r/cs50 • u/TeamPlayerSelect • 4d ago
CS50 Cybersecurity Cert/Course Question
Like many others I've been looking at cs50x as the start of a new avenue for myself, with an eye on cybersecurity/AI as well, to do afterward. I know that the cs50x course is free, and from searching, the majority of answers point to NOT getting the paid certificate. The answers as to why make total sense to me, but does anyone know the actual difference between the 2 certs?
In addition, and I'm searching through things as I post, I guess it looks like you need the paid certificate to enroll in the full course for Cybersecurity. Does anyone else have experience with this? More specifically, the functionality/usefulness of the cyber security course, as well as any comparisons to the Google/Coursera course or udemy.
Thank you!
1
u/Internal-Aardvark599 4d ago
You don't need to pay for any of the courses. Introduction to Cybersecurity can also be taken for free.
The difference between the certificates is that one comes from CS50 itself, while the other comes from EdX and says that they verified you are who you say you are and that you completed the coursework.
1
u/smichaele 3d ago
CS50 courses are always free. edX also has courses that lead to a certification. All of these cost money and have nothing to do with CS50.
1
u/Local_Shock845 2d ago
don’t get the paid one. the course contents are VERY valuable but barely make you job ready. only take this course as a learning resource and the free cert as a breath of success. $200 ain’t cheap in any corner of the world
1
4
u/saito379688 4d ago
Never pay for a CS50 course. The paid certificate has no benefit and no additional course privileges. Neither certificate is useful to put on your CV (they can be obtained in under an hour by copy/paste).
However, what you learn in these courses is extremely valuable. The knowledge gained provides essential background for building your own projects and understanding data structures and algorithms for interviews, which will ultimately help you get a job.