shouldiuse.io

Comparison

SANS Institute vs My Engineering Buddy

SANS Institute and My Engineering Buddy both land on Depends.

SANS Institute versus My Engineering Buddy
CompareSANS InstituteMy Engineering Buddy
VerdictDependsDepends
Best forEmployer-funded security professionalsEngineering students needing 1:1 help
Who it's not forHobbyists and students paying out of pocketBuyers wanting platform-vetted, background-checked tutors
PrivacyTrusted authority overall, but SANS itself suffered a phishing-driven data breach in August 2020.⁹No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support qualityOnly employee reviews found, not customer support24/7 claimed; customer sentiment partly unverifiable
Public sentimentCommunity consensus: excellent depth and reputation, but widely judged too expensive unless an employer pays.⁵Reviews are largely positive on and Trustpilot, but Quora and Reddit threads carry legitimacy questions.15
Biggest gotchaPriced for corporate training budgets; self-funders report sticker shock and hikes⁷No security page means unclear handling of payments and personal data

Pick SANS Institute when

  • Employer-funded security professionals
  • Teams pursuing GIAC certifications
  • Career-changers needing deep, structured training
  • Orgs building security awareness programs

When SANS Institute is not a fit

  • Hobbyists and students paying out of pocket
  • Early-career folks . Reddit consensus: cheaper certs suffice
  • Anyone wanting quick, cheap awareness training only
  • Buyers expecting a software product . this is training

Pick My Engineering Buddy when

  • Engineering students needing 1:1 help
  • Grad/PhD coursework tutoring
  • Budget buyers ($20/hr starting)
  • Late-night pre-exam help (24/7)

When My Engineering Buddy is not a fit

  • Buyers wanting platform-vetted, background-checked tutors
  • Anyone requiring published privacy/security practices
  • K-12 parents preferring big-brand platforms
  • Students under strict academic-integrity rules

Sources

  1. SANS Institute official sitesans.org
    official
  2. GIAC Certification Pricing and Feesgiac.org
    official
  3. SANS Cyber Academies (funding)sans.org
    official
  4. SANS Institute Products on G2 (90 reviews)g2.com
    review
  5. Should I go to SANS Institute? . Reddit r/GIACreddit.com
    review
  6. Anyone have experience with SANS.edu? . Redditreddit.com
    review
  7. Has SANS increased its prices? . Redditreddit.com
    review
  8. SANS $537 scholarship fee write-upinfosecwriteups.com
    review
  9. SANS Institute suffers data breach due to phishingsecuritymagazine.com
    security
  10. SANS Institute . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    official
  11. Infosec Institute Review: Pricing & Alternativesmyengineeringbuddy.com
    review
  12. WGU or SANS? . Redditreddit.com
    review
  13. My Engineering Buddy . official sitemyengineeringbuddy.com
    official
  14. Tutoring Pricing . From $20/hrmyengineeringbuddy.com
    official
  15. Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  16. Reviews.io . 282 reviewsreviews.io
    review