Firstie at West Point branched cyber. Ask me anything.

Did you do a lot of coding and in which languages?

Is AI/ML part of Data Science (Math/Statistics) or can you include it in Computer Science/Engineering track? DS is interested in AI and robotics.

Is there a limit of slots available to Branch Cyber?

Congratulations!
 
Would you be willing to talk to directly to a plebe who is very interested in the same path you have taken but may be having second thoughts on whether WP is the right place for them?
 
Can you explain what your curriculum looks like? Comp Sci? lots of coding?
 
Did you major in compsci or cyber science? Do you need to do a compsci related major to branch cyber? Do you know what kind of projects you'll be working on in your branch?
 
Thanks

Perspective​

My DS/me have all above questions. While my DS wants to go to Mechanical/Aviation /Cyber or MI. He is still thinking. Some of the answers would help
 
Until the OP returns, I'll try answering a few from our son's experience (class of 2019).

Candd82026 said:
Is there a limit of slots available to Branch Cyber?
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There is a slot limit to most (all?) branches. For the class of '19, there were 25 slots for Cyber. Slots have increased each year, but Cyber is still a competitive branch.

redraider2022 said:
Is a cyber related major (like computer science) required to branch cyber?
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Our son majored in EE with a concentration in robotics and was a member of the Cyber team. Currently, he is earning his CS master's at Georgia Tech (but not a job requirement).

Candd82026 said:
Did you do a lot of coding and in which languages?
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He had been coding since sixth grade and was proficient in C, C++, perl, and Python before entering USMA but, though helpful, those skills were not prerequisites for his major as whatever language is necessary/helpful can be learned at USMA. He did a lot of coding at USMA both for his EE and robotics projects and Cyber competitions. Good coding skills are a definite requirement for talent-based selection for Cyber as, before the skills assessment was added to the OML rubric for branch selection, too many 1LTs were washing out of the 11-month Cyber BOLC due to limited CS-related skills. I'm sure the OP can expand on what may have changed since '19 and what the branch is looking for in cadets now.

dangon822 said:
Do you know what kind of projects you'll be working on in your branch?
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It will depend on your unit which you won't know until you are assigned after BOLC. Most of what our son does now he can't share with us.
 
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Candd82026 said:
Did you do a lot of coding and in which languages?

Is AI/ML part of Data Science (Math/Statistics) or can you include it in Computer Science/Engineering track? DS is interested in AI and robotics.

Is there a limit of slots available to Branch Cyber?

Congratulations!
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Yes, we do a lot of coding in the computer science department (I'm a computer science major, although that isn't necessary to branch cyber. It does give you best chance, though). Most of the programming here is done in C, python, and scala. However, I would mention to your DS, that the language itself is not really the most important thing-- anybody can learn a programming language. The more rare and valuable skill is truly understanding computer science principles and being able to work through complex problems.

There are AI/ML classes that you can take. I took an artificial intelligence class last year -- it was quite challenging and I did learn a lot about artificial intelligence, up to and including some work with neural networks.

This year, cyber was the most competitive branch. There were 40 slots (might have been 42, there was talk about 2 extra slots or something). Over 120 people put it as their first choice -- that's more people than who put infantry as their top choice.
 
ccccbbbb21 said:
Would you be willing to talk to directly to a plebe who is very interested in the same path you have taken but may be having second thoughts on whether WP is the right place for them?
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Sure, absolutely. Shoot me a private message and we can set that up.
 
I am also a Cyber Mom...
The number is up to about 50 slots these days. However, it is very competitive and there is an interview process.
My son was a Computer Science major with a Cyber Security Minor. He did the Cyber Team the last two years he was there and did an honors thesis. (No end to the Men in Black jokes about: The best of the best of the best West Point with honors, Sir.)
If you are not toward the top of the class, you are unlikely to get Cyber. Also, you need to be able to code.
You could work in Math. My guy worked in a LOT of classes in one of the other sciences. (Not going to say who it was...part of being a Cyber Mom is knowing that our kids can hack us and mock us at any given moment.)

When you are at USMA, they teach you about the different majors and there is Branch Week in September each year where you can visit booths set up with the different branches and their representatives and have all of your questions answered.
You can also do AIADs during the summers with federal, DoD, and civilian institutions.

Also, if you hit certain wickets as a Cyber Officer you can get paid more...a lot more. However, you leave USMA with a 6 year obligation these days--and that is even if you don't go to graduate school right away--which keeps you in for 8 years.
 
exodus said:
Can you explain what your curriculum looks like? Comp Sci? lots of coding?
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There is a lot of coding, but the most important thing they teach is how to solve complex problems using computer science principles. If you are trying to get better in the field of computer science, don't spend your time jumping from language to language trying to learn as many as you can. Instead, try mastering a few languages (like python and C) and then use them to build complex projects -- this will help your development a lot more than dabbling in a bunch of different languages.

