Getting Started in Network Security?

pixelgeek asks: "Security has not only become an important topic but also a critical issue for admins and even the average user in their home. To someone new to the topic the wealth of material can be a bit daunting and, you can imagine, a little confusing. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start getting a handle on the concept of network/computer security and what are the most important and useful applications (CLI primarily) that a person should examine and learn?" We've touched on these issues before, but it was a while ago. Taking a network security class, could help, but which classes are really worth the money and might there be enough information on the web to make such a choice, unnecessary?

Comments

My educational plans:

[jasonrocks]

I'm an undergraduate student going towards a CS. After I graduate I plan to get a master's from an educational institution reccomended by the NSA. Keep in mind that some schools on this list have better programs than others. Georgia Tech has a highly technical program while Carnegie Mellon has a great organizational program. Both schools deal with all topics, just to different degrees. I have heard the argument that experience is better than education. In my opinion, both are important.
If you are looking for a less formal learning experience, you could check out DEFCON, which is an annual conference for hackers. There are also other more formal conferences which costs lots more. (ApacheCon, DallasCon etc.)
If you are looking for a thorough documentation, you could check the Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual . Network and other computer security topics are extremely important and very important and interresting.