
Ask HN: Returning to School in Mid-30s? - teaker
Hello HN...
I am considering a career change into cybersecurity and would appreciate any guidance and insight those of you who are in the industry might be willing to offer.<p>I&#x27;m a mid-30s attorney living in south-central U.S.  I currently represent large corporate clients in the healthcare field.  I have a Bachelor&#x27;s degree in Business Admin and a J.D. from a state university.<p>I am considering returning to school to pursue a career in cybersecurity.  It has been a field I have been heavily interested in since I was a child.  I have attempted to keep up with the evolution of cybersecurity throughout the years, maintaining general knowledge concerning current tools-of-the-trade, etc. However, I am admittedly a script-kiddie (I have spent far more time attempting to read&#x2F;interpret code than write it) when it comes to being hands-on. I can complete the easy hackthebox challenges but typically have trouble with more difficult stuff.<p>So, I am contemplating returning to school to pursue what I often feel is my true calling.  I admit that my primary concern is that I will be significantly lagging behind most others in the field who have held jobs in cybersecurity since their early 20s.<p>I also wonder how important it is to graduate from a top-tier school.  When it comes to lawyers, graduating from anything but an Ivy league practically guarantees you will never be presented with top-tier employment opportunities in any large city. Does the same apply to cybersecurity?  If so, to what extent?<p>I wonder whether the skills I&#x27;ve developed over the past 8 years practicing law might be beneficial in the cyber arena.<p>Finally, I wonder whether my love for this stuff would soon fade after it became &quot;work.&quot;  Have any of you experienced this?<p>I would love to hear thoughts any of you might have regarding the above.  Thanks in advance!
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cjbprime
Going back to an onsite college for it doesn't seem like a great idea. It's
already a field that doesn't really value credentials in general, especially
academic ones. You could probably instead do a tour of the commercial
certifications while paying for it with the law salary, and come out
equivalently-or-more employable and with much less debt.

Not an expert, just sharing intuitions.

I think there are probably some subreddits that would get this question often
and have in-depth suggestions.

