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Hi everyone, I’m at a crossroads, is it worth it to earn a Masters in Information Security? I have a bachelor in Information Technology Management, I’m unsure of where to go, I was even thinking of going back for a Bachelor in Computer Science since I’m not sure i want to keep working in IT, brain is blown with uncertainty, anybody had this kind of dilemma before?

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Need more info. What is sought to be accomplished?

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What are your goals? Any education can’t hurt, but you need to decide what you want. Any other details?

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I would start examining your return on investment.

Are there jobs that require this?

Do these jobs make enough to cover the extra time and money going into your degree?

Would a few years experience in the right role get you further?

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Thanks for the questions guys, I honestly have been looking more into getting certified than going for another 2-3 years of school, I already have A+ so I was thinking of keeping it going with the certs, at the same time, I’ve been thinking of switching to development/programming, the thing is that I have zero knowledge/experience in that field so it’s concerning too. And the last part is obviously your parents wanting to see you walk down the isle to get that diploma, they’ve been the ones pushing the most for me to continue with the masters.

I haven’t really seen any jobs requiring a masters across the IT field unless, I’m guessing, you’re going for a senior or executive position.

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Senior or executive positions will definitely require years of experience. I think that will be what hurts you the most.

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Information Security and Network Security have always seemed to me to be those areas where qualifications don’t carry much weight. While I’m sure there will be some demand for security qualifications, it is a quickly changing area that I feel formal qualifications don’t keep up with.

You’re probably better off reading a bunch of books, watching courses on places like Udemy, tinkering around with metasploit et al and hacking your own servers to see how it works. After that keep your hand in and keep up to date on the literature, and try to get work using your skills in your current job, or a new job (such as doing pentesting).

Bottom line: You’re unlikely to get a good return on investment for security certs compared to other certs, for various reasons. Paper chasing is great but I’d do it in another area of IT.

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I’m starting work on my second Masters. It’s not for the job or for any future job; it’s for me.

The argument might be that I’m wasting my money; it will cost me just short of £10,000 (or $15,000) over the next 3 - 4 years and I will get no financial benefit in my present role.

However, it’s part time study, so I can do that whilst working, and I can afford that sort of fee as they let you pay in instalments. It gives me something to wrap my brain around when I’m not working, instead of letting it turn to mush whilst watching the endless stream of no-talent or un-reality shows on TV.

What it will do, is introduce me to some new ideas and extend my skills; and it will give me the confidence to address certain areas of technology. It’s possible that it may be of value if I have to look for other work; it certainly won’t hurt. The first one was a major boost to my ego [did I mention that I have a Masters degree? :sunglasses: ] and this will be the icing on the cake. I may even do a third after that, just to put a cherry, a 99 flake and some whipped cream on top of that!

As the others have said, experience is key in almost all aspects of IT; but there are occasions when certs are useful and others where an academic qualification is more appropriate. It will depend upon what your plans are for the future.

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You need to look at the benefit you will get out of it and why you want to get it.

Bottman has a great example, making the investment because you want to is perfectly valid. That is a choice that you have to make for yourself and your situation.

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Along the lines of SQLrage’s post, I’d be more inclined if it were an employer sponsored activity.

Given the OP’s uncertainty, the time might be better spent gaining hands on experience and defining a specific career path/area of interest to develop with certifications or additional education in the future.

Pieces of paper may help get you in the door for an interview however, hands-on experience is far more valuable in my opinion.

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I think your instincts are correct on this. I see very little demand (let’s just say, no demand) for a master’s degree for IT jobs. Between experience, certifications, and university degrees, experience counts the most, certs are second, and degrees are third. If a university degree is desired, it’s typically a bachelors.

All things considered I think certs are your best bet after you’ve attained a bachelor’s degree. You can self-study for certs and pay for the exam, and do that for a few hundred dollars in a few months. The return on that may be a few thousand added to your earning power.

In IT, I’m not sure there is any additional earning power when you go from having a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree. A master’s degree is nearly irrelevant for work in IT unless you’re looking to go the management route.

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these have been my thoughts exactly the whole time, thanks!

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Todd and everyone else is spot on. Take your degree, grab some experience, find your niche in Security (Reverse Engineering, Incident Response, Forensics, Engineering and Design, etc etc.), get some certs to advance it and start making some cash. If you hit a position that requires a Master’s degree… (I’m 11 years into ITSec and I can think of ONE job that requires a Master’s in ITSEC [And it involves NIST])… do it then. But until that, experience and buff your resume to shine with certs.

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If you are serious about a Masters in InfoSec look at this site for DOD centers approved for academic excellence.

https://www.nsa.gov/ia/academic_outreach/nat_cae/

I changed my mind from InfoSec to an MBA at the last second, because I wanted more operational and management skill building.

-Jeff

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I highly recommend this program: Master of Science in Information Security & Assurance from Norwich University .

Of my three master’s degrees, it’s the one I really had to WORK on. (Learning comes easily to me, and I did work on the other two master’s degrees. However, to earn this MSIA, I had to really apply myself.)

It doesn’t prep you for the CISSP, but it does cover the majority of topics.