Creating a Secure Future: Students pursue Collin College cybersecurity bachelors degrees

A mother of four, Christin Jones moved to Texas to create a better life for her family. She worked a variety of jobs, but she found it challenging to earn enough money to support her children.

I wanted to go to college, but I was never able to attend two consecutive semesters, Jones said. I have been trying to earn a degree for a long time. A transitional housing program which helps single moms and pays for college and childcare gave me the stability I needed.

Jones earned a Collin College Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Cybersecurity in May 2020. Today, she has a new job, is remarried, is now a mother of five, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity at Collin College.

They say this is a male-dominated career, but it wasnt like that for me, Jones said. I felt welcomed. At Collin, people care about you. Its the culture. Everyone is really down to earth, gives good advice, and has time for you. The professors will stay late to help you, and that attitude trickles down to the students. I had a baby, and my classmates stayed late to help me complete my lab assignments. It is amazing that they would do that for me.

Job stability

Jones said she is learning the latest technology from professors who are experts. She adds that she is in the right career field because she loves her job, the industry options are broad and growing, and there is a great demand for workers in cybersecurity.

There are so many openings for IT positions and not enough qualified people, but you may fall short if you dont have a degree. I got my job because of the associate degree, said Jones, who is working on the Cisco Cloud Webex team. My children use Webex for school. My job is in networking. In the interview process I was able to answer technical questions because I had learned so much in my classes.

Jones attributes her success to her professors, who serve as her mentors, and the networking opportunities she received at the college. She added that she appreciates the affordable classes.

My sister attends an out-of-state college, and she is thousands of dollars in debt. I know this is where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to do. If you think about the future and how everything will be on the cloud, there is more longevity in cybersecurity than in other fields.

To see a video featuring Jones, click here.

Turning a hobby into a career

Lorenzo Lara has been interested in computers and technology since he was in high school.

I saw something on the news about cybersecurity jobs in the DFW area. The demand for these jobs got me interested.

Like Jones, Lara earned an AAS in Cybersecurity from Collin College. When his career coach mentioned that he could earn a BAT in Cybersecurity from the college he applied right away.

Before the BAT was approved, I was looking for a bachelors degree program. I wanted to continue my education at Collin because the professors are experts in the industry, and it is really affordable.

Lara started learning about the diverse cybersecurity career opportunities in his Security+ class at the college.

In the beginning I thought I wanted to be an ethical hacker. Now, I think I want to work on the business side of things and hopefully become a Chief Information Security Officer, Lara said.

Honing his leadership skills, Lara has served as the president of the Information Security Systems Association (ISSA) student chapter at Collin College for the last two years.

This organization provides opportunities for students to network with industry leaders. If you like learning about cybersecurity outside of the classroom and want to be around others who share your interests, this is a great group to join, Lara said.

The ISSA student club has held two Hackathons since Lara has served as president. The events included a capture-the-flag (CTF) competition for students to put their skills to the test.

In this extracurricular activity, you put the knowledge you learned into a controlled, real-world hacking environment. We played for points but mostly for learning. The fun side of cybersecurity is the hacking part of it, and CTF is hacking and breaking in for points. Depending on which level you get to you receive different points, he said.

Lara added that he is grateful for his professors who continue to share real-world stories and the colleges career coaches who are guiding him on his path, assisting with his rsum, and providing mock interviews.

At a university you would get a lot of theoretical information. Whereas at Collin College you get to work with real computer systems and gain a lot of hands-on experience. I will be well prepared when I graduate because I am working on real devices including routers, switches, and firewalls.

To see a video featuring Lara, click here.

To learn more about the colleges BAT in Cybersecurity and sign up for an information session, click here.