AA degree and job prospects in stem fields

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cybersecurity is heavily certification driven. So I think an AA is fine but depends on the certs. If he can do an AA with a suite of AWS certs and the CCPS cert, he would likely be employable. But he will be competing with others who have college degrees or military experience. Also some positions require an undergraduate degree to even be considered.

Certifications he should look into Security+, CISSP, CISA, and CCSP. Then more vendor specific: AWS & MS AZURE/Defender/Purview.

With certifications and/or an AA degree, one will be able to get a technician level job in cybersecurity. Pay will be relatively flat with raises primarily driven by cost-of-living increases. Work likely will be very repetitive. Limited career options.

With a BS in CyberSecurity, one will have a lot more career growth options, a better starting salary, and more varied/interesting work.

Note also that the Federal Government is VERY degree oriented both for Federal jobs and for government contractor positions. BS degrees are strongly preferred over AA for both civil service and contractor jobs.

Really, there is not much comparison.

[Anonymous]

AA only helped me become a sub at a tech high school and a paraprofessional