Data science/statistics or cybersecurity?

>>3130992
Data science hands-down. The size of data is growing so damn quickly that the demand is shooting through the roof.

>>3130992

I'm getting a degree in cybersecurity and it's pretty fucking dope.

Literally learning how to be a 1337 hacker and the job market is fucking booming.

I'm doing a co-op as a cyber risk analyst at one of the Big Four right now and they're already making me a full time offer half way through my internship.

The technical knowledge from my program has also been a good asset in the cryptocurrency space. Knowing exactly how the cryptographic protocols of PGP, RSA, elliptic curve etc. work on a mathematical level actually makes me feel like I have a decent understanding of just what the fuck I'm investing in here.

Can't really go wrong with data science/stats these days either though.

>>3131105
>hands-down
Explain. The demand for cybersec is also extremely high.
>>3131138
>a degree in cybersecurity
What specialty? Are you getting any certs or are you learning everything you need through your master's/PhD program?
Vulnerability research is probably the most useful and well-paid, but it seems like the most competitive as well. I don't know much about netsec or cryptography.
>Can't really go wrong with data science/stats these days either
Both fields sound appealing, though I'm more interested in security. Data science seems more lucrative though.

I had the same dilemma, doing cybersecurity since i csn always become a data scientist ad hobby.

>>3131354
Couldn't you say the opposite too?
It actually seems harder to break into data science without a math-heavy degree than it is to break into security without a degree/certs (as long as you have the skill set, it seems that nobody really cares).

>>3131208

It's a bachelor's actually. First two years were essentially foundational computer science (programming, OS design, computer math, algorithms, etc) but the last two years focus on actual network security / malware analysis and design / cryptography.

>Vulnerability research is probably the most useful and well-paid

Not sure where you get that impression from. Pretty much every facet of cybersecurity is lucrative, most people graduating from my program hit 6 figures in under 3 years. I'm currently in the IAM practice but I'm considering getting in malware research somewhere down the line just because I enjoy technical work a lot more.

Professional designations are mostly resume padding though. The only certification that's actually worth a damn is OSCP because it actually requires a ton of technical knowledge to get (the exam is literally a 24 hour pen test). However, if you're more business-oriented you'd be looking at getting something like the CISSP somewhere down the line.

If you have a legitimate interest in cybersecurity I would recommend researching any programs you're considering thoroughly. The demand in the cybersec space for people who actually know what the fuck they're doing is ridiculously high but most programs teach at a very high level. You need legitimate technical expertise to stand out in this field.

>>3131448
>bachelor's
Do you plan on going to grad school afterwards?
Is your school in the USA?
>Not sure where you get that impression from
VR, from what I've seen, seems like it has the highest barrier to entry due to the technical skill required. I might be wrong.
>every facet of cybersecurity is lucrative
Sure, but are they all lucrative to the same extent?

Thanks for the tips. Are there cases for which getting a PhD in a security-related field is worth it?
>people who actually know what the fuck they're doing
Are there a lot of shitty security professionals currently?
>legitimate technical expertise
Is it true that if you don't constantly stay 100% up to date on what's happening in the field, you're fucked?

>>3130992
future colledge level retard?

>>3130992
all the cybersecurity people i've encountered in my career have been dumbass checklist compliance drones who couldn't tell you the difference between RSA and elliptical curve or explain what bit padding is or why it's important so that's sort of tainted my experience with so called cybersecurity experts

>>3131817
You've never encountered a competent security expert? Is it that rare?

Bump.
How the fuck is this board so fast now? It used to be much slower only a year ago.

>>3132677
cryptoshills

"big data" is all hype

>>3131743

PhDs are good if you're really keen on specializing. I'm not even sure if there are any malware research PhD programs though. The malware researchers that I've known started in some other part of cybersec and found a junior malware position later. Takes a long time to get up to speed in that field even if you do get a job though, on-the-job training can take like 6 months before they let you touch anything important.

Big institutions definitely have a lot of shitty cybersecurity practitioners that don't know half as much as they should because they need to have someone fill a specific role for security auditing purposes.

Yeah, depending on what you specialize in you'll need to stay up to date with the latest vulnerabilities and industry news. This field moves very quickly.

both are good desu

>>3130992
I think cyber security would be more rewarding as well as better long term. Normies greatly underestimate malware and how many people are out there waiting to steal any sort of info you have.

But if you really like numbers/stats and that sort of thing, data science is probably better. I'm sure if you tried one and didn't like it, the other would almost be a sure fit.

Good luck anon.

>>3132761
Stats and fintech aren't all hype. Big data isn't just shitty startups.
>>3132824
It would probably be very interesting to specialize in a certain area. I've never seen malware research grad programs, but stuff like cryptography, or even networking are available.
Though I'm not sure what a networking PhD would even do.
>on-the-job training can take like 6 months before they let you touch anything important
It seems to be that way for most interesting jobs that require a specialized skill set, really.

So bad security professionals exist because of a lack of specialization, or a lack of specialized hires at least?
>>3132858
Security seems a bit more interesting while stats/big data/AI-ML probably pays better, but yeah both are probably good.
Thanks anon.

>>3130992
>Data science/statistics or cybersecurity?
Memes. Memes everywhere.

We're in a second dot-com bubble that's imminently about to pop. It would be a very poor choice to go into either field.

>>3133020
wtf are you talking about

>>3133068
Look at the P/E ratios of tech companies famalam.

Yahoo just went under. Uber, Twitter, and Snapchat are threatening to go under. These larger players going down is a systemic risk to the industry because they fuel the growth of smaller startups through acquisitions.

>>3133428

You do realise possibly every major sector on the planet can benefit from data analytics? Energy, Retail... you name it.

>>3133490
That already exists and is called statistical process control. You've been sucked into the computer science memery.

Is there other stuff in CS that's not machine learning or security but still makes good money?

>>3133020
The comp sci majors from the last tech bubble at the turn of the century are all poor now, right anon?

>>3134638
You're falling for the selection bias of only looking at the ones that succeeded. I have multiple relatives that have been NEETs ever since it popped.

>>3130992
Both. Finance needs both, and pays both really well.