Robert E. Wiley Jr.’s Post

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.