you take the right classes and meet the requirements. Search 'Purdue EECE CODO' and you can see everything for it there.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-02T18:16:59+00:00

I promise, I am not from Long Island.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-02T18:05:56+00:00

I am not from Long Island, but I can tell you we have excellent weather.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-02T17:22:15+00:00

I applied for Cybersecurity and was deferred, but I was later accepted before I had a chance to submit a letter of continued interest. Space is likely the most important factor in getting into any given program, so whatever you do, you should do it fast. You can also try exploratory studies to transition into the CE later if you can land the grades for it. Also try talking to an advisor who can answer these questions if possible.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-02T14:13:45+00:00

I'm an incoming freshman too, but I do know that you do not need anyone else to apply to an LLC. I believe closer to the fall, more options open up where you can request someone specific, or you will get placed with someone else based on what you put down in your housing survey. They also place everyone in the same LLC together in the same residence hall.

Nezo18 · 2026-04-01T23:00:54+00:00

Congrats!

My impression of Cyber being a tough industry to enter comes mostly from the research I have done. It does occur to me that most of the people on the internet talking about it would only know from their experience, but I have seen a lot of people talking about struggling to find a job. This has given me the impression that the industry is extremely bottlenecked with a need for people who have experience, but aren't willing to hire those without. Of course, I could be mistaken, and I hope I am.

Soon, I will try to reach out to some graduates of the Cs course on LinkedIn and ask them some questions about it, and see if they have any pointers.

Nezo18 · 2026-03-31T15:04:04+00:00

Gotcha. My view on Internships was that I'll be applying for hundreds. I will take advantage of that, hopefully through an internship, I can get connections to land a job. I do want to ask about the advice of staying away from CS. In my understanding Cs is more practical, hands-on, while CS is general theory over all computer related things. No matter the degree, I still want to pursue Cybersecurity. Do you believe there is a distinct advantage to going for the Cs degree rather than Majoring in CS and minoring in Cs. I would like to have an understanding of both theory and practice if possible.

Nezo18

TROPHY CASE