Top Resources for Future Cyber Security Professionals

Understanding Accreditation

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To ensure that your cyber security career gets off on the right foot, you should attend the best possible cyber security program. You can choose programs with many metrics, but one of the most reliable is the program's accreditation. Accreditation is an earned credential that programs attain by undergoing rigorous auditing from an independent agency. During that process, the agency evaluates the program's curriculum, faculty, student performance rates, and more.

For cyber security, you will certainly want to ascertain that they have regional accreditation. That's a bare minimum standard. Your more advanced programs will be certified by ABET or be recognized as one of the National Centers of Academic Excellence by the Department of Homeland Security. When a program has credentials from one or both of those agencies, you can be assured that your education will lead to great things. Further, if you are currently working and wish to participate in your employer's tuition reimbursement program, they are likely to require you to attend a fully accredited course of study.

Questions About Financial Aid

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When you are accepted to a college or university, you will need to determine exactly how to pay for that education. A few students will be able to procure full payments from their families, but most will need to explore the financial aid options available to students. For this majority of students, the first and best option is to attain a general scholarship, a computer science scholarship or a cyber security scholarship. This is virtually free money that you never need to repay. The applications are often time-consuming but, even if the purse seems small, remember that you needn't ever pay a dime of interest on that money.

College federal grants are also an option. While they generally can function like scholarships, many come with certain rules that require a certain type of repayment. That is, they might pay for most of your tuition, but you'll have to work for a certain number of years in order to satisfy the agreement. As long as you work in a satisfactory position for the agreed-upon time frame, you will never have to pay a dime for your education. Sometimes state or local governments will offer these grants in order to attract top talent to work in their agencies. The federal government currently has a similar plan whereby you can work off your loan, provided you work for an appropriate agency, non-profit, or other government body.

Finally, most students will find that they need loans to cover at least some of the remaining costs surrounding college. You should seek out federal loans, the Stafford Loan or Sallie Mae loans first, as they have more favorable interest rates and repayment plans. If you happen to exceed the maximum allowed loan amount, you can resort to private lenders. However, you may want to avoid this, as private lenders can't offer the same low interest rates that federal lenders can.

Associations for Students

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As a student of cyber security, you will want to begin associating with professionals in your field. Most associations offer a special student rate and provide many great resources in return. You might receive newsletters, online magazines, and print magazines. Then, you can access educational materials in the form of webinars and full online courses, if you have time for one more. Associations also provide scholarships and the opportunity to attend a national conference. After graduation, many associations support career building tools such as job boards, internships, and mentoring.

Student or Open Access Journals

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Professional journals are one of the best ways to stay on top of your field. Those periodicals are full of the latest research and opinion pieces from industry leaders. This may be even more vital in a high-tech field such as cyber security, because technologies often shift so dramatically. Furthermore, for every cyber security measure we take there are untold cyber-criminals seeking ways to thwart it. When you make it a regular practice to peruse industry journals, you will only sharpen your approach to the field. You might even discover fascinating topics that you might pursue in an independent study course or as an essay topic.

Cyber Security Study Resources

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Cyber security is a growing and rapidly evolving field. When you augment your classroom work with outside sources, you can only benefit. The internet is full of resources created by and for top technology experts. You can explore these resources as an addition to your computer science classwork or to help you study. You can use them to help solidify your comprehension of specific topics or to introduce yourself to concepts that you might face in an upcoming semester. Since many of them are free, you really have nothing to lose. Even those that charge require only a nominal payment that most students can afford.

Apps

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Apps are part of everybody's everyday experience. Students are no exception. However, rather than filling your phone with games, you can use that tool to help you organize your studies and even gain new skills. You can watch informative lectures on YouTube or download specialized apps to help you brush up on a new computer language.

You will also need a platform that is designed to help you write code. Some even have autofill options that will insert the necessary parentheses, semicolons, etc. that so many coders would rather not deal with, and which are often a cause of trouble. There are many coding tools and you'll surely need at least one. Thankfully there are many free, open-source packages for coders.

Cyber Security Certification Options

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After you achieve your degree, your learning and achieving is far from over. You'll likely need to attain one or more certifications over the course of your career. These show that you have specific knowledge in particular areas. For instance, you could become certified as an Ethical Hacker or a Penetration Tester, which would open up certain job opportunities. Note that, once you pass the initial examination, you'll need to continue taking CEU courses to keep your certificate current.

These certifications are not easy to attain. Most require rigorous coursework that leads up to a very difficult examination. To even qualify to sit for some of the examinations you need to show a significant tenure in the industry as well as other qualifications, perhaps including a master’s degree.

When you decide to return to graduate school, your application will benefit from one or more certifications. That will show the admissions representative that you have not only done great work for your employers but that you have taken the initiative to become a lifelong learner and leader. For your part, you will surely have an easier time in grad school if you are already accustomed to attaining and maintaining your certificate(s).

Certification Study Resources

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Certification exams are no walk in the park and you want to make sure that you pass them the first time around. Thus, it's wise to seek out study materials in advance of the test. If you have local colleagues who are seeking the same certificate, you could collaborate using some of the tools listed below. Keep in mind that the certifying agency or association has a vested interest in your passing the exam, so they will often provide abundant resources to help you brush up and be ready for success.

Job Boards

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Professional Associations

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To keep your professional life fresh and developing, it's vital to join a professional association. Membership will provide many benefits including access to educational resources, conferences, job boards, certifications, and more. Even if you aren't terribly active, you will surely appreciate the regular newsletters and, when you list membership on your resume, hiring managers will be more interested in your abilities.

These associations often provide free or affordable webinars, journals, and courses that might even lead to valuable professional certifications. In the cyber security field, you really need to be constantly learning, because technology and cyber threats are continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. Thus, simply reading an association's cyber security journal on a regular basis should be considered a bare minimum for staying current with your profession. Furthermore, membership often opens up opportunities for leadership positions, which will put you at the top of your profession.

Popular Journals

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Cyber security is far from a static field. The white-hat and black-hat hackers are at each other's throats on a daily basis. New tricks and tools are constantly in development, so it's vital to remain on top of your industry's changes and evolution. The best way to do that is by subscribing to one or more cyber security journals or other periodicals. If you commute by train or bus, you can make the most of that time by reading up on current events or the latest technology. Since most journals are sure to be available in an electronic format, you can load them all onto a tablet or other e-reader for easy access.