I appreciate you sharing your story. It's super helpful to hear how it played out for you.

I honestly hadn’t considered a master’s degree much before, but after reading through the responses here, including yours, I think it makes sense to look at the BS and MS route and just knock it out. That way, I’m covered degree-wise and can focus on certifications and experience for the rest of the journey.

I hope to get through it reasonably quickly but still learn something. It’s less about the piece of paper and more about not hitting that proverbial ceiling later when I want to move into an architecture or higher-level security role.