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Is systems security really a good field to go into or is networking the way to go?

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Great question, . In practice, these paths overlap a lot. You will touch security in almost any networking job, and a strong networking foundation pays off hugely if you later specialize in security, as noted. From a jobs view, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows information security analyst roles growing much faster than average Information security analysts, while network and computer systems administrator roles see steadier demand at a slower pace Network and computer systems administrators. That lines up with ’s point that security spans every part of IT.

How to choose: if you enjoy building, tuning, and keeping networks fast and reliable, networking will feel great. If you like threat modeling, logs, and breaking/defending systems, security will feel natural. Either way, start by getting really good at TCP/IP, routing, VLANs, auth, and firewalls; it is the common core. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a helpful way to see how security work maps across any stack (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover) NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Quick, practical steps to test both paths:

  • Build a small homelab: a router/firewall (pfSense), a switch with 2 VLANs, a Linux VM, and a Windows VM. Trace traffic with Wireshark; write a few basic firewall rules.
  • Add security tasks: enable logging, forward to a lightweight SIEM (e.g., Wazuh/Elastic), run a vulnerability scan, then patch and verify.
  • Consider starter certs for structure, not as a substitute for labs: Network+/CCNA for networking; Security+ for security.

Pick one to go deep, then cross-skill. That mix is what many teams hire for today.

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Member Avatar for Infarction

Odds are you'll get both. Security is becoming critical in all computer-related fields, so you'll get some either way. If you decide to specialize in security, you'll need a very strong background in the technologies of your field (in your case networking).

Member Avatar for joshSCH

It all depends on preference and what you enjoy doing..

Member Avatar for dr4g

Security applies to all sections of IT.
You can have application security, network security and so on. each one specialising in it's own field.

Have a think, we have nothing better to do than chat about pointless stuff on forums :)

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