Member Avatar for KiraCrusader

Hello,
I am a young person who dropped out of high school(due to issues that were not related to grades or motivation) who is looking into the IT field as a career path in my future. I have some questions for the people currently in the field. I plan to get my GED, and go to a college seeking some sort of degree in the information technology field. Primarily I'm looking at Information Security, like 'Ethical Hacking' CISSP and things like that. I currently am teaching myself python, after seeing a book at a big chain book store that would help teach me it. So my questions for you guys(and gals) are...

What types of different degrees are out there for my interests, and what kind of schools, besides state universities, are there that I could get a respected degree from?

Like I mentioned before I am interested in Information Security maybe being paid to test for holes in security networks of companies(Like Ethical hacking or white hat hacking at least that's what I think they do).

So, what exactly would someone who does this for a living's job title be? And is it even a good career path? I understand that the Technology field is a very fast growing one and should be so for a while.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. If you know of a good site that breaks it all down, please post a link for me.

I am looking forward to all of your responses. Thanks for taking the time to read this, hope it wasn't a waste of your time.:)

Great Thanks,
Sam H.

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For , getting the GED and learning Python is a strong start. Python is heavily used in security for automation, quick tools, and glue code; publishing small projects on GitHub (simple scanners, parsers, or scripts that automate tasks) creates demonstrable evidence of skill. Equally important are fundamentals - Linux, TCP/IP, HTTP, and basic databases - and a safe home lab (virtual machines) to practice in.

Common degree paths include Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity/Information Assurance, and Computer Engineering. Community colleges and technical schools can provide affordable, hands-on routes and often transfer into 4-year programs. When comparing programs, prioritize regional accreditation, lab access, internship/co-op opportunities, and instructors with industry experience. Shorter bootcamps or vendor courses accelerate skills but work best combined with practical experience or an accredited degree.

“Ethical hacking” appears under many job titles: penetration tester, vulnerability assessor, red-team operator, application security engineer, security analyst, and security consultant. Entry-focused certs like CompTIA Security+ are good baselines; OSCP (Offensive Security) is a well-regarded, hands-on pentest credential; CISSP is for senior/managerial roles and typically requires about five years of relevant work experience. CEH is common but more exam-focused. Critical caution: never test systems without explicit written permission - unauthorized testing is illegal.

A practical, staged plan: finish the GED; take introductory CS/IT classes (community college if needed); build a portfolio of Python projects and home-lab exercises; participate in CTFs and legal platforms to practice; seek entry-level IT roles (helpdesk, junior sysadmin) to get professional experience; earn targeted certs (Security+, then a hands-on pentest cert) and apply for junior pentest or security analyst roles. ’s point about not assuming high salaries is valid—skills, experience, and a demonstrable portfolio drive opportunity more than any single credential.

Member Avatar for Rushix

I am at home because i cant work on 6000-8000 bucks per month... I am a computer engineer....
Just think that you have done something and change field... plz ...
Dont be in wrong spirit like IT workers r getting a huge salary...
Ofcourse they gets good salary but 4 that purpose...

Criteria---> English medium school education-->No gap-->Continuous first class from 10 th --> Good aptitude(Questions r too interesting but u didnt get d anwser) ...--> you must get placed in the campus itself (Offcampus is like me 6/8/10)

Some peoples r lucky that gets placement ... But not 4 all

Now a days fields r also increased like BE/BCA/MCm/MCA/BAIT/BSCIT/crash cources/certificate programs/post graduate pgms...


Dude chnge da field

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