When it comes to knowledge + work experience in cyber security, the Military seems to easily beat going to college

I'm prior AF and currently work in IR, and the biggest regret I have from the AF is not going into cyber ops. From everyone I talk to who was in it, it seems like you get everything you need to work in today's market. You get industry standard certs, solid work experience, a high security clearance, all for free, while at the same time getting paid to learn it. Comparing this to college where it costs a shit ton for a degree that gives you no work experience.

Best case scenario you make connections while doing internships on the side, then maybe you'll be lucky enough to skip help desk. This doesn't even go into the whole argument of whether or not a cyber sec degree is worth it for young people seeing as how cyber sec isn't an entry level job and often times requires prior experience in the field you're doing security in.

When a young person asks me how to get into cyber security these day's, I just tell them their best bet is to join the military and go into a cyber field. It just seems like the most straight forward path with the best outcomes. The cyber security field as a whole seems pretty much tailored for it honestly. Certs, work experience, military experience, a clearance, free college, free healthcare, and a paycheck. All that in the same time as a person the same age as them who only got a degree and is now is 50k of debt. Seems like a no brainer to me.