I'll make this post simple and to the point. I'm a 28 yr old Computer Science student and also have a couple of comptia certs under my belt (A+ Net+ Sec+). I'm looking to join the army, but I'm not sure which route to go Cyber(17 series) or MI(35 series) my goal is to work with USASOC in support roles. I wanted to ask out of Cyber and MI which route is better for a person with my skillset?
Cyber vs MI
- Thread starter Onyx95
- Start date
Well, it sounds like your background is more suited for Cyber. But if you want to work in SOF, there are many, many more MI billets in SOF than Cyber ones.
There are MI roles in cyber as well.
@Onyx95 there are a number of people on this site who can talk smart about cyber, but this guy ^ is hands down the expert. There are also plenty of people here who can talk to you about intel in SOF. Good luck with your decision.
Cyber is the future.
My opinion (and I consider myself to be the JV squad), but I'll dangle this:
Cybersecurity's world is larger than most (probably you too OP) realize, so seeking a career in cybersecurity has the potential to be broader than most believe. It isn't just "nerd shit" and I say that as a former nerd, there is a LOT of admin which turns off many from the career field.
You want Cyber? It is "cool guy" offensive and defensive, it is admin, it is Intern level work, and you have to want to be here. You have to accept your role could involve mundane, boring-ass tasks.
You could also depending upon breaks and luck, start your career doing god level cyber operations.
Pay your money and take your chances.
18 year old me would go for MI and angle for cyber. Your mileage my vary and I take no responsibility if your career becomes a liquid shitshow. I regret NOTHING about my time in commo, yet I also see I could easily integrate into an MI unit.
Pay your money, take your chances, nothing is guaranteed so play the odds.
I wish you the best and look forward to a follow-on post with your results.
Cybersecurity's world is larger than most (probably you too OP) realize, so seeking a career in cybersecurity has the potential to be broader than most believe. It isn't just "nerd shit" and I say that as a former nerd, there is a LOT of admin which turns off many from the career field.
You want Cyber? It is "cool guy" offensive and defensive, it is admin, it is Intern level work, and you have to want to be here. You have to accept your role could involve mundane, boring-ass tasks.
You could also depending upon breaks and luck, start your career doing god level cyber operations.
Pay your money and take your chances.
18 year old me would go for MI and angle for cyber. Your mileage my vary and I take no responsibility if your career becomes a liquid shitshow. I regret NOTHING about my time in commo, yet I also see I could easily integrate into an MI unit.
Pay your money, take your chances, nothing is guaranteed so play the odds.
I wish you the best and look forward to a follow-on post with your results.
I love cyber. It is a great field that will I believe will continue to grow exponentially over the next twenty years. It’s also great to build a resume for your eventual transition into the civilian world. You have to decide what kind of experience you want to have in the Army. Cyber can be very exciting, but it doesn’t always provide the same opportunities for deployments that other fields may have, like MI. The nature of the internet means that you can do a lot of cyber stuff from your desk in the United States. It’s something to consider. I spent the beginning of my career in the infantry before eventually finding my way to cyber. Those formative years made me a much better leader and were a lot more exciting than the more desk bound existence I find myself in today. Let me know if I, or any of the other leaders on this site, can help you make an informed decision.
Devildoc
Verified Military
This is one of the reasons I love this site. So many SMEs that are willing to mentor and help.
This rarely happened when I was a young man looking for some answers.
Also consider your choice of location: as of right now, cyber positions within the organizations you’re looking at are pretty much limited to the MDW. This may change in the future but that’s how it stands right now. Meanwhile, MI officers are needed just about everywhere and in a variety of different units. There’s a lot more options to move around if you don’t like a specific area.
But hey, if DC/VA/MD is your jam, then by all means go for it.
But hey, if DC/VA/MD is your jam, then by all means go for it.
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For the Army it’s actually a huge footprint at Fort whatever Gordon is now. Smaller sites in Maryland, Bragg, hawaii, San Antonio and Colorado, and all the Army Corps locations.
Fort Eisenhower, I believe...
Are you speaking about ARCYBER or USASOC? Agree on the former but the latter has a very small footprint.
I should have specified. ARCYBER used to have a huge footprint in the DC/MD area but that has shifted to Georgia now. The Army is creating cyber/SIGINT/EW units at all their Corps level commands so there will be a small contingent of cyber folks across the general purpose Army. Especially on the DCO side, which will likely grow exponentially in the next decade.
