Course reflection page
Throughout the Interdisciplinary Study course (IDS 493), I learned the proper skills in creating an electronic portfolio that could be viewed by future employers, graduate programs, and anyone who wants to get an idea of what I studied throughout college. With the resources provided, I was able to make an e-portfolio that aimed toward both graduate programs as well as employment within the cybersecurity sector. The overall experience of being a Cybersecurity major at Old Dominion University has taught me skills, and broadened my perspectives on how to ethically implement security measures on computer systems as well as networks.
Being an undergraduate cybersecurity student at ODU has given me good and bad experiences. I was able to gain the opportunity to network with some of my professors, opening up opportunities at ODU that I would have never even been aware of. Unfortunately, things took a turn during COVID-19, and having remote classes has posed a difficult barrier in communication with some of my professors. One way I was able to overcome this issue was by setting up zoom meetings to work with my professors to solve any problems I had within a class.
By using WordPress to develop my e-portfolio, I learned a lot. It has not only taught me valuable skills on how to make my portfolio presentable, but it helped me understand the value of how to appeal to the audience I am trying to convey my work. Beginning this course, I had some complications about how I should design my e-portfolio. However, this class has shaped the image of exactly what I was looking for within a personalized website. For example, my attitude shifted toward the media. At first, my e-portfolio was heavy on text and had little to no media. As I placed myself in the position of a viewer, I thought to myself, “this is dull to read through.” I then made the change by adding more media such as photos and appealing color contrasts, this made the whole experience shift from dull to colorful.
The courses I purposely picked to add to my e-portfolio were CYSE200T, CYSE300, CYSE301, CRJS Cyber Law, Army ROTC and CYSE407. I decided to add these courses because I believe these were some of the most impactful classes I have taken so far with my undergraduate degree in cybersecurity. Throughout the entire experience, the course I enjoyed the most was CYSE301 because of the technical skills I have gained from it. Within this course, I got the opportunity to work with different software programs within a cybersecurity environment. Some things that I got to do were penetration testing, WIFI cracking, and information hiding.
In conclusion, IDS 407 has given me the upper hand because it has taught me the value of what an e-portfolio can do when looking for a graduate program and a job within my field, whether it be in cybersecurity or anything else. An electronic portfolio allowed me to display some work I did and will do during the duration of my college career. The ability to display an overview of the skills I am developing opens a whole new world for my viewers.