Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC)’s Post

"Thrilled to announce the successful completion of my two-week virtual internship on Emerging Technologies under the IBM SkillsBuild Program, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Data Analytics, Front-end Development, and Excel & Statistics. Grateful for the enriching experience provided by the Edunet Foundation. Excited to apply these skills in future endeavors! #IBM #SkillsBuild #EmergingTech #VirtualInternship"

The White House has officially endorsed skills-based hiring for cybersecurity and IT positions, recognizing that a degree is not the only path to a successful tech career. NetworkChuck breaks down this groundbreaking announcement, highlighting the importance of certifications, apprenticeships, and practical skills in landing high-paying jobs in the rapidly growing field of cybersecurity. Discover how you can take advantage of this shift in hiring practices and kickstart your IT career without a traditional degree.

🕛 Our first drop-in takes place today at 12pm, and revolves around Data & AI. It's not too late to get involved - register your spot today: https://lnkd.in/euMPxDdV  #DigitalDefence #UpskillingDefence #UKDefence

2023 is coming to a close and it's time to reflect. I finished the SANS Technology Institute Bachelor of Science in Applied Cybersecurity, I completed a 6-month internship with Sans Internet Storm Center, and I broke my personal best in Certifications earned in a single year; all while employed full-time. The training provided not only helped me catch up to cutting edge methodology and tool usage for a variety of subjects; it also enabled me to mature my SOC at incredible speed. Thanks to the amazing Flex-Ed program offered to Booz Allen Hamilton employees, and thanks to the GI Bill I earned from my 7.5 years of service in the US Navy, I was able to earn these certifications for little to no money on my part. Next year is looking to be another productive year, while I aim for the lifetime achievement: GIAC Security Expert (GSE)! I've been asked questions like "Are the certifications worth it?" and "Why do you collect certifications?". The answer is this: Most certifications give an organized structure of concepts that makes it easier for me to ingest. While some of the subjects may start to bleed into each other, there are always nuggets of information that I was completely unaware of. The bottom line is that this knowledge makes my job easier and more enjoyable. I also can rely less on having a unicorn SME in my workplace. These certifications are Lego blocks and my SOC is my masterpiece. Thanks for reading!

Read below to see how you can be a part of this great event!!

Degrees and PhD's are fantastic but there's more than one way to get into the IT industry. For example, several of our team at Coretek have gone down the apprenticeship route, choosing to study whilst applying what they've learned on the job. Other members of our team have joined us via the degree route. Others still have gained experience from school and have grown their career from there. It's important to remember that people learn in different ways. Also, industry-specific qualifications are important too. Several of our team are qualified Microsoft, Google, SonicWall and Paxton engineers. We believe this approach helps us to build the best team and provide an expectational service to our clients. Just another reason why we do things a bit different here at Coretek. #iteducation #itcareer #itcertification #coretekgroup

Hello LI, tagged for #simplycybercommunitychallenge today!!! I just wanted to say hello to all of you beautiful people Simply Cyber   Attended DeVry in late 80s for the EET (Electronic Engineering Technician) degree, Phoenix, AZ. Unfortunately, 3 part time jobs and student loans were not enough to live on for the spendy trimesters and I was unable to compete with out-of-state tuition.   Devastated, I left DeVry to join the Air Force hoping to continue my passion in the digital world. I accumulated enough credits to join as an E-3 (Airman First Class - 2 stripes). My first base was Cannon Air Force Base, the only school out there was agriculture not electronic science. No education here.   CAFB brought me different solutions, I volunteered in different areas of our squadron. Using my DeVry education, I volunteered in our squadron computer section to help repair and install new computers and software...finally a small break. I carried this volunteer opportunity to many bases I was stationed, and it helped me stay grounded to the digital world. Eventually I had to give up an electronic degree I was fond of and switched to Business degree from Park University. During this time in the military I was able to participate and execute various inspections, audits, examinations, and investigations. In hindsight, I believe it has laid the groundwork for my enthusiasm for GRC.   After retiring from the Air Force as a vehicle fleet manager, I looked to continue my path with an MBA from Boise State University (BSU). At the same time I started my MBA I also started a new job for the Idaho Department of Finance. Here is where I cemented my passion for Fintech and investigating/Examining various business entities. I just could not absorb enough information about catching bad guys through audits...LOVED THIS JOB. During my 5th class, I connected with another student from New Jersey, and we talked about our passions. The timing could not have been any better because I found out that BSU was starting a new master’s in Cyber Operations & Resilience. I spoke with Sin Ming Loo and Ed Vasko, CISSP at a physical coffee shop and immediately jumped at the chance to reignite my digital passion. A family issue arose and I had to leave my excellent career to focus on my newly born granddaughter. Undeterred, I used my military experience in the military combined with troubleshooting techniques and the education from BSU, I landed two internships. 1 internship was for a non-profit sanctuary for birds and the other was in Idaho’s Information Technology Services from the Governor’s Office. Complete opposite ends of the cyber spectrum. A few months of each internship, I had a solid understanding of cyber maturity. My networking, education, internships, and work landed me a job at Procellis Technology Inc where I conduct interviews for self-assessments of NIST 800-171, provide executive summary, findings report, and a PoAM of HBCUs. I still have a desire to catch bad guys.

