CERTIFICATIONS

Will AI Make University Education Obsolete?

Artificial intelligence technologies, especially large language models (LLMs), are changing education across almost every major. Students can now ask LLMs to explain difficult concepts, summarize readings, review code, create study plans, and provide immediate feedback.

However, this does not mean universities will become obsolete. The impact of AI depends greatly on the field of study. More importantly, university education is not only about receiving technical information.

Some Majors Will Change Faster Than Others

Majors built around digital content will be affected most heavily. Computer science, cybersecurity, marketing, finance, graphic design, communications, and translation are already changing because AI can perform many common academic and professional tasks.

Coding increasingly involves working with AI agents rather than relying only on traditional programming methods. A marketing student can create a campaign plan, while a translation student can translate an article in seconds. As a result, universities can no longer rely only on traditional essays, simple coding exercises, or memorization. Students must learn how LLMs and neural networks work, which models to choose, how to question AI output, how to verify information, and how to make responsible decisions.

Other majors will change more slowly. Medicine, nursing, chemistry, biology, civil engineering, psychology, and social work require physical practice, laboratories, supervised training, or direct interaction with people. AI can support learning in these fields, but it cannot replace clinical experience, laboratory work, professional supervision, or human judgement.

My Experience With TryHackMe and University

I use TryHackMe, an online cybersecurity learning platform, and I also have a master’s degree from Concordia University. Both experiences have been valuable, but they have given me different things.

TryHackMe is excellent for developing practical skills. It provides guided rooms, virtual machines, security challenges, and realistic scenarios. I can practise Linux commands, network analysis, penetration testing, and incident response at my own pace. If I want to explore a specific tool or vulnerability, I can start immediately.

This type of learning is flexible and closely connected to the technical skills used in cybersecurity jobs. AI makes it even more effective. You can copy and paste a topic or term into an LLM to learn more about it.

However, TryHackMe mainly focuses on completing technical activities. It does not fully reproduce the experience of studying at a university.

At university, I gained more than technical information. My university education taught me how to conduct research, communicate ideas, work with people from different backgrounds, manage deadlines, and approach problems from multiple perspectives. Discussions with professors and classmates also challenged my assumptions in ways that an online platform cannot always do.

University also provides structure and teaches you how to conduct research rather than simply presenting information to you. TryHackMe can teach me how to use a security tool, while university helps me understand the theory, context, and consequences behind its use.

For me, one does not replace the other. TryHackMe provides focused practical experience, while university provides a broader educational and social environment.

The Role of Cybersecurity Certifications

Certifications offer another way to build and demonstrate cybersecurity knowledge. They are particularly useful for targeting a specific role or technology.

1. CompTIA Security+ for security fundamentals

2. CompTIA CySA+ for security analysis and threat detection

3. Certified Ethical Hacker for ethical hacking concepts

4. Offensive Security Certified Professional for practical penetration testing

5. Certified Information Systems Security Professional for experienced security professionals

6. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud certifications for cloud security

Certifications can strengthen a university degree, but they should not be treated as complete replacements for education or experience. Passing an exam demonstrates preparation and knowledge, but employers also value practical projects, communication skills, internships, professional judgement, and the ability to solve new problems.

Education Is Becoming a Combination

AI will not make university education obsolete, but it will force universities to reconsider what they offer. If a course only delivers information that students can find online or ask an AI assistant to explain, its value will become harder to justify.

The real value of university is the complete experience. It includes technical foundations, research, teamwork, communication, mentorship, professional networks, and personal development.

For cybersecurity, the strongest approach is a combination of university education, practical platforms such as TryHackMe, relevant certifications, personal projects, and the responsible use of AI.

AI is changing how we learn, but education is about more than access to information. It is also about learning how to think, collaborate, question, and apply knowledge responsibly.