Forbes projects a 31% increase in Cybersecurity jobs through 2029, 7 times higher than the national average. As a result, the need for personnel with expertise in security, risk management, data privacy and security, cloud security, and health information security will increase over the next 5 years.

Forbes projects a 31% increase in Cybersecurity jobs through 2029, 7 times higher than the national average. As a result, the need for personnel with expertise in security, risk management, data privacy and security, cloud security, and health information security will increase dramatically over the next 5 years.

Students and professionals have a variety of alternatives when deciding how to begin or develop in the field of Cybersecurity and information security. Graduate degree programs in Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity bootcamps are among the most popular choices.

Graduate degree programs and bootcamps are both effective paths for students to acquire skills they can use right away to land high-paying jobs. That said, choosing whether to get a Cybersecurity degree or participate in a bootcamp can be difficult. Both have their pros and cons, and it ultimately depends on your goals and preferences.

In this blog post, we’ll compare bootcamp vs. degree in Cybersecurity to help you make an informed decision.

Choosing between a Cybersecurity bootcamp and a degree program can be confusing because peers have differing opinions on the advantages of each. Therefore, let’s thoroughly examine the main distinctions to determine which is best for you.

Curriculum

Cybersecurity BootcampCybersecurity Degree
Solely focused on the training and skillsIncludes general education credits in English, arithmetic, physics, business, and history

While pursuing a 4-year Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, students receive general education credits in English, arithmetic, physics, business, and history. Some companies prefer hiring specialists who can prove their competence by holding a degree and thorough general education.

Students in college also have the time to study complex concepts. For instance, data structures, programming languages, and software engineering courses are frequently offered as electives and in Cybersecurity programs.

Cybersecurity bootcamps on the other hand give you the information and resources you need to get your first Cybersecurity job. The majority of the bootcamp curriculum is focused on practical activities and projects that mirror duties performed in the workplace.

Bootcamps emphasize practical training with the tools, challenges, and inner workings of a typical Cybersecurity profession, whereas schools are known for their extensive academic study. This is due to the fact that many bootcamps aim to prepare students for an entry-level job within a short period of time, and some even help you land your dream job!

Length

Cybersecurity BootcampCybersecurity Degree
Few months4-5 years

The fact that Cybersecurity bootcamps typically span a few months means that students may start working right away. So, for professionals who wish to become cybersecurity specialists or analysts, Cybersecurity bootcamp provides an intensive learning environment to them.

With only a minimum amount of time, students may learn Cybersecurity skills more quickly. Cybersecurity bootcamps offer a solution for anyone looking for a streamlined career path in the information technology sector.

A Cybersecurity degree, on the other hand, can take 4 – 5 years to complete. Therefore, from a time standpoint, bootcamps may seem very exciting.

Cost

Cybersecurity BootcampCybersecurity Degree
Costs around $14,000Costs around $24,930 per year

It isn’t easy to compare the cost of a degree with a Cybersecurity bootcamp.

At a university, you will pay at least $9,650 per year or $24,930 per year in tuition, depending on whether you live in your state or not. While a degree typically costs at least that much for in-state and out-of-state tuition, the average bootcamp is $14,000.

The in-state tuition amounts to $38,600, and the out-of-state tuition comes to $99,720 when we increase it by 4 years for a bachelor’s degree.

So, considering the difference between a college degree and bootcamp – cybersecurity bootcamps are less expensive.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Return on Investment (ROI) measures an investment’s profitability (ROI). This ballpark figure gives an idea of the overall monetary return on investment. You should determine the return on investment (ROI) for the time and money you spend before investing in a Cybersecurity degree or Cybersecurity bootcamps.

Because there are literally so many factors to consider, comparing the lifetime ROI of attending a Cybersecurity bootcamp to attending college is difficult. That said, if you put in the effort into either of the options, you should be able to reap the benefits in your professional career.

Earning Potential

Professionals with either a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity or a certificate in Cybersecurity have equivalent earning potential. Here are the median salaries for IT occupations as of 2022:

These occupations frequently require a Bachelor’s degree or higher. According to a Switchup study, graduates in Cybersecurity and bootcamp graduates had comparable average employment at significant tech firms. What’s more, 80% of Cybersecurity bootcamp graduates are hired within 6 months of completing the training.

Graduates from bootcamps can also start their careers in less than a year, opening up the door to more senior positions and higher salaries earlier.

So, should you go for a Cybersecurity bootcamp or a Cybersecurity degree? The answer is it depends. Both options have their pros and cons, and the best way to make a decision is to weigh them against your specific needs and goals.

If you want more hands-on experience and are looking to start your career as quickly as possible, then a bootcamp might be the better option. But if you’re interested in learning about all aspects of computing and want more flexibility in terms of what courses you take, then a degree may be the better choice. Whichever path you choose, make sure that the school or program you select is accredited and has a good reputation in the industry.

Also, it is important to understand that both Cybersecurity bootcamps and Bachelor’s degrees offer complementary skill sets and networking opportunities that can help people advance professionally in their careers.

For instance, college graduates who have experience working in the computer industry might want to update their abilities and enroll in a Cybersecurity bootcamp. Or, after honing their abilities in a bootcamp, a graduate can decide to attend college so both paths are equally important.

Instead of debating between a Cybersecurity degree and a Cybersecurity bootcamp, many professionals choose to enroll in both.

Is a Cybersecurity bootcamp better than a degree?

Cybersecurity bootcamp can teach you relevant and valuable job skills in significantly less time than a Cybersecurity program. This is because a degree offers you a solid basis, but a bootcamp teaches you specific abilities you can apply immediately in the job. So to some extent, bootcamps are better.

Do companies hire Cybersecurity bootcamp graduates?

Hiring managers and founders have praised hiring bootcamp alums from the largest tech businesses in the world (like Google and Amazon) to the fastest-growing start-ups in Silicon Valley, proving that getting a job after a bootcamp is achievable.

Although the goals of Cybersecurity degrees and bootcamps differ significantly, these two options typically complement one another. To decide which path you want to take, you must compare a Cybersecurity bootcamp vs. a degree in Cybersecurity.

While some bootcamp graduates enroll in Cybersecurity programs to explore the topic more deeply, many Cybersecurity students attend bootcamps to sharpen their real-world programming abilities.

With so many options available, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. We hope this article has helped give you some guidance on making that decision. Which route did you decide on? Let us know in the comments below!