This article compares job adverts requiring either a university degree or industry certification. To clarify, the “required” and “ideal” (or similar words to that effect) are considered.
The job adverts are limited to my Australian state (to ensure this investigation doesn’t turn into a thesis) and limited to the Cybersecurity domain. I’ve also removed any restrictions on the expected pay rate, remote-vs-on site, and employment-vs-contract. Diplomas have been ignored. If both are mentioned and neither as optional, then both are considered.
I encourage you to conduct your own investigation in your target area and sub-industry to ensure you’re best placed (or at least know how well placed you are) for upcoming opportunities.
| Requirement | Percentage |
| Neither Certification or Degree Required | 36.4% |
| Both Certification and Degree Required | 22.7% |
| Certification only Required | 18.2% |
| Degree only Required | 22.7% |
The above table is based on a small sample of job adverts in my local area, and yours will be different. It’s a test I recommend be considered, if for no other reason, to know what you might expect in your next career move. If you’re early in your career and a Degree seems to be required for your ideal job or role, then it’s worth considering. On the other hand, certifications can be obtained fairly quickly if you know the subject matter.
The table also indicates that there’s a more than 40% chance that you’d need a certification if you want to changed jobs in the cybersecurity industry.
This test is hardly scientific, but does go a long way to gaining an understanding of the landscape. A worthy experiment.