Which IT specialisation should you choose: Advanced Networking or Cyber Security?
People agonise over this choice for weeks. Networking or security. Which has better prospects, which is harder, which closes doors.
Here is the fact that should take most of the pressure out of it: the two streams share 15 of their 20 units. The decision you are losing sleep over is five units wide.
That does not make it meaningless, because those five units point at different first jobs. But it does mean you are choosing an emphasis, not a life.
What is the same, and what actually differs
| What you study | |
|---|---|
| Shared by both streams (15 units) | Virtual machines, network servers, managing network security, threat data, incident response plans, disaster recovery and contingency, client problems, cyber security awareness, AI opportunities, IP ethics and privacy, matching ICT to business strategy, leading a team, technical documentation, developing concepts, enterprise virtual computing |
| Advanced Networking adds (5 units) | Install, configure and test network security; install and manage complex ICT networks; plan, implement and test enterprise communication solutions; configure and manage advanced virtual computing environments; work collaboratively in the ICT industry |
| Cyber Security adds (5 units) | Contribute to cyber security risk management; protect critical infrastructure for organisations; utilise design methodologies for security architecture; manage network and data integrity; configure cloud services |
Read those two lists again and the difference becomes concrete. Advanced Networking goes wider and deeper into building and running the infrastructure. Cyber Security goes into risk, architecture and protecting what is already built. Both already contain network security, threat data and incident response, because you cannot do either job without them.
What Advanced Networking prepares you for
The infrastructure side. You are the person who makes the network exist and keeps it running: servers, enterprise communications, complex multi-site networks, virtualisation at a scale that needs planning rather than clicking.
It suits people who like systems that either work or do not, where the feedback is immediate and the satisfaction is in building something solid. The roles it points at live inside corporate IT departments, managed service providers and anywhere with enough infrastructure to need someone looking after it full time. If you have ever enjoyed the part of a job where you worked out why something was slow and then fixed it properly rather than restarting it, this is your stream.
It is also the more common starting point for people already working in IT support, because it builds directly on what a service desk teaches you.
What Cyber Security prepares you for
The risk side. The units are about what could go wrong, what it would cost, and how you design around it: critical infrastructure protection, security architecture methodologies, data integrity, risk management.
That is a different habit of mind. Networking asks how do I make this work. Security asks how would someone break this, and what happens to the organisation when they do. People who enjoy the second question tend to be the ones who read terms and conditions, notice the odd email, and like thinking from the attacker's side of the table.
The stream sits in the Diploma in Cyber Security, and it is worth knowing that it adds cloud configuration where the networking stream adds enterprise comms. Modern security work is substantially cloud work, and the unit list reflects that.
Is the Diploma in Cyber Security the same as the Diploma of IT?
Almost, and the distinction matters when you are reading your own testamur or filling in a job application.
They are the same qualification code, ICT50220, at the same level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, with the same 20-unit structure and the same duration. What differs is the elective set, which is what produces the stream name in brackets after the qualification title. So a graduate of the cyber security stream holds a Diploma of Information Technology, specialising in cyber security, rather than a different and higher credential.
Practically this means two things. An employer scanning for "Diploma of Information Technology" will match you either way, which is reassuring if the ads near you use the general title. And the specialisation is what you talk about in the interview rather than what gets you past the filter, so the five units are a conversation, not a gate.
If you want the general version with no specialisation at all, the Diploma of Information Technology spreads its electives across programming, web, cloud and networking instead of concentrating them.
The three year test
Forget which field is bigger. Both are. Ask instead what you want to be doing on an ordinary Tuesday in three years.
If the answer involves designing and building something that a business then relies on, take Advanced Networking. If it involves assessing what is exposed and arguing for the budget to fix it, take the cyber security stream. If you genuinely cannot tell, look at the job ads within commuting distance of you and count. Entry-level infrastructure and support roles usually outnumber entry-level security roles, and the fastest route into security is often a couple of years of infrastructure work first.
What if you choose wrong
You mostly cannot, and this is the part worth internalising. Fifteen shared units means a graduate of either stream can talk credibly about network security, threat data and incident response. The specialisation shapes your first job rather than your career, and plenty of people move between infrastructure and security several times.
What would genuinely cost you is spending another three months deciding. The qualification is 100% online and self-paced with no exams, and most students finish in 12 to 24 months. Starting is the decision that matters.
One thing to check rather than assume: entry. The entry requirements section on the cyber security page says there are no formal entry requirements and recommends literacy and numeracy at a Year 12 level, while the same page's FAQ asks for three to five years of experience with ICT products, or a diploma in a similar discipline, or a premier vendor certification, and that you are at least 18. Those are different bars, so speak to an education consultant about where you actually stand before you plan around either of them.
Before you enrol
Have a look at how long the Diploma of Information Technology takes for a realistic view of the study load, and if you are earlier in the journey, which IT specialisation is right for you covers the Certificate III level choice between cloud, cyber security, programming and web development. The whole level sits on the Diploma of IT courses page. Upskilled is a Registered Training Organisation, RTO No. 40374.
Payment plans are available, and an education consultant can give you current pricing. Career information here is general and indicative, and a qualification does not guarantee a job or a particular salary.
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