Cy Says Blog & Podcast

 Austin is a trailblazer in his family, breaking barriers and achieving remarkable accomplishments. He proudly holds the distinction of being the first member to earn a college degree, and to serve in the military, where he made notable strides toward a Ph.D. Recently, he's been working on his dissertation on Network Security, and his passion for the topic was apparent when he shared it with our LevelUp team.

Since the moment Austin was referred to CyberUp, he showed great enthusiasm. Austin was especially thrilled to have the opportunity to earn an additional certification through the Related Training Instruction portion of his LevelUp Apprenticeship. He opted to pursue a Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification and found the virtual classroom and self-learning environment highly enjoyable and flexible. Although he appreciated the independent study process, he found great value in having a mentor to support him through the program. Austin was so grateful for this experience that he expressed a desire to volunteer as a mentor to incoming candidates in the future.                                                                                                                                                                     

Throughout his journey as an apprentice for Centene, Austin has found the support of the CyberUp team to be invaluable. He thoroughly enjoyed connecting with other new hires and found that having a close-knit network behind him instilled him with the motivation to push himself further. Today, he remains excited about paying forward the kindness and support he received, and he credits CyberUp with being the driving force behind his success.

"Be a leader, not a follower" were the words that echoed Malik's passion. Armed with that motivational phrase, Malik constantly looked for ways to better himself. Knowing cybersecurity would always be an in-demand field was the impetus for Malik's journey. And, having a knack for problem-solving and analytical thinking made him a great candidate for cyber.

Malik's original aspiration was in the world of professional sports. As a college athlete, he channeled his passion for basketball into a position as a shoe store manager. Due to unforeseeable circumstances, he had to abandon his path toward playing professional sports. During this time, Malik considered engineering and information technology as potential majors at Maryville University. Ultimately, he opted for cybersecurity due to its parallels with team-building, an integral part of his basketball experience. Malik discovered CyberUp through a trusted source - a colleague who recognized his potential for a career in cybersecurity. Upon meeting with CyberUp's executive director, Tony Bryan, Malik's interest in the field was piqued. 

Through his pursuit of a master's degree at Maryville University, Malik found CyberUp was a valuable resource in supplementing his cybersecurity education. CyberUp provided him with a seamless transition into a career in cybersecurity, fortified by strong professional relationships to turn to for assistance. Malik notes that the opportunity to learn something new every day, a hallmark of the cybersecurity field, is one of his favorite aspects of the job.

Malik's apprenticeship with Centene through CyberUp paved the way for a full-time role as a systems engineer at the company. From his starting position as a security analyst to his current role, CyberUp played a pivotal role in guiding Malik toward a successful cybersecurity career. In Malik's own words, CyberUp positioned him for an auspicious entry into the cybersecurity field.

The eco-system for cyber needs to be revamped for the future according to Eric Dunker Ph.D., Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development at Arapahoe Community College. Partnerships and pathways must be the new school approach. Colorado's bipartisan support of apprenticeship has propelled partnerships in the tech space with region-wide incentives. It's not a notion of either apprenticeship or college but how both can work in tandem.

When deciding on a new hire your HR has to be realistic about qualifications for the role. They also have to find the best ratio of no pedigree but experienced workers (Bulldogs) to hyper-specialized professionals (Brain surgeons). Shorten that fantasy laundry list of qualifications to essential skills because those that meet the fantasy requirement (Unicorns) have jobs already. Don't forget bulldogs often become brain surgeons. 

Join Tony Bryan and Debbie McLeod, President of McLeod Information Systems, to learn more ways that small businesses can create, develop, and deploy cybersecurity apprenticeships. It does not have to be complicated and there isn't a one-size-fits-all way to do things. #cybersecurity #apprenticeships

This week CyberUp had the opportunity to hang with our partners at the Security Advisor Alliance at their first in-person Converge Tour in over 2 years. Converge Tours bring local high school students together with cybersecurity professionals to explore what is cybersecurity, apply some basic concepts in a capture the flag style event, and then ask questions to each of the volunteers about how they got to where they are. Needless to say….it was inspiring. I am always in awe of a student’s interest in the subject and the amount of awareness they have about technology concepts. I know I wasn’t at that level when I was their age.

A major theme of the event is to inspire a student to see cybersecurity as a career path that is available to them. The usual stats of millions of jobs available and CRAZY HIGH salaries of course were shared as they should. Students like money and the income potential in the industry are hard to ignore. During the question/answer session with professionals, students asked a lot of questions about their roles, what they do, and funny stories, but we never really got to the “how did you get there” discussion. I would speculate most students would assume a traditional college skill path. However, that path may not be a possibility or even a desire.

I was given an opportunity to talk a bit about CyberUp’s programs by AJ Eads (host of the event). I love talking about the work we do and it’s important to me to highlight that there are non-traditional skill paths that don’t involve a college education. I firmly believe that by focusing on traditional pathways alone we will never actually “move the needle” on the talent shortage we always hear about.

Our time together was short, but I hope I left a small impression on the students and they explore options like PowerUp Cyber Games to keep their cybersecurity interest front of mind until they graduate high school. I also hope they look at alternative programs like boot camps, certification tracks, self-taught, or apprenticeships to break into a cybersecurity career. The common denominator of success in cybersecurity is obtaining a particular set of skills, building your network, and selling yourself to an employer who will give you an opportunity to shine.

We have to do a few things to grow the cybersecurity workforce:
• Promote both traditional and non-traditional pathways to students.
• Look at this with a long-term approach by engaging middle and high school students.
• Build pathways for non-traditional candidates (BIPOC, women, veterans) who are looking for careers and not just jobs.
• Widen how we prepare both youth and adults for cybersecurity careers.
• Expand the requirements and types of people companies hire.

We share stories regularly on our social channels with examples of what we believe right looks like. This is a combination of companies who adopt apprenticeship, individuals who we prepare for those apprenticeships, and the students and teachers we engage through PowerUp Cyber Games. We share those examples to inspire others to join our efforts to promote non-traditional pathways to cybersecurity careers.

It was an honor to participate in the Converge Tour with the Security Advisor Alliance and spend the day with inspiring students and industry professionals. Thank you for the opportunity!