Need Your Advice on Uni Course

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Hi i am looking to get a job in pentesting and computer security in the future and if you read my intro you will see im currently at AS level, so im choosing Universitys, i need your advice on what to take out of these two Uni courses that will best Set me up for the future.

Computer Science BSc
http://www.city.ac.uk/study/courses/informatics/computer-science-bsc.html Example course of this.

Ethical Hacking for Computer Security
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/?view=CourseDetail&code=UUSETH1

I would think Ethical Hacking would set me up better, however it is a new course and may not be as well valued by employers or set me up as well as Computer Science, what do you think?

 

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Pentesting and network security jobs are typically given to people who have administered networks for years. No course can substitute for years of experience, and those are the guys you'll be competing against for jobs.

Not saying you won't get lucky... I'm simply giving you the view from the inside.

 

Okay, what certifications , and job experience would i need to get also? Also can you say which would be a better course?

 

The link for the ethical hacking course is currently offline so I can't comment.

As far as getting into the field goes, you want to get involved in a course that will give you an appreciation of firewalls, protocols, programming, different OS's, routing and a general understanding of what on earth all of those can do to assist in securing your environment.

Before you can really understand how to hack through a somethings defenses you have to understand how they are protected, that comes from understanding the concepts in the programming, the way the protocols are used and the logic behind vulnerabilities. Nothing is ever truely secure, there are always ways around or through everything but if you can't understand what you have to do you won't become a cracker (rather than a hacker, there is a difference).

A better idea can be found here or here.

The other thing to also realise is that you will have to become very knowledgable with regards to various *nix os' because they are what's usually used in cracking (more powerful tools).

 

If I were you and could go back in time I would do the A+,N+ and MCDST whilst doing the BSc part time and try to get my foot in the door whilst studying.