Mature student in cyber security

I am 62 years old. I have been a professional programmer for 40 years. I have a City & Guilds 417 in computer programming but no A levels. Can anyone suggest how I might best get on a cyber security course (with student finance)?

Reply 1

StaffsRep Aura

Official Rep

Original post

by StevieDC

Hi!
It's brilliant to hear that you are considering courses in cyber, education is lifelong and for everyone. We have several mature students studying Cyber at the University of Staffordshire. Here's a couple things to consider...

If you are considering an undergraduate degree:
-You can go through UCAS for undergraduate degree applications. Deadlines are coming up so please apply quickly unless you are willing to go through Clearing. This means that you can apply for SFE to support your studies. Some of my friends who did this decided to continue their jobs part-time while studying (trust me, full time work and study does not pair well, even more so if you have a family!) while some relied on savings and SFE loans only.
-If you miss the deadline, consider clearing!
-Please research grants, bursaries and Universities before applying to ensure that the modules work for you. Look for accreditations like BCS, Tech Industry Gold and similar!

Otherwise:
-Certifications are a brilliant way to upskill and improve your job prospects. For cyber beginners I recommend: Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) by ISC² and then CompTIA Sec+. Linux Essentials, Net+, Cloud Practitioner and similar can also boost you in this domain, many of these link nicely into cyber and at some Universities they are tied into the courses (such as here a Staffs!)
-HackTheBox and TryHackMe are AMAZING tools to get your practical skills up too. Follow a pathway to get started.

As a programmer you already have the advantage as you can go into fields such as Security Engineering, DevSecOps, Pentesting and similar, which many struggle to get into. Hope this answers your question, please let me know if you have any more.

Aura (Uni of Staffs Rep, Computer Science BSc, Final year.)

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

Daniel - UOS

Official Rep

Original post

by StevieDC

Approach the university (or universities) directly - your age and past experience land you well within the 'mature student' category, so standard entry requirements may be more flexible. You would probably still need the equivalent of GCSE English and Maths, but you may already have that (if not, an equivelancy qualification is super easy to get). A good university would see your age and experience as a good thing to bring into their institution.
As for SFE, your age means they will assess your maintenance loan based on household income, so be aware that you may not get a full award.
Good luck, hopefully you'll find a way forward