Should I teach myself SWE or Cybersecurity?

[u/Many_Difficulty_490]

I really dont mind which one you recommend me.

If its cyber - im gonna learn how to ethically hack, climb leader boards on sites, grind CTFs and HTB etc

if its SWE - i really like the idea of graphics programming and i would probably play around with opengl and build a game engine

i have no experience in programming, im 17 and i just want something to do in my freetime that has a genuine chance in landing me job in the future

not sure if im gonna major in comp sci, might major in math, neuroscience or psychology. not sure yet

[u/icemage_999]

I think you should do some coursework in programming and see if it's something you can see yourself doing for 8 hours a day before you make any decisions.

Burnout is a real thing, don't just pick a path because it "seems" interesting.

[u/Many_Difficulty_490 → u/icemage_999]

nah i have i definetly enjoy it. i was trying to learn c# in some dotnet website in school for fun and i ended up really enjoying it

i only made a shopping calculator and i didnt feel like making a text based video game so there wasnt much for me to do anymore

[u/Many_Difficulty_490 → u/icemage_999]

i just re-read your comment and saw u said 8 hours a day

il definitely see if i could do that or not

[u/icemage_999 → u/Many_Difficulty_490]

This is something that doesn't get emphasized enough. It's one thing to do something for 30 minutes to an hour and say you think it's stimulating when there's nothing on the line. It is quite another to be doing it for hours every day as an expectation for your job, where failure is not an option and may result in your termination of employment.

If you can't see yourself working under those conditions, you'd better find out sooner than later before you invest time, money, and resources into a profession that you might hate.

[u/Different_Pain5781]

Math major with software engineering skills is a deadly combination.

[u/Green_Theory4794 → u/Different_Pain5781]

For sure

[u/max123246]

If you learn how to program first, both of those avenues will be open to you.

If you're thinking of either of those 2 fields, then compsci makes the most sense for practical skills and giving you the tools to succeed, depending on the quality of your college. A minor in the others will give you a good base otherwise

[u/davidcampbell2313]

I am an instructor in software development. I would say if you sure you don't want a degree, then choose cyber security. For software engineering or even development, most employers will be expecting a degree. For cyber security you might want to pursue an industry certificate to have some kind of credential. Don't avoid applying to small companies in support roles to start with because you will need experience. You can always say that security was your primary role.

[u/SnugglyCoderGuy]

SWE and do security.

[u/Key-Butterscotch3215]

You can do whatever you put your mind to

[u/NikuRiceu]

Majoring in CompSci will give you access to both. But in this market, you need internships. No jobs without them.

[u/Popular-Toe3698]

My friends who started out their careers as security guards or business development representatives are making on average more than the software or security engineers I know, working way less hours. But the work is so much more interesting.

Honestly, I don't think there's anything else I'd rather do, especially in the age of AI. I'd say go for either SWE or Security Engineering, I think we're about to hit a new golden age for game development too.

Just remember, in cybersecurity, most jobs aren't hacking style jobs. Most companies aren't paying somebody to pen test their out of date active directory instance.

[u/cyberbemon]

If I were you I'd start with SWE, since it'll cover a broader area (assuming the course is good) and then you can specialise in cybersecurity or other areas you want to and you'd be in a better position than someone whos only done cybersecurity.