Learning cybersecurity at Old Dominion University has been a unique and challenging experience. I have taken all types of classes since I studied computer science in addition to cybersecurity. I have had the pleasure of learning from great teachers and students, in addition to collaborating with on-campus cybersecurity clubs. Many classes led to me developing further interest in certain topics, such as Pentesting that has encouraged me to study attackers patterns and procedures more thoroughly. Network systems security also showed me just how important math is to cybersecurity, and I gained a much deeper understanding of cryptography.

The most valuable learning experience for me has come from researching current cybersecurity issues. This was common in my cybersecurity ethics, which made me analyze issues such as GDPR and other internet privacy regulations. I was able to conceptualize just how much data is out there, which I know needs to be protected. The Programming classes were very valuable because they were my first real programming projects, forcing me to use my problem solving skills to plan and deploy a full product. Planning and dealing with deadlines was definitely challenged but it helped me learn how to organize projects logically and complete them in a unified manner. The most underrated learning experience for me was the class discussions I had in cyber terrorism. It let me apply my classroom knowledge to real world topics, and helped me collaborate with others. My dual enrollment highschool classes pertaining to cybersecurity definitely helped me throughout these experiences, since the certifications we received already required us to know many of the cybersecurity topics 

IDS is a course that challenges you to combine your most important college work into an online portfolio. It starts by teaching you website design fundamentals and then walks you through the process of creating a website on either six or WordPress. I chose WordPress since I am more familiar with how it works. The most interesting topic I have learned about was definitely color theory, since I never paid attention to the color designs websites used. The best part of my portfolio is definitely the theme I used, since I changed it 4-5 times before finding one that fit the portfolio look. The most challenging part was the initial process of finding courses to add to my portfolio. In the future, I plan to add more of my personal projects and work experience to the site. I also may change the color but keep the same theme.

In conclusion, I plan for my portfolio to be a complete showing of my skills and experience gained through coursework, prior experience, and current projects. It will be a combination of my interdisciplinary skills including design, programming, and cybersecurity with the intention of showing off my expertise. My next step is to get a full time job related to my degree.