I've spent the last two years studying cybersecurity and am about to begin my third year, but I'm increasingly unsure whether I want to continue. I originally chose it as something to pursue while figuring out my long-term interests, but I haven't been enjoying the coursework. I'm more drawn to mathematics, physics, computer science, and understanding how systems work beneath the surface. Much of my cybersecurity program focuses on practices and tools rather than programming or deeper technical concepts, which has made the field feel repetitive and disconnected from what I enjoy.
I'm considering switching to aerospace engineering, mechatronics, or an AI-related path. I've also been learning to code in my spare time because I believe programming and understanding computer architecture are important foundations for AI. Would it make sense to explore those areas instead of committing fully to cybersecurity, or should I investigate more technical cybersecurity specialties first?
3 Answers
Before making a complete switch, remember that cybersecurity is a broad field. Areas such as security research, exploit development, reverse engineering, malware analysis, cryptography, and AI security involve much more programming, mathematics, and low-level computer science than simply operating security tools. You may not dislike cybersecurity as a whole—you may just dislike the part your degree emphasizes. Try a few hands-on projects in those specialties and see whether they feel more engaging.
It’s reasonable to take your lack of enthusiasm seriously. A lot of security work involves documentation, compliance, risk discussions, monitoring, and trying to convince organizations to fix problems they don’t want to pay for. The more exciting technical roles exist, but they’re relatively uncommon and usually require strong programming and computer science skills beyond the degree itself. If engineering, physics, or AI consistently interests you more, changing direction now may be better than forcing yourself through a career you already find unfulfilling.
That’s how it feels so far—like I’m learning tools without really understanding how they work. I don’t want to put all my time into a path that doesn’t fit me, so I’m going to explore the subjects I genuinely enjoy while keeping security on the side.
Don’t choose AI solely because it is currently popular. Build the fundamentals first: programming, data structures, algorithms, linear algebra, probability, and computer systems. Those foundations will help whether you move into AI, engineering, or a technical area of security. You also don’t need to know every detail of computer architecture before starting AI; learn the relevant concepts as you go and use small projects to test what you actually enjoy.
That makes sense. Most of my classes barely involve coding, which may be the main reason I find the subject so dull. I’ll keep cybersecurity as a hobby while spending more time on programming, AI, and possibly engineering.