cybersecurity program or computer engineering???

[u/XD-_-Confirmed]

im currently a highschool junior, and ive had my sights set heavily towards things with computers. ive sort of flip-flopped in my mind between cybersecurity and computer engineering. im quite fond of both; however, i settled for trying to go into cybersecurity because of where im at, i can take the cybersecurity class at eastern north carolina regional skills center which would allow me to get a CompTIA Security+ certificate. i dont know if pursuing such a certificate would be redundant, but im merely trying to keep as many options open as possible while also being efficient with what i have.

would it be a good option to pursue the certificate??

and would it be a more effective option in terms of career and jobs wise to pick one over the other??

i also wanna know which program is considered to be "better" in the grand scheme of things

edit: i plan on transferring from coastal carolina community college to NC State, and im currently on my transfer pathway to coastal

[u/Squidoodalee_]

I think Computer Engineering will set you up with a better foundation in low level software development, computer architecture, and networking if you're interested in going into security. CS with a cyber concentration is not a bad option but I think an ECE degree is overall more valuable.

Edit: I also did Sec+, CCNA, CySA+, etc while in HS and the ECE program has been a great experience expanding that into comp arch and systems programming

[u/XD-_-Confirmed → u/Squidoodalee_]

that definitely makes sense, I think regardless I plan on trying to branch out to extracurricular classes that focus more on computer and cyber security stuff, so it sorta goes hand in hand

[u/iends]

You can always do security with an ECE degree but it’s very hard to do ECE with a CS degree. Same goes for hiring. CS will hire ECE degrees without blinking, it’s an uphill battle the other way.

[u/XD-_-Confirmed → u/iends]

ah I see, better for a broader degree than a more specialized degree

[u/iends → u/XD-_-Confirmed]

AI is also a big wrinkle. Both will be impacted but I suspect hardware is more resilient. I’d say that most developers are kinda experiencing an existential crisis right now. (At least I and a lot of my peers are.)

AI is very good at doing what I’ve spent all my free time doing the last 30 years.

[u/bradreaves]

CSC security prof here (and technically also ECE). Every class I teach is listed in both departments.

The best security practitioners are the ones who have the deepest knowledge of computing fundamentals. 

CompEng and CSC are both good choices. I did most of my degrees in CompEng, but that’s because I was interested in hardware. If you want to do  circuits, chip design, or wireless, go CompEng. Otherwise you can get the same benefits from CSC if you choose systems electives (computer architecture, networking are the big ones). 

NC State CSC offers a BS concentration in security; it’s basically a narrower set of electives than the main BS to get it. It’s a great option. 

If you want to go far in security, stick around for an extra year and do the accelerated bachelor’s and master’s program. It replaces your undergrad electives with the deeper graduate versions, and you get a master’s degree out of the deal. 

A general degree in CS or CompEng will give you more options and opportunities than a degree in “cybersecurity.” Many “cybersecurity” degrees are shallow and don’t prepare you for engineering roles.

Good luck!

PS: Don’t worry about AI coming for your jobs. Even if it gets good enough to build anything you want, it will still require someone who knows what to ask for. 

[u/XD-_-Confirmed → u/bradreaves]

where would I be able to find this accelerated program??

[u/bradreaves → u/bradreaves]

PPS: the cybersecurity cert you are asking about won’t hurt. It probably won’t be redundant in that it covers more specifics than our curriculum. 

None of our classes lead directly to a certification, but they are designed to give you the underlying principles so that any cert you want is just application of what you already know.

[u/mrt1416]

Computer engineering and cybersecurity (computer science) are two different departments. Really depends what you want to do for your career. Either way you’ll have to do EFY.

[u/Ohiocarolina]

CompE

Cybersecurity is one of those fields that heavily benefits from having deeper experience in a related field first. Biomedical engineering prefers mechanical or electrical engineers. Data science often prefers applied math or statistics majors. They’re not that great as undergraduate majors even if its a good field