For years, cyber security forums, podcasts, and job boards have debated the same question: Do you really need a degree to work in cyber security?
The short answer is, not always - but it helps a lot more than you might think.
The reality in 2025 is that cyber careers aren’t shaped by degrees or hands-on experience alone. The most employable professionals combine both: academic foundations that explain how systems work, and practical skills that prove they can protect them.
Understanding what a cyber security degree actually gives you
Formal education remains a major route into high-paying and government cyber roles. Degrees build three things that independent learners sometimes overlook:
1. Theoretical depth.
University courses provide structure around the principles of networks, operating systems, and cryptography. They teach how and why attacks happen, not just how to stop them.
2. Consistency and mentorship.
Structured timetables, research projects, and academic supervision create accountability and continuity. That kind of discipline is difficult to maintain when studying alone.
3. Employability signalling.
Many large companies and government agencies still use degree qualifications as an initial filter. Even if a degree isn’t essential, it can open doors to higher-paying roles and faster promotion pathways.
So while you can start a cyber career without one, degrees continue to play a crucial role in long-term professional growth.
Where classroom theory needs practical reinforcement
Theory explains how an exploit works. Practice shows you what it looks like in the wild.
Traditional university programs can struggle to bridge that gap. Students may leave with strong conceptual understanding but limited exposure to live network data, malware behaviour, or real-time incident handling.
The result is a disconnect: graduates know what to do, but haven’t yet built the reflexes to do it under pressure.
Industry data supports this. The ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study notes that employers increasingly prioritise candidates who can demonstrate “applied knowledge through lab environments or project experience.”
That doesn’t make degrees obsolete. It means they work best when paired with interactive practice, including environments where learners can make mistakes safely and apply classroom theory to simulated attacks and defences.
How hands-on learning completes the picture
Hands-on platforms like TryHackMe don’t replace academic learning. They make it more tangible.
By exploring live network traffic, decoding packets, or analysing digital forensics data, students begin to connect theoretical knowledge to operational reality. What was once an abstract lecture on intrusion detection becomes a visible pattern inside a packet capture.
This kind of learning also helps universities keep pace with an industry that changes faster than traditional syllabuses can update. Practical labs allow professors to integrate the latest attack vectors, detection methods, and security tools into their teaching without rewriting entire modules.
Bringing practical learning into higher education
Today, over 150 universities around the world use TryHackMe to help students learn cyber security more interactively.
Professors use browser-based labs to assign tasks, track progress, and tie hands-on experience directly to academic outcomes. For students, that means less passive note-taking and more problem-solving. This is a combination that employers immediately recognise.
Some universities use TryHackMe’s Pre-Security and SOC Level 1 content to support introductory modules. Others integrate the Penetration Tester and Advanced Investigations pathways into advanced electives, helping final-year students prepare for exams.
This approach benefits both sides: universities deliver industry-aligned content, and students graduate with the confidence and evidence of practical skill.
What employers really look for in 2025
Hiring managers are clear: the best candidates show both credential and competence.
Recent CyberSeek data shows that while many job listings still require a degree, almost all highlight the importance of hands-on experience, lab work, or certification.
A degree gets you seen. Demonstrated skill gets you hired.
That’s why hybrid learning - combining structured academic theory with interactive practice - is now the fastest route to professional readiness.
Final takeaway
Cyber security education doesn’t have to be a choice between university and self-study. The strongest learners, and the best degree programs, blend both.
Degrees build the knowledge that keeps your decisions grounded. Hands-on labs build the reflexes that keep your systems safe.
Whether you’re a student or an educator, the goal is the same: bridge the gap between knowing and doing.
TryHackMe partners with universities worldwide to make cyber security courses more practical. Explore how hands-on labs can complement degree programs and help the next generation of professionals learn cyber security the way it’s actually practised.
Nick O'Grady