I'm looking to become a network security analyst. Any ideas where to start?

[phinn2]

I currently have my associates in Computer systems. I'm in the process of trying to get into a school to get my bachelors in Net Security. Just wanted to see if anyone had any tips..
Is it worth it? Where to get started? Also was wondering what hold more weight with employers, a degree or certs? Really any advice is well appreciated as I am still new to this.
Thanks!

[pfeiffep]

Network and internet security is always in demand and job opportunities will be abundant.
The only person who can effectively answer "Is it worth it?" is the person asking the question. You seem to have at least mapped a course of action for yourself - good job!
IMO the degree or certs question is a bit limiting... Please expand that to AND - it's not a mutually exclusive question. A future employer will value both a degree and hands on experience.
You may already be familiar with these links, if not they're a good start: SANS (https://www.sans.org/network-security/) US-CERT (https://www.us-cert.gov/) paloalto (https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources/learning-center/what-is-network-security.html)

[ChuangTzu]

I currently have my associates in Computer systems. I'm in the process of trying to get into a school to get my bachelors in Net Security. Just wanted to see if anyone had any tips.. Is it worth it? Where to get started? Also was wondering what hold more weight with employers, a degree or certs? Really any advice is well appreciated as I am still new to this. Thanks!

Yes it is very important and definitely worth it. Computer Science, Net Security etc... is only going to increase in necessity as the world continues to become more connected to the net. Consider for a moment that most of the world does not live in a "connected" world. Once Africa, South America and Asia all "go online" the need for knowledgeable people will most likely become a scenario of "high demand>supply".

Ubuntu is a very nice platform to start with and even remain on. Also suggest playing with different Linux distros in Virtualbox (CentOS, Slackware, openSUSE etc...).

You should definitely play around with some Linux distros that are designed to be deliberately insecure and broken so you can practice how to fix and secure them (note only do so in a virtualbox or testing box as they are often loaded with malware, viruses and other nasties....) https://lwn.net/Articles/437221/

Here are some nice resources: https://tlhp.cf/santa-claus-in-linux-style/

(https://tlhp.cf/santa-claus-in-linux-style/) PS: regarding degrees or certs...It depends on the company and/or agency. One thing that does matter is experience, I would think true experience along with a good certificate would go very far.

[RichardET]

An educated person has a degree.

[QIII]

An educated person has a degree.

Disagree ... strongly.

[pfeiffep]

An educated person has a degree.IMO this is a very narrow view of education.

[lisati]

An educated person has a degree.


Disagree ... strongly.

Likewise with the disagreement: education takes many forms.

[pfeiffep]

OP hasn't posted since original 6 days ago -

[ChuangTzu]

An educated person has a degree.

Oh the mantra of Academics trying to maintain their relevance.

tsk tsk. What next, there is no OS except proprietary?

[Habitual]

An educated person has a degree.

You know how many degree'd people I know are dumber than a box of hammers?

[phinn2]

Thanks guys for all the tips, Sorry it took a while for me to get back to you. So as I've been looking around online for schools, I've found this place called Western Governors University. On their site it looks like they have a decent program for a BS/MS. Has anyone ever heard or had any experiences with them?

It seems like a good option because it's cheaper and I could continue to work full-time in the IT job I have now.

[justen_m]

Personally, I think online schools are just scams to take your money. Go to a real school and get a CS degree, and avoid getting kicked out.

I almost got kicked out of Annapolis because of computer hacking. (I screwed up big time. One time, after a long weekend, the faculty came back, and the entire network was down, because I had a gazillion processes that had gotten out of hand and spawned without bound. With my fingerprints all over.)

[RichardET]

In all the places that I have worked, certain degrees were critical for high level positions. Twenty years from now you might want one of those jobs and if you do not have degree(s), then you are forever locked out. Why limit your potential?