Challenges

Okay asshole, I challenge everyone to earn this certificate in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland, College Park. You can either take all four classes for free, or have something new to put on your resume for $245 bucks.

This series will present students with a broad, multidisciplinary perspective on current topics in cybersecurity, with courses on cryptography, hardware security, software security, and usability, and a capstone course that puts them all together. The Specialization concludes with a Capstone project that allows you to apply the skills you've learned throughout the courses.

Intended for sophomore/junior/senior-level undergraduate students (and beyond) majoring in mathematics, computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering. Some familiarity with programming, ideally in C/C++, and one other "managed" language, like ML, Java, or C#. Students not familiar with these languages can improve their skills through on-line web tutorials. Prior exposure to algorithms and digital logic design/computer organization recommended. See individual course descriptions for details.

Next challenge: earn your CompTIA A+ certification.

"The CompTIA A+ certification is the starting point for a career in IT. The exams cover maintenance of PCs, mobile devices, laptops, operating systems and printers."

The exam fee is $194; price list for the other certs here.

See? With those two things under your belt, you're actually employable. For a little under the price of a new Playstation 4, you've got a skeleton of a resume that might get your foot in the door in places you never expected.

You're welcome.

/r/anonymous Thread