A mere 26% of cybersecurity professionals are non-white, 14% are women, and 2% are minority women. Cybersecurity apprenticeships can help close the skill and diversity gap. Last week, Aquia's John Sasser and Mackenzie Wartenberger had the opportunity to speak at the State of Maryland's Apprenticeship 2030 Commission to share the success of our Aquia Accelerator apprenticeship program -- an example of how a non-trades-based services organization can leverage such programs to address the talent gap in cyber. Our team also attended the GovCIO Women Tech Leaders Summit where we were excited to learn more about how the U.S. Department of Labor is helping to address systemic inequities like gender-pay gaps through its Apprenticeship USA initiative. The DOL's Deputy Administrator for the Office of Apprenticeship, Megan Baird, stressed that apprenticeship programs can act as a gateway for women to enter the federal workforce and secure higher salaries as they advance. Aquia Security Architect (and apprenticeship graduate) Mackenzie shares more about the key challenges plaguing cybersecurity today and how apprenticeships can help address them. Check it out >> https://lnkd.in/eHPJBqhT #cybersecurity #apprenticeship #apprenticeship2030 #womenintech #closethegap #diversity #equity #inclusion #dei

Last week, the ODU School of Cybersecurity and our National Science Foundation (NSF) Cybercops Scholarship for Service students attended the 23rd Annual Security Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the conference, Old Dominion University faculty and students presented their research. Title: An AI-enabled Cyber Risk Management Model for Determining Ripple Effects from Cybersecurity and Supply Chain Disruptions Authors: Rafael Diaz, Katherine Smith, William Matos, Mmoleca Ehungwe and Virginia Zamponi Title: Cybersecurity Internship Clinic Design Authors: Teresa Duvall and Saltuk B. Karahan Title: Cybersecurity internships in NSA-CAE Programs: An overview Authors: Brian Payne and Charles Payne Title: Internship Experiences of cybersecurity, computing and STEM students: Differences Across and Between Disciplines Authors: Aoife Murphy, Danielle Raynor, Lauren Redd and Brian Payne #cybersecurity #oducyber #ODU #ASC24 #annualsecurityconference

"Hack @ SChack" '23 November 11, 2023 The program’s mission is to introduce underrepresented students from South Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Trident Technical College (TTC) to the workforce opportunities presented by the IT and Cyber fields. Creating a more diverse and robust talent pipeline benefitting South Carolina job seekers and job creators. ATI’s program “Enhancing the Support Structure for the Cyber Security and Computer Science Workforce in SC Underrepresented Minorities” involves mentorship and internships for HBCU students as well as the Hack@Schack event scheduled for November 11, 2023. Here is how the program breaks down: 1. The Mentorship includes 9 months of structural virtual coaching as a mentor engagement with a computer science professional. 2. The Internship is the initiative’s centerpiece mentor/protégé relationship, involving a week-long immersion-style internship on-site at the hosting organization, followed by monthly engagements. It provides valuable opportunities to learn technical and soft skills through hands-on “experiential” learning on small projects. 3. The 2023 Challenge is a dynamic skills assessment competition (“Hack@SChack” hackathon) where students hone cybersecurity and computer skills while competing for prize money. This year’s platform is the EC Council’s Capture the Flag Event. Sponsoring or exhibiting the hackathon provides your organization the opportunity to network and develop relationships with your STEM pipeline. Students will be able to interact, and provide resumes with the sponsorships. For more information about sponorships, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gCe3prqZ