Course 

Opportunities for hands-on experience, especially in an IT related field, are highly sought after, and I look to take advantage of each one that is presented to me. In the spring of the 2025 semester, I took an Intro to Network & Security (CYSE-495) course. This course aimed to introduce modern networking concepts and technology by focusing on fundamental concepts, basic network architecture, and network designing and constructing. 

Project 

This specific hands-on opportunity was a course project that consisted of wiring an RJ-45 cable. This project intrigued me because I knew it involved relevant skill work and would translate to the real world outside of school. At the beginning of this project, students were given an ethernet cable and instructed to strip it to expose the wires housed within it. With those wires now visible, students untwisted them and ordering them correctly to feed into the RJ-45 connector. Once that was complete, students were able to test their cables for a good connection.   

Why  

  This course consisted of developing a number of floor plans for wiring buildings. So, this project was a great chance to get a more in-depth view of the cables themselves. It was also necessary so students could answer given questions at the conclusion of the project. For example:   

• Why is it critical to use the proper pin colors in order? 

• Why is it critical to make sure that all of the wires are pushed to the end of the connector? 

• Why is it recommended to double-check the wire order and make sure the wires are to the end before crimping? 

• How is a continuity tester different from a certification tester? 

Skills 

• Completed hands‑on lab assignments involving Ethernet cable construction.  

• Performed end‑to‑end cable termination, including stripping, crimping, and verifying RJ‑45 connectors. 

• Reviewed and corrected physical‑layer connectivity issues in simulated network environments. 

• Applied structured cabling best practices in lab‑based network buildouts. 

Evidence 

This is a picture of my personal experience attempting to wire an RJ-45 cable. Overall, I really enjoyed the project and walked away learning a number of new skills to have for later in my career.

Other Labs

Network Traffic Analysis Lab 

• Analyzed network packets using Wireshark to identify suspicious traffic patterns and potential security threats.  

Intrusion Detection & Security Log Analysis Lab 

• Reviewed intrusion detection alerts and log data to distinguish between normal network activity and potential threats.