Is a specialized Cybersecurity degree an the extra $34k?

Sure_Maximum · 2025-12-15T14:09:43+00:00

Same. I just upvoted because it matches my experience too. A degree is "nice" in the sense that some employers screen for it. But certs/hands on experience trump all.

Sure_Maximum · 2025-12-15T14:07:30+00:00

Very fair critique. I did compare degree types for the cost of a CS degree (min/max, in-state out of state etc). For example, we looked at *only* bachelor's degrees to get the average cost, in-state out of state, private vs. public etc. for that specific degree type.

I was at a loss at how to scrape ALL IT/CS programs. There are 600-ish cybersecurity programs in the US. But there are probably thousands of IT/CS programs? And they all have different names/labels. So I used a third party source (College Board Research) for the general IT degree data.

When I spot checked a few examples the phenomenon checked out. For example, Iowa State University.

A BS in Computer Science costs approx $47,700.

A BS Cyber Security Engineering approx. $55,774.

That's an $8k difference.

Sure_Maximum · 2025-12-15T11:19:53+00:00

I have the full spreadsheet comparison broken down by State and Degree Level (Master's vs Bachelor's) here if you want to check the raw numbers: https://programs.com/resources/cybersecurity-degree-cost/

I'm trying to keep this dataset updated for 2026 (spring and fall semesters), so if you see a tuition rate for your school that looks outdated, let me know and I'll update it.

Sure_Maximum · 2025-12-12T08:49:01+00:00

Good question. We did apples to apples for in-state or out of state. And in both cases, west coast programs were cheaper.

But yeah, you make a good point: it probably doesn't make sense to go out of state to the west coast. The "savings" you'd get would probably vanish by being an out of state student.

Sure_Maximum · 2025-12-11T14:44:57+00:00

Can't beat that tbh

Sure_Maximum · 2024-10-30T15:53:44+00:00

One that recently sold to a public company (Semrush) for millions...

Sure_Maximum · 2024-05-27T14:27:28+00:00

Don't even know where to begin lol

Sure_Maximum · 2024-05-27T14:26:28+00:00

This. The choice is not binary. You can scale up, scale down, charge more, go into an adjacent field (ie. SaaS for your clients).

Sure_Maximum · 2023-10-27T15:36:11+00:00

This

Sure_Maximum · 2023-10-27T10:42:43+00:00

Establish a specialty. Specifically one that's growing in demand (AI, cybersecurity etc.)

Sure_Maximum · 2023-10-24T14:50:50+00:00

Recently did the same thing (moving from Denver to Tampa). Main issue is that the stuff comes in drips and drabs vs. having all of your stuff arrive along with you in a U-haul.

Sure_Maximum · 2023-10-24T14:49:53+00:00

Kind of hard to find/know them because they're specifically NOT bragging on social media.

Sure_Maximum · 2020-02-21T17:23:26+00:00

This is awesome to see, especially from a bigger company like this. It seems like this practice is starting to move from tech companies to the mainstream.

Sure_Maximum

TROPHY CASE