Security Consultancy Career Help

Hi

I have just finished first year of a BSc degree in Computer Science, now even though I am 2/3 years away from going into work, I really want to get a plan sorted out now.

I am quite interested in networking and security and I like programming but i don't want to spend my working days sat in a cubicle coding... at the moment I would quite like to go into Security Consultancy, more specifically maybe penetration testing. However I really don't know how to approach this job line.
Assuming that I get a first level in my degree, which all being well I will, I have no relevant work experience on my CV, and my school a-level results leave alot to be desired. So basically all I will have when starting work is a good degree in Computer Science, with a small collection of personal software projects in my portfolio.

So has anyone else been in a similar position? Are there any relevant certifications that are industry valued that would make up for my lack of experience and would be worth doing in my spare time (i have lots of it)?

Thanks for any advice,

Jack

I would never hire a security consultant that didnt have several (10+) years of programming behind them, and id never hire a programmer whose only experience is in computer science. CS doesnt fully prepare you for the realities of the programming world. Its about more than just writing code. You have to understand the target hardware in detail. Consulting is about more than just being able to answer questions, you have to bring knowledge, experience, and abilities to the table that the customer doesnt have access to in their human resource pool. The only way you will acquire those, is through experience in your field. The only way you are going to gain experience in your field is by sitting in a cubicle coding.