Choosing Between Traditional Software Development and Early Cybersecurity Specialization

The poster is in their final year of ECE engineering in India and is deciding between following the traditional software development path (learning Java/C++, DSA, LeetCode, and web development) or specializing in cybersecurity from the start. They express a strong interest in areas like SOC, DFIR, detection engineering, threat hunting, and bug bounty, preferring Linux, labs, CTFs, and security projects over full-stack development. They seek advice from professionals in India’s cybersecurity industry about whether to transition from software engineering or enter cybersecurity directly, and whether freshers should still prioritize DSA and web development.