Self Learning or College Courses: What is Best for Ethical Hackers?

Ethical hackers are in demand but aspirants are confused as to how to achieve their dreams

Global businesses are basically changing way too fast. With the evolving nature of technologies, professionals and organizations are facing complex challenges that require specific knowledge and skills, many of which are quite difficult to acquire on the job. Gaining that knowledge via traditional mediums like college and university degrees does require more time and money, but it definitely will help the aspirants acquire crucial proficiency in the field. Now, one of the most proficient skills that the tech industry requires currently is ethical hacking. With our growing dependence on technology, scams, hacks, and thefts have become quite common. Over the past couple of years, major tech and non-tech companies have been hacked and robbed of valuable information and hard-earned money. So to combat these challenges, companies have started hiring expert ethical hackers who can detect vulnerabilities and threats and build protective walls around the company.

The demand for skilled ethical hackers has dramatically soared over the years. The domain not only offers valuable career opportunities but also facilitates candidates with lucrative financial packages. This is probably one of the major reasons why aspirants from non-tech backgrounds are also shifting their career trajectories toward ethical hacking and cybersecurity, and end up becoming successful self-taught hackers. Reports reveal that over the past couple of years, colleges and universities around the world have received billions in funding from their local governments to initiate cybersecurity and ethical hacking programs. The results call for a dramatic change in the industry and its functioning. So, if you are looking to build a career in ethical hacking, which should you choose?

College Degrees vs Self-Learning Courses

The standard aspect that anybody would consider before choosing to practice cybersecurity is what kind of courses should they complete. Online courses and boot camps make it plenty clear that self-teaching is absolutely possible, but will it be as effective in getting jobs as college degrees would? Well, that depends on the type and amount of experience you have. Cybersecurity is a hot domain for tech aspirants, but its education and training is just not limited to college and university courses. Possessing a specialization or acquiring a degree in ethical hacking is definitely a positive thing, but acquiring equal levels of experience might actually render the candidate undefeated. And for aspirants who are focused on self-learning, skills, and experience might be powerful weapons.

There are several advantages of possessing a college degree and getting a job in ethical hacking. But in most cases, big tech companies are hiring self-taught ethical hackers, nowadays. These self-made hackers are apparently the real catch for big tech companies since qualities like curiosity and the ability to learn quickly are quite difficult to find. Certification is still useful since it assures that the person has skills and capacities, but self-learning differentiates the competition. It definitely is more difficult, but their ability to work hard should definitely be applauded. Nevertheless, the primary goal is to gain skills and experience and produce valuable outcomes.