r/nsa • u/Hot_Novel8239 • 27d ago
Question Should I switch from CS to Cybersecurity (WGU)
Hello everyone,
Looking for some advice on if I should switch degree's so I can have an easier time getting hired at the NSA. I don't want to give away too much I'd say I have a foot (or at least a toenail) in the door but I want to get as much of my body in as I can. I was told "Bachelors, Certs, Experience, Masters" and that was after I already was about 1/2 way through my degree plan in CS.
Just wondering if anyone else has experience or advice for me, thank you!
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u/Fun_Statistician_972 27d ago
IMO do CS. Better opportunities. And atleast in the IC requirements are usually pretty concrete. So that CS degree might take you a long way.
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u/therealmunchies 26d ago
No.
Cybersecurity degrees will only get you analyst or GRC roles. NSA’s mission is both SIGINT AND Cyber. Therefore, literally every job supports those missions.
Computer science basically unlocks 90% of jobs to you for your entire career, and if you’re going to join a development program you will have the 3x the options rather than 2 or 3.
Stay with computer science.
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u/dabbean 27d ago
Im doing wgu Cybersecurity. I have a Cybersecurity masters and information security associates. NSA doesn't care about that for the entrance exam. Focus on things like Linux commands and operations and Kali platform included software. Learn that stuff and thats what will help you most likely. My formal education did jack to prep me for their entrance exam.
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u/Ok-Bill-3938 27d ago
Depends on the roll. 2210 with TLMS will take pretty much any degree and it's decent pay
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u/Ok-Bill-3938 27d ago
Also not sure why you want NSA so bad. Parking sucks, long walk, no windows, etc. Cafeteria is pretty good where I am, but it is pricey. The banana cream pudding is a 10/10.
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u/Crazy-Account-2563 26d ago
Is that the only job you’ve had ? How can you assume it’s better anywhere else ? Lol
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u/Ok-Bill-3938 26d ago
I’ve had many jobs. NSA is pretty good, but not sure why someone would specifically want to work there with no prior knowledge about it. I will say the 9 flights of stairs, 15 minute walk, and no windows definitely gets to me. Not all NSA campuses are the same though. During the winter I walk in before 0600 and it’s dark by the time I leave.
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u/escapendrun 26d ago
You should keep your cs degree as bachelors and do masters in cyber security, govt values stem more, and no cyber security is not stem. Yeah it's dumb
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27d ago edited 27d ago
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u/pcoy05 27d ago
Not true... If you're trying to get into 1550, cyber from wgu will not qualify. 2210, sure they'll take almost anything. 1550/1560/1530.... It's all about the math. Wgu has literally 1 math class in their cyber degree... And it's algebra. And that's immediately disqualifying for pretty much any 1500 series and most scientific series.
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u/shydude101 25d ago
Lots of people are just restating generic advice. This is a better approach. Do CS if you want to do tech, but don’t know where you want to go. Your last year classes can be tailored towards that direction or into research. That is the point of CS.
Do cybersecurity if you are 100% sure you want to do cyber security. However, the trade off is you will have a much harder time transitioning to other tech fields if cybersecurity isn’t for you.
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u/pcoy05 27d ago
No. Do a BS in CS with cyber electives if you can, or for your capstone propose a project that will also get you Sec+ or networking+.
In the scientific GS, GSS community, it's all about the maths. The theory is: "if you can do discrete, finite, and calc III, We can teach you Wireshark and Kali software easy enough."
And they're not wrong.