Probably the hardest classes we take in the computer science major are "operating systems", "programming languages", and "algorithms". These three classes require a lot of critical thinking and complex problem solving to succeed -- and for that reason, have probably been the most developmental classes I have taken in the major.
 
redraider2022 said:
Is a cyber related major (like computer science) required to branch cyber?
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It is not required, but a majority of people who branched cyber were computer science (probably at least half of the 40 cyber slots), about 5-10 were IT/cyber science/ electrical engineering, and the rest miscellaneous other majors.

DrMom said:
I am also a Cyber Mom...
The number is up to about 50 slots these days. However, it is very competitive and there is an interview process.
My son was a Computer Science major with a Cyber Security Minor. He did the Cyber Team the last two years he was there and did an honors thesis. (No end to the Men in Black jokes about: The best of the best of the best West Point with honors, Sir.)
If you are not toward the top of the class, you are unlikely to get Cyber. Also, you need to be able to code.
You could work in Math. My guy worked in a LOT of classes in one of the other sciences. (Not going to say who it was...part of being a Cyber Mom is knowing that our kids can hack us and mock us at any given moment.)

When you are at USMA, they teach you about the different majors and there is Branch Week in September each year where you can visit booths set up with the different branches and their representatives and have all of your questions answered.
You can also do AIADs during the summers with federal, DoD, and civilian institutions.

Also, if you hit certain wickets as a Cyber Officer you can get paid more...a lot more. However, you leave USMA with a 6 year obligation these days--and that is even if you don't go to graduate school right away--which keeps you in for 8 years.
Click to expand...
They might be increasing the slots next year, but this year were there 40 slots and the branch commandant managed to acquire 2 extra.

It is true that cyber comes with a 1 year ADSO, so you owe 6 years active minimum. If you BRADSO, you'll owe 9 years active. You also don't need to be at the top of the class -- that part is not true. People got cyber ranked well into the bottom half of the class. One of the most important things is the ability to demonstrate technical competence during the live interview.
 
What exactly are your options when commissioning? Are you becoming a lieutenant of people working with computers not in combat? Really naive to the whole situation so any info would be appreciated.
 
Cyber is my first choice, but I'm also looking into EOD as an alternate. Would you happen to know how many EOD slots were available for your class?
 
@DrMom @Perspective
Thank you for the insights. Wasn't aware about the extra ADSO/BRADSO for cyber branch. Anyway, DS was thinking of applying to graduate school and tentatively staying longer AD than was required (his current pov).

Is it true for cyber branch, you don't pick on post night because everyone in cyber goes directly to Fort Gordon? Aren't there cyber posts in other states (CA) and abroad (Germany etc)?
 
Ramsrule said:
What exactly are your options when commissioning? Are you becoming a lieutenant of people working with computers not in combat? Really naive to the whole situation so any info would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Depends on the AOC. 17A and 17D don't get attached to combat units like a 17B might. 17A is "cyber warfare officer", 17B is electronic warfare, and 17D is developer. 17A is the 2nd largest, 17B is the largest, and 17D is by far the smallest (develop new hacking capabilities for 17A to deploy).

It is true that you probably won't see physical combat, although some 17B's will. But this isn't a bad thing -- it's critical for our military to compete in cyberspace, or our efforts elsewhere are overshadowed.
 
68W said:
Cyber is my first choice, but I'm also looking into EOD as an alternate. Would you happen to know how many EOD slots were available for your class?
Click to expand...
There aren't many EOD slots. I don't know the exact number but it's definitely a lot less than cyber, like maybe 10-20 slots I think.
 
Candd82026 said:
@DrMom @Perspective
Thank you for the insights. Wasn't aware about the extra ADSO/BRADSO for cyber branch. Anyway, DS was thinking of applying to graduate school and tentatively staying longer AD than was required (his current pov).

Is it true for cyber branch, you don't pick on post night because everyone in cyber goes directly to Fort Gordon? Aren't there cyber posts in other states (CA) and abroad (Germany etc)?
Click to expand...
Yes, because everyone goes to Fort Gordon, on our post night we selected BOLC dates. You can move away from Fort Gordon after you finish BOLC, but from my understanding most of the positions are at Fort Gordon or maybe Fort Meade (in DC).
 
Most positions are at Gordon, there are some in Ft Meade for people in a certain category of Cyber. There are also positions in San Antonio and Hawaii. However, there are more operational units opening up for Cyber officers as the Army employs the skill set differently and builds a larger group of officers. You can even go to Ranger School--and prepare for that while you are in BOLC.

Also, there are a lot of opportunities for graduate education and of course for the sorts of Cyber certifications that are applicable in the civilian workspace, too.
 
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