That is a meaning for the phrase, yes

This 100% My experience only mattered because I was able to really involve myself and had a great relationship with my instructor, and still do, actually. There were people who failed out, so my specific program isn’t something I’d classify as a degree mill, but I 100% could’ve coasted through and retained nothing.

I’m a SOC Analyst in my mid 20s.

I did a boot camp, it got me a job. BUT I already had a degree, though in a completely unrelated field. For people just out of college age like me, that degree requirement was much more about showing you’re capable of committing to something than it was about specific knowledge.

You’re going to need to get certifications no matter what you do. My boot camp prepared me for Sec+ and CySA+, but you could 100% do that on your own.

At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to how much time/money you’re willing to invest. If you’re able to get a degree without significant hardship, I’d do that. There’s so much value to education, no matter the subject.

If you’ve got less money and time than that, consider a boot camp. I had an amazing time in mine, and the schedules are often designed for working adults. My class had people of all ages, though the ones with some previous interests/hobbies in IT definitely got the most out of it.

Feel free to DM me, mentoring and networking is a huge part of cyber!

Sometimes routing can be weird, and a VPN can change that. I’m not sure how they’re ever supposed to do it consistently though. I use express, and have in very rare occasions seen reduced latency while connected vs. not. I’ve never managed to make it happen on purpose, though.

Edit: I also live within spitting distance of one of the largest server hosting locations in the world, so that may factor into my experience somehow.