Reflection Essay
Evan Neal
IDS 493
Instructor: Dr. Gordon-Phan
Due: 8/3/2024
Introduction
When it comes to the broad field of cybersecurity, you must have a multitude of skills and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. Cybersecurity is very in demand at this time in history with so much data being stored electronically. According to Peslak, A., & Hunsinger, S. (2019), “With nearly 100% of our world’s information stored on computers and databases, the threat of compromising this information looms as arguably the most critical risk that we must deal with as a global society.” The skills that I think will benefit me in my cybersecurity career are my cybersecurity skills, leadership and communication skills, and my work ethic. The skills I have will allow me to become any type of specialist that I wish in this field. So I believe that having such a flexible set of skills will make me a much better candidate for an entry-level position.
Cyber Security
One of the most important skills to have in cyber security is theoretical and technical knowledge about cyber security. Since the field of cyber security is so broad, there is a lot of information I must consider and understand to do my job properly. According to Furnell et al. (2020), “Although numerous related qualifications and certifications are available, it is necessary to understand this landscape in order to make an informed decision about which may signify the skills that are relevant to pursue or recruit.” When it comes to learning the theoretical knowledge necessary to protect digital systems, the CompTIA Security+ certification is vital. This certification is a requirement for most, if not all, listed cybersecurity jobs. I specifically took and passed the newly released Security+ SYO-701 exam, which had more in-depth learning objectives compared to the recently retired SYO-601 exam. The exam focused on five domains of cyber security. These learning objectives were general security concepts, security architecture, security operations, security program management and oversight, and threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations. Through the completion of this certification, I have proven that I understand these security concepts and how to implement security measures effectively.
The next artifact to discuss is my final internship paper. During my internship, I was a member of the internal IT service desk for the company’s employees. Since I was working in the office full-time for the entire summer of 2023, I was able to develop my troubleshooting skills immensely. Working in the IT field helps me build these foundational skills that will support my career in cybersecurity. It also helped with learning how to collaborate between departments to solve company issues. Being able to use and hone my skills with real-world experiences is what made my internship opportunity so crucial to my cybersecurity development.
The last artifact is one of my assignments from my CYSE 301 class. Overall, the assignments from this course have helped me greatly with developing my technical cybersecurity skills. This assignment specifically helped with learning ethical hacking techniques and using various hacking tools. Without classes like this, I wouldn’t be able to practice my skills in realistic environments.
Teamwork & Leadership
In the IT field, being able to work as part of a team to secure a network is tantamount to prolonged success. I am grateful for having multiple leadership opportunities throughout my life. The first artifact shows me receiving my high school football’s “Pride” award which is for the person who exemplifies what it means to be a Fairfax Lion. Through leading by example in both academics and athletic aspects I was able to receive this award. This leadership opportunity taught me how to maintain team morale and how to lead with strength. I would stay in the game for both offense and defense, as well as lead the rushing attack with at least 20+ carries every game. This experience also helped me develop my communication in stressful situations. During a football game one wrong signal can lead to a touchdown for the other team, so being able to remain calm and give directions is vital. The same can be said about reacting to a cybersecurity incident at a company. Making sure that I can stay calm and take all the necessary steps to defend a breach and communicate with my team is very important.
The next artifact is my captain graphic for the Old Dominion Rocket League team. I have been a member since my freshman year and became captain during the second semester. From then on I have been the captain of the varsity team and in charge of some managerial tasks as well. This leadership opportunity has been one of the most complex since it involved some managerial work as well. Due to this, I had to improve my communication skills to create schedules for the team that fit everyone’s class schedules. Also, to maintain quality practice and scrimmages I had to begin networking with other programs and improving that skillset. Team building also became something that I had to work on more in my junior year because I had a brand new team around me. The importance of having events and building chemistry outside of the game was something that I saw had a positive effect on our results. Overall, this leadership experience taught me more about the management side of being a leader when compared to my high school duties. This is because the coach and high school itself build camaraderie and chemistry with your teammates, unlike the strangers you team up with in college.
