Changing careers. Cyber security bootcamp?

Possible looking to do a career change. Do any of you guys know anything about those cyber security bootcamps?

 

Beware and look closely at the course.

Do a lot of research before you choose a course provider.

LOTS of these "bootcamps" will teach you how to pass the exams but almost nothing in practical application.

In one of the certification courses I attended the instructor basically took the book and went through it saying "highlight and star that" on items that he thought would be on the exam. Worthless class. I taught myself ISA to pass the exam.

The bootcamps sprung up everywhere for a while and then the IT market was flooded with people who had a certification but didn't know how to actually DO anything.

LOTS of companies got burned by hiring a fully certified MCSE who didn't know how to do something like set up a DHCP scope.

I met a "certified" IT guy who didn't know what DNS was (very basic).

Nowadays a cert without some experience is almost worthless.

And a question for you: Do you like to read?

The stuff you learn today will be obsolete (glaring example, my Novell CNE certification. I can't remember the last time I encountered a Novell server) in a few years so you have to constantly stay abreast of the changing IT landscape.

Don't let my comments be a buzzkill for you, I'm just telling you what I see all too regularly.

Working in IT can be a challenging and rewarding occupation if you have the right mindset and aptitude.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks. I am hardcore on the fence about doing it. Mainly because of what you described. CU boulder's program is like $18,000 and Denver University's program is close to $9,000. I don't want to waste money and time on something that is a total joke and will not prepare me for a job.

 

I would suggest two things:

1) Find a mentor. You can search for seniors in the field on LinkedIn and talk to them. See what they suggest for new guys in today’s job market. Most of them would be glad to talk with you for a bit to help put you in the right direction.

2) Find entry level job postings and see what they ask for requirements. Maybe talk to a recruiter and see what they look for in an entry level cyber security specialist.

 

Currently a gov contractor doing cybersecurity.

Start off getting your security+ and just taking Jason Dions course on udemy (its like $10, and if its more then wait for it to go on sale, it does every week or so). this will get you exposure and see if you really like it. Then id recommend WGU for online school. its cheap and quick. $4500 a semester and its as many courses as you can get done in 6 months and most of the courses are you getting certifications to pass.

I was deployed as a weatherman and started my switch to cyber two years ago, i was 31... I passed Security+ and Network+ while in Kuwait with nothing more than a MacBook air, so its def possible.

i now have a masters from WGU, net+, sec+, cysa+, pentest+, CASP+, GCIH, GCIA, and working on GRPT... This isnt a career where you get a job and just stop, it requires constant growth if you want to stay competitive.

its honestly hard to start in cybersecurity as it typically requires some IT helpdesk or something similar before getting into security. I was lucky to be in a DoD heavy area and was able to skip that, if youre in CO then you probably have the same benefit.

 

You've obviously got solid advice already.

My experience isn't directly in cybersecurity, but in the software engineering world. I've written code my entire life, and when life to make that career switch my only option, I didn't want to go back to school to start over. Bootcamps were a viable option for me. As the others mentioned, find one that is more than just a course. The bootcamp I attended had a "live project" or simulated project to get as close to real experience as they could provide. In my case, this was the only thing I was after- I was already well above the level they were teaching people to code at, and just wanted the experience of using the tools in day-to-day situations. It worked for me- I got a job pretty quickly afterwards. Since then, I've been involved with hiring several more employees, and when they list a bootcamp on their resume without other experience we grill them a bit more and ask for them to "walk us through some sample code"- usually pretty obvious when they copy and paste vs actually writing and understanding their sample.

 

My son works in cybersecurity for the military. Makes great money. He’s paid nothing in schooling.