Introduction

My name is David Levy, and I am a cybersecurity major at Old Dominion University. I lived in Washington from when I was three to when I was 13. I was always interested in computers and electronics ever since I was little. When I was younger, I was really into sports, playing mostly soccer and baseball, but I did play a couple of years of basketball. Eventually, I became more interested in computers and playing video games than I was in playing sports. I was interested in building computers because, to me, it was an adult version of Legos but with more stakes because the parts could end up being expensive. I was also interested in learning about the individual components, such as the CPU. I wanted to know what the CPU did and what MHz meant when it was talking about clock speed, etc.

Early Years and Education.

I wanted to learn how to code when I was very young, but I never got too good at it. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to retain any of the information, such as the rules for different commands, the formatting, etc. During middle school, I spent most of my time on the computer. Most of the time, I played games with my friends since my passion for coding was slowly going away due to a lack of progress. When I turned thirteen, my family moved to Virginia because that is where my dad was stationed. I was nervous about going to a high school in a new state because I was scared that maybe the learning material in their middle school was different than the one I attended and that I might be behind. Luckily, that was not the case, and high school was not too difficult. During high school, I decided to give learning how to code another try. This time went a lot better since I was able to create a few crude programs, such as a basic calculator and a formatting system that would take information that the user-supplied and allow the user to add, remove, and sort elements. They were basic programs that were not very well optimized, but they gave me a sense of accomplishment and a purpose to keep learning. During high school, my memory got a lot better through little exercises like solving a Rubix cube of different shapes and sizes, which isn’t an intelligence feat but more of a memory feat since all it consists of is remembering the different algorithms. Since I was getting a little older, my parents let me watch movies such as Mission Impossible, which would always have a hacker on their team. I always thought that the hacker was one of the coolest characters in the cast, even though as I got older, I realized how wrong some of the scenes were. As I got a little older, computers were all I did. I was not a very extroverted kid, so I did not have almost anyone to hang out with in person after school. I would play video games with my best friend, whom I met when I was in Washington, which was difficult due to the time zone difference.

Community College

Once I finished high school, I determined that I wanted to go to Old Dominion University because my older brother attended there. However, I decided to go to TCC instead of ODU straight away because it was more cost-effective to go the community college route. At TCC, I took my first actual coding class and got pretty good at it. The form of programs that I was able to create became more and more complex. The projects in that course were more like puzzles to me than assignments. I knew the pieces that were needed to make the program work, but the implementation was like a jigsaw puzzle. There were definitely times that I would get stuck on an assignment for a long time, nearing the due date, which would stress me out. I would always find a way to make it work just before the deadline, which would keep motivating me to get better so that there would be no chance of missing an assignment. I have always been a decent student, usually getting As and Bs because I always see obstacles as a game. I wanted to get the best possible grades because I wanted my family to be proud of me and the work I accomplished.

Old Dominion University

After I completed my core classes at TCC, I transferred to ODU to complete my major in cybersecurity. I chose cybersecurity because I know that the modern age is filled with technology, and therefore, the field of cybersecurity will always be in demand. Throughout college, I was only really interested in the courses that mattered for my major, such as networking security, ethical hacking, cybersecurity 101, and so on. The other courses just seemed like a chore to me. The most interesting courses for me were ethical hacking and techniques and operations because they allowed me a hands-on environment in which to practice what we were learning in class. These courses would use virtual machines to show you the different methods that someone could use to gain access to your machine if you were not careful. This form of learning was very helpful to me as I have always learned through practice. Since the classes that allowed me to practice ended, I could no longer access the environment, and I didn’t want to pay more money for another course on the website, so I created my own virtual machines and practiced different forms of attacks. While it may not have been the most realistic in terms of practice since I know what exploit will be required since I have to set up the target machine myself, I still find it fun to do when I have nothing else going on. Now, I am at the end of my college career as a senior, and I only have a few classes left. I have started looking into where I want to apply my cybersecurity skills after college, such as at Microsoft or Cisco. My dad has urged me to take a military position for all of the benefits and told me that with my education, I would start at a very decent rank and so on. I have still not decided which specific place I will set my sights on since this career path is very much in demand, and I do not anticipate it to be too difficult to find a job in today’s society.

Conclusion

With my ODU academic journey being over soon, I  tend to reflect on the experiences that have molded me into a person who will help secure our society from cyber threats. Initially, it was a struggle to face new challenges in coding as a beginning teenager, but now, after several hiccups, I have done some great stuff, like creating complex programs. The practical knowledge and problem-solving skills I developed at the TCC and ODU not only got me academically well prepared but also assisted me in viewing the problems as opportunities that I should grab and leverage. The other important gearshift after I have decided what areas to study is where to apply my skills. Nevertheless, I now have the confidence for balanced decision-making, which is assured based on the basics and my personal efforts through my education and personal initiatives. My father’s example of how the military profession has evolved over time, as well as the benefits and experiences he gained in his service, further confirms my thoughts. At the same time, I am considering offers from top IT companies such as Microsoft and Cisco. I am sure I can contribute to nationwide security, making efforts in cybersecurity in various corporate sectors, while I ensure that my work is useful not only in infrastructural security but immensely makes my family prize my potential in the expanding technological horizon.