Andrew Friend: Bachelors in Cybersecurity.
This education pathway was not the one I set out on after high school. After earning my diploma, I worked for a couple of years before joining the Navy. I didn’t have any immediate preference for the type of work I wanted to do, but when the recruiter asked if Gunner’s Mate sounded like something I would be interested in, I obliged and set out on what turned into a ten-year-long adventure full of highs and lows. These were my formative years. I learned to be a good follower, which turned into becoming what I thought was an okay leader. However, weapons handling and military life could not be primary or permanent parts of me. My interests were changing and I knew I needed to allow myself to move on.
As I set my sights on separating from the military, I began thinking about the career I wanted to follow the former. I remembered enjoying computer science in high school and realized I still remember much of what I learned then. So, I decided I would pursue a career in Information Technology. I began studying for Security+ and Joined a four-month-long Amazon Web Services bootcamp. I earned my Security+ the first month into the Bootcamp followed by my Cloud Practitioner and Solution Architect certificates in the months following. From there, I began applying for job openings daily and accepted an offer to work as a Tier 1 Help Desk Analyst.
I have learned so much from this position I hold and am happy I decided to make the career change. In the military, security of the physical variety was a primary part of my responsibilities and I found I was getting better at the fundamentals over time. Attending Old Dominion University represents my chance to combine 10 years experience of practicing physical security fundamentals with my newfound knowledge in the Information Technology sector. I will continue gaining a better understanding of Cybersecurity principles and pursuing a degree in this field.