Zack Mitchell

Reflection #1

            Throughout the first fifty hours of my internship at Valor Cybersecurity, I have learned much about what they do on a day-to-day basis, and what someone like me can contribute to their workplace environment. For this period of time, I was primarily focused on a program that they advertise to up and coming cybersecurity prospects known as “Build Your Legacy in Cybersecurity.” It starts out as an educational course that Valor deems is “the skills not focused on in coursework to get internships and a great job after you graduate. It is the missing piece in the college curriculum right now.” From there, they can use the free trial of the book to see if they like what it has to offer, and then upgrade to a service that includes full access and career development work from professionals at Valor. While I have not gotten my hands on the program, it does sound very promising if the advertising holds up. I have primarily been focused on thinking of creative ways to develop more traction for the program to reach a broader audience, with a specific focus on college students who are close to graduation. In relation to my learning goals set at the beginning of the semester, I am primarily focused on the fourth goal, being “understanding more about how third-party companies like Valor can outsource their help to clients and what type of clientele they take on.” For this program, they largely target individuals around my age who may be having trouble getting into cybersecurity at/around graduation.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, my first fifty hours of working with Valor were not exactly what I expected them to be, but I have still found my time with them fulfilling to a moderate degree. While I have not done much work focused on cybersecurity in general, I have learned about a few of the things that professionals at Valor do for work. Going forward, I would prefer to focus less on tasks like advertising, and more on the ins and outs of cybersecurity itself. I am specifically hoping to focus more on my second learning goal going forward, “researching known vulnerabilities and exploits with the intent to keep Valor’s clients safe from attacks,” as this seems like the most fulfilling position that I could do as an intern in the company. Overall, I have had a very insightful time working at Valor these last few weeks, and I am optimistic about what my future at the company holds in store.