US Gov Removing Four-Year-Degree Requirements for Cyber Jobs
The U.S. government is eliminating four-year degree requirements for federal IT positions to address a cybersecurity talent shortage, investing $244 million in apprenticeships and emphasizing skills-based hiring.
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The U.S. government has announced a significant policy change aimed at addressing the cybersecurity talent shortage by removing four-year degree requirements for federal IT positions. This initiative, part of the 'Serve for America' program led by National Cyber Director Harry Coker, emphasizes skills-based hiring, allowing agencies to prioritize experience, certifications, and aptitude over formal educational credentials. With approximately 500,000 cybersecurity jobs currently unfilled in the U.S., the government aims to enhance its competitiveness against the private sector in attracting skilled professionals. The initiative also includes a $244 million investment to expand registered apprenticeships in cybersecurity and other growing industries. Coker highlighted the urgency of this shift, noting the increasing demand for cybersecurity expertise as technology continues to evolve, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence. Federal agencies are already implementing skills-based practices to facilitate this transition.
- The U.S. government is removing four-year degree requirements for cybersecurity jobs.
- The initiative aims to fill 500,000 open cybersecurity positions through skills-based hiring.
- A $244 million investment will support registered apprenticeships in cybersecurity.
- The policy shift is designed to help government agencies compete with the private sector for talent.
- The move responds to the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals amid technological advancements.
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US Gov Removing Four-Year-Degree Requirements for Cyber Jobs
The U.S. government is eliminating four-year degree requirements for cybersecurity jobs to address a shortage of 500,000 positions, emphasizing skills-based hiring and investing $244 million in apprenticeships.
10 commentsThat is - regardless of people who already have 4 year degrees or not, in the private sector both categories of people who are already established and accomplished would have much more earning power.
Has this changed recently? If not I still think most of the best talent would be going to private sector. Sure with the recent amount of layoffs and what I've heard people saying is a general reduction in earnings for software devs and IT positions some people are looking for basically anything. While those are great people, the people doing the most impactful work likely weren't laid off in the first place in the majority of companies.
> The ‘Serve for America’ initiative, announced by National Cyber Director Harry Coker, removes the four-year degree requirement in federal IT contracts and will push agencies to hire based on experience, certifications, and aptitude tests.
I'd guess that only a tiny fraction of the (claimed) half-a-million cybersec openings are under direct Federal control. Vs. contractors, state agencies, etc. - all of which may have their own "4 year degrees" requirements, whether formally or informally.
Anyone familiar with this space?
I've worked at shops where they overpaid people but hired folks who didn't have CS degrees so they didn't understand time-space tradeoffs, algorithms, data structures, or how anything worked under the hood... they were just there to collect paychecks, lacked curiosity and pride for the craft, and went home.
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The U.S. government is eliminating four-year degree requirements for cybersecurity jobs to address a shortage of 500,000 positions, emphasizing skills-based hiring and investing $244 million in apprenticeships.