The career connection event provided me an opportunity to view the different areas that cybersecurity can be involved in. For instance, the Virginia Port is a supply chain company that meets the demands of many other companies by delivering their merchandise to other facilities. The official explaining the supply chain also described how important the cybersecurity aspect is for the supply chain of the world as it can shut down entire operations due to not having supplies to complete them. Another job that incorporated cybersecurity was the inspection office of NASA. The office oversees what NASA does and ensures that they are operating appropriately. Many of the jobs offered internship opportunities with many of them being paid. They also explained how those internships are flexible to student schedules as well. Additionally, many of the companies work to build the students cybersecurity skills by teaching them on the job skills that can be used in many other companies as well as providing them security clearances.

My favorite part about the CyberOps conference was the connections I made with other people. Especially the connection I made with a man who works with the government (He didn’t want to tell us who he was or what branch he works for due to him not supposing to be there). The man gave us information about the cybersecurity world and what companies in the industry look for in employees. For instance, he explained how the industry looks for many employees with experience in the real world environment. More specifically, they look for multiple years of experience rather than just a degree and certificates. Another thing that companies look for is certifications for different cyber security departments. He explained how multiple certifications can help put people ahead of others when getting the job due to them having the certifications. Lastly, he explained how they look at the degrees they have when looking for advancements within the company.