This was one of the first courses I took at ODU and was needed for learning how to adjust to the new process of work, learn about cybersecurity fundamentals, and develop skills outside of the classroom, like networking and presenting myself.

Cyberops 2022

Even though CyberOps was mandatory, it was an enjoyable event and I stayed for the entire time. I got a lot of experience and information from the CTF portion and a speaker. I had gotten there at about 10:30, so I made it to the middle of Valorr’s presentation. I thought that the presentation was all right, but their slides were a bit bulky and they kind of rambled. But they did a good job of teaching risk management and giving statistics about risk both from their own and other companies’ experiences. After the presentation, I joined a team of people I knew that were doing the CTF event, and I had no idea of what I was getting into. For the next five hours, I was losing my mind because I didn’t know what to do or how to do anything. I learned about Linux fundamentals that day, and I did manage to do some challenges, but it didn’t help much. I got carried by my team, but we got second place, so I’m really happy about that. I didn’t have high expectations for CyberOps, but in reality, it was an extremely beneficial cybersecurity event that offers a lot of opportunities for learning and gaining experience.

Cybersecurity Career Connections Event 2022

The many employers I was introduced to were the NASA Office of Inspector General, CHKD, JLGOV, CP Marine LLC, and Peregrine Technical Solutions. The other employers were Sentara, Sera-Brynn, FTI, ODU IT Services, the FBI, Fleet HRO Norfolk, and LightGrid. Some of the employers that stood out to me were NASA, the FBI, and FTI. With NASA and the FBI, I was interested in how their internships were regarding security, but with FTI, I can say that they were the most enticing program. The representatives had asked what kind of career I was thinking about in cybersecurity. When I told them it might be Software Development, they informed me about how it was one of their wanted positions and how flexible their mentorship program would be for people wanting to gain experience and training. Daily life as an intern, would mostly be the structure of a mentor helping me learn about the organization and helping me hone my skills as I work through the program. But overall, it was a great experience for learning about the opportunities for internships and possible careers.

Career Poster

This career poster is one-third of a connected project between this class, CYSE 200T (Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society), and CRJS 215S (Introduction to Criminology). This aspect of the project was about looking for an initial job and presenting why you felt you were capable of doing it at the time. I feel that while the poster is a simple project, it not only helped me in interweaving my creativity and knowledge in a project, but also gave me a foundation for understanding the cybersecurity job market at the time.

Career-Poster-Infographic