Career Question, Business Management or Cyber Security?

[Oneautumn7]

You have a lot going on.

When you say a bachelors in management will help get you a management job, how certain of that are you?  In my experience managers get promoted for proven ability.  Sometimes a degree is needed as a checkbox, but is a degree in management necessary with project experience and a PMP?

Also, do you want to do management in that field? Or is it just an easy way to higher salary?

Do you want to do software or cybersecurity?  For software, can you freelance while working your fulltime job and get experience that way?  I think cybersecurity might have lower entry level pay, because there are jobs out there that are literally just telling the old people at the company not to get spear-phished. But I'd check on that and also look into cybersecurity freelancing or even possibly ways to cross over into it at your current company.

Hello Spohara,

Yes, you're correct, there's a lot going on, that's why I hoped to get outside perspectives and opinions. The chance to get a Management position at my current job, I would realistically give it a 60/40 of able to obtain. With how positions are opening up the chance I would say would be good. I do as well have an active PMP, and how HR is positioning a degree is a must, not necessarily be in business as well. 

I like the management field, I have mostly done software and haven't really played much with cyber security; so I wouldn't know if I like it or not honestly. Freelancing is actually a pretty good Idea that I honestly did not imagine. I would be lying if I say that higher salary wasn't my number one reason for choices I make. Flexibility and opportunities being two and three.

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Make sure that having a bachelor completed won't interfere with your plans to have the military assistance keep paying for your bachelor/master in CS.  If it does stick with the path you're on, even though it may be the slower one to take.

Or keep you from earning the bachelor's at all. Some schools don't allow second bachelor's degrees.

It wouldn't affect my current track luckily. This would be out of pocket.