Starting college at 22 - does college matter?

[Adarsh]

myquals

I passed 12th in 2022.

I'm a 22‑year‑old female. I dropped B.Com in 2023 and started preparing for CA, but I couldn't clear even the Foundation level. My parents didn't let me quit CA in 2024, so I'm still stuck. I was always weak in accountancy and never liked it.

I still haven't figured out what I want to do in the future.

I'm interested in cybersecurity, maybe a cyber‑crime role, but I'm not sure if I want to code. I really dislike numbers now and the past accounting experience scares me.

I'm also thinking about BBA, but I'm not sure I can afford an MBA later. Should I go for BCA or BBA?

I considered BCA in a Tier‑1 city, but my parents may not agree, and a degree from a less‑known college might lower my job prospects, I guess.

In January I took admission in a BA from IGNOU, but BA doesn't seem to have much scope, so I'm wondering if I should switch to something else... Or should I just continue the BA and add a digital‑marketing diploma? I'm also interested in digital marketing.

I feel I could do well in counselling or HR roles.

[Tarun]

12th maths se hai?

[Pranay]

I hope it doesn't affect job interviews.

[Saad]

Just get into a degree right away. IGNOU se koi bhi tareeke se. Please don't drop out of IGNOU!

[Naman]

If you want to explore cybersecurity, look at these courses alongside your college:

- Cisco Skills for All Cybersecurity Courses
- Google Cybersecurity Certificate (Coursera)

There's plenty of scope in cybersecurity that doesn't need heavy coding. Learn a few basics and practice on TryHackMe to see if you enjoy it. If not, you can switch to digital marketing or any other field you like.

Some cybersecurity roles with little or no coding:

- Security Analyst
- SOC Analyst (Security Operations Center)
- GRC Analyst
- Cybersecurity Auditor
- IAM Analyst
- Threat Intelligence Analyst
- OSINT Analyst
- Incident Response Coordinator
- Cybersecurity Awareness Trainer
- Privacy/Data Protection roles

Remember, Ankur Warikoo says, "The world doesn't need degrees. It needs skills." And Raj Shamani adds, "Companies are increasingly asking 'What can you do?' rather than 'What did you study?'" Still, a degree isn't useless - you end up learning something anyway.

Hope this helps.