About to graduate in cybersecurity, should I work or study more?
Hi everyone,
I’m a cybersecurity student based in the Netherlands and I’ll be graduating this summer with a bachelor’s degree.
I’m really interested in going into consultancy because I enjoy helping and advising people and working closely with clients. It feels like a good fit for me, but I’ve noticed there’s a bit of a gap between what I’ve learned in my studies and what I think I’d need for consultancy roles (for example, deeper knowledge of security standards like ISO, NEN, GDPR/AVG, etc.).
My school offers a 1-year master’s program that seems to focus more on these areas and could help me build that knowledge.
However, a lot of my friends are telling me not to do it and say that 1 year of work experience is more valuable than 1 year of a master’s degree.
So now I’m a bit stuck and unsure what the best move is.
For people working in cybersecurity (especially consultancy):
- Would you recommend going straight into work, or doing the master first?
- How important is hands-on experience vs deeper theoretical knowledge early in your career?
Any advice or personal experiences would really help me out.
Thanks in advance!