The last artifact is my interview during our national competition in Texas. During my time as captain, we made it to the national event twice and this was taken during our second appearance there. The fact that my e-sport director let me take the interview both times shows the amount of respect and confidence he has in me to represent our school. Compared to my interviews over the years, I think I have shown improvements each time. According to Haney & Lutters (2017), “Our findings support past research on the importance of communication skills within related business, information systems, and IT fields [18][27]. As several participants remarked, they must be able to “sell” security.” This proves that public speaking skills are important in cybersecurity, especially when it comes to meetings with senior management where you need to “sell” security projects and incident response planning.
Work Ethic
In cyber security, the ability to continuously learn about the field and the new techniques and attacks that come out is crucial. Without proper work ethic and discipline, it becomes very difficult to stay afloat in this sector. My first artifact shows my current and long-standing status on the dean’s list for my department. I have been on the dean’s list for every semester I have been at Old Dominion. I take great pride in my coursework and academic standing because it is never as easy as it seems. In cybersecurity, the ability to make hard things look easy is a skill that employers value.
The next artifact is from my ranking in the game I play for Old Dominion. This was from a time when I was ranked in the top 100 in the world. I have made the journey to the top of my expertise before in gaming and it teaches more than you would traditionally think. Reaching mastery in any field is very difficult to achieve and I think reaching it once puts it into a better perspective for me. I understand the value of hard work and what it means to truly work on every aspect of a field until you are competent in all facets. When it comes to cybersecurity there are specialists in different domains, and to become a true specialist your work ethic and discipline must match the requirements.
Lastly, the security+ exam is definitely one of my hardest challenges recently. I had to self-study using paid and free resources over the course of about 2 months. I had to set my own schedule and stick to it with no one holding me accountable other than myself. I was able to stick to my schedule of studying one topic every single day until I finished my paid study materials. Then I a little less than a week focused solely on practice tests that were from free sources. Through sheer self-discipline and consistent work ethic, I was able to get certified. According to Dawson & Thomson (2018), “Cybersecurity professionals require continual education to remain proficient. A recent survey found that 69 of 82 professionals reported that informal education supplementation was a prerequisite for career success.” So I hope this shows to employers that I have the drive and self-motivation needed to continue to educate myself after I have the job.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have showcased how my skills in cybersecurity, leadership and communication, and work ethic can help me in the future. According to Cobb (2016), “ They still structure job descriptions unrealistically, while erecting inappropriate skill, experience, and certification barriers to application and entry [47–49]. ” This is an unfortunate reality for entry-level positions in the tech industry in general but even more so for cyber security. So I hope once I do land a job, my versatile skill set will help me excel. Also, when I began creating this essay I wanted to show just how much this course has affected the way I thought about my past and how it molded me into who I am. I never thought about how my time in high school affected the way I carry myself with so much confidence now. Also, the life lessons I learned through competing at a high level made such an impact on my everyday life. Every artifact in this essay holds a special place in my heart for the impact it had on me.
References
Cobb, S. (2016). MIND THIS GAP: CRIMINAL HACKING AND THE GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY SKILLS SHORTAGE, A CRITICAL ANALYSIS. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/86335484/VB2016-Cobb-libre.pdf?165329
Dawson, J., & Thomson, R. (2018, April 27). The future cybersecurity workforce: Going beyond technical skills for successful Cyber Performance. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00744/full
Furnell, S., Newhouse, W., Oltsik, J., Morgan, S., Kiemash, S., & Ashford, W. (2020, October 14). The cybersecurity workforce and Skills. Computers & Security. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167404820303539
Haney, J. M., & Lutters, W. G. (2017). Skills and characteristics of successful cybersecurity … https://www.usenix.org/system/files/conference/soups2017/wsiw2017-haney.pdf
Peslak, A., & Hunsinger, S. (2019). WHAT IS CYBERSECURITY AND WHAT CYBERSECURITY SKILLS ARE EMPLOYERS SEEKING? . iacis.org. https://iacis.org/iis/2019/2_iis_2019_62-72.pdf