# Should I Go to College for a Career in Cybersecurity? There will probably always be value in getting a college degree. My recommendation would be: if time is not of the essence, and you have the funds to go to college, do it. You will be providing yourself more of a safety net in terms of marketability and job security, and it'll likely help later on when you're building up to the mid-senior level in your career. With that being said, it is not necessary to have a degree to get into, or to be successful in cybersecurity. There is a multitude of success stories where people have gotten into the industry without a degree. If your goal is to get into cybersecurity in a constrained timeframe, college may not be the way to go. You'll be looking at 2-4 years of education, some of which will not be related to the field. You can likely cut this time in half by focusing on self study, hands on experience, and certifications. Part of the dilemma of the current saturation in the entry level job market is candidates not having sufficient experience upon graduation from college or from a cybersecurity bootcamp. Bootcamps can push people out to the workforce with as little as a few weeks of classroom experience, often equivalent to Security+ level knowledge, if that. Not *all* bootcamps are a poor investment, but it's safe to say *most* are. If you're already enrolled in college, that's great. To further improve your chances of getting hired post-graduation, dial in on hands on experience via cyber ranges and a [[home lab]]. We'll discuss the importance of this a little more in the [[Hands-on Experience and Self-study]] section.