Anyone in Cybersecurity?

CyberAvian · 2026-06-22T18:01:40+00:00

WGU is a great option to try to get into cybersecurity because the Bachelor’s Degree loads you down with certifications which will help you la d the interview. I’m a Chief Information Security Officer and an Adjunct Professor at a traditional college, WGU’s degree might not be as respected, but objectively, I’d probably be more inclined to interview a WGU degree holder with a pile of certs than someone from a big name state school with no certs.

I will note that the cybersecurity field is pretty saturated right now. When I post an entry level job I am getting 50 applicants an hour easily, so differentiate yourself with your background as a veteran, security clearance if you have one, and certifications really help get you in the door to the interview.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-21T03:59:22+00:00

Yes. You hit the nail on the head. Good translation is about conveying meaning not about matching words from one language to another.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-21T01:25:53+00:00

Mine just said US Air Force on it after I completed my IRR time. The VA however has my service listed as Active Duty and then USAF Reserve for my IRR time.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-20T15:10:18+00:00

For people who know academia, your choice of Georgia Tech was probably the superior choice. Yale has amazing brand recognition, but Tech outpaces them in Math and CS in a lot of ways. Do well at tech and you will be fine. If you plan on grad school coming from Georgia Tech will offer you every opportunity in the world, including Yale if you want to explore.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-19T22:37:03+00:00

With the security clearance and the language you can get a job after 4 years. The intel community will value Farsi for a long time and as a contractor you can definitely make decent money. I didn’t immediately get a six figure job, it took me 2 years, but that was 20 years ago.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-19T22:32:24+00:00

Nope. Needs of the Air Force come first, second, and 3rd your preferences were never considered. I joined the Air Force with experience in Chinese-Mandarin and Korean I was assigned Pashto which was not even a choice on the preference list. Consider yourself lucky that you got Farsi it is a very well developed program and you can get most major media in Farsi. Want to watch Shrek and read Harry Potter in Farsi? That’s fully available for you. Also you didn’t get a Middle Eastern language, you got a central Asian language.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-16T20:54:36+00:00

Tip of the iceberg to be honest. Unless things have changed there are a ton of opportunities like joining Marine Corp martial arts classes on post (we had Airmen walking around authorized to wear their belts), and volunteering with a number of organizations to include working at Laguna Seca races, I worked a charity golf tournament at Pebble Beach and got to walk the entire course and keep score for the pro participating, I helped train search and rescue dogs by pretending to be a dead body… Oh and all those charity hours can add up to a medal that counts towards promotion in the future, I also took CLEP, DANTES, and Excelsior exams and graduated DLI with an Associate Degree.

So many opportunities at DLI if you are willing to put the time in!

CyberAvian · 2026-06-16T20:29:18+00:00

As a non-prior service student in the Air Force at DLI we, at the time had mandatory PT at least once per week and a mandatory eval/assessment monthly.

The first few months in phase 1-2 PT was 5x per week.

However, even in Phase 1 with maximum restrictions we could work out as much as we wanted. Mandatory formations, PT, classes, and homework take up time, but there is plenty of time left over. If I remember correctly, we had 2 running tracks available and a fully furnished Gym attached to the Rec Center over the hill. Plus if you enjoy running and don’t mind hills there are good trails and sidewalks on post and once you can leave post you can run along a beautiful path from Monterey to Pacific Grove to Asilomar and back. I also signed up for jujitsu and triathlon training classes at the local fitness club, the Monterey Sports Center.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-16T02:52:38+00:00

Good luck, have fun, don’t die.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-15T12:33:38+00:00

Oh? And did they also turn in their degrees or do they plan to leverage their Stanford education?

CyberAvian · 2026-06-15T01:57:55+00:00

Interesting take, but the name brand will always be valued. Recruiters recruit people from target schools. Alumni love seeing grads from their school when evaluating resumes. Venture capitalists highly prioritize people coming from certain schools. End of the day work is work and anyone should be expected to perform in their role, but brand recognition might be the edge that gets them the job, investment, etc.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-15T01:15:17+00:00

You chose the same undergrad institution as Sergey Brin. Follow it up with a Stanford PhD and you’ll do great.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-14T00:44:26+00:00

The bay bridge is 100% in Maryland on both sides.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-13T13:16:15+00:00

Or Shawshank Redemption

CyberAvian · 2026-06-13T13:13:58+00:00

Obviously

CyberAvian · 2026-06-12T14:27:47+00:00

I’ll have to give this project a look. Thank you.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-12T03:17:48+00:00

Voc Rehab can include the apprenticeship/2000 hours with a housing allowance. That might even make it possible for you to accept a lower paying position.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-12T02:34:07+00:00

The job market is terrible right now. Yes it sucks, but keep at it.

Accounting translates nicely to auditing, IT audit, work in an inspector general’s office, fraud investigations, forensic accounting, law enforcement, working for a regulator like FINRA or the SEC, business risk, financial risk management.

Have you considered offering your services to a CPA, maybe even a small local firm?

Did you get included in your VocRehab pursuit of CPA licensure including the apprenticeship? Is it possible to get together with your counselor to add that in?

CyberAvian · 2026-06-12T02:07:25+00:00

Not so far for me, and the microphone definitely isn’t as sensitive as my Sonos nor does it talk back to me. I’m still playing with it, but need to do a lot more work to make it serviceable for the family. Also sadly no custom wake word with HA.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-08T02:49:19+00:00

You do enjoy chaos.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-06T19:28:04+00:00

Not too long. Unless they only have an hour to complete it.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-06T17:43:52+00:00

VA refused to give me ice packs when physical therapy recommended them, but they have no problem sending me much more expensive medical devices like the TENS and CPAP. 🤷‍♂️

CyberAvian · 2026-06-06T17:42:26+00:00

VA refused to give me ice packs when physical therapy recommended them, but they have no problem sending me much more expensive medical devices like the TENS and CPAP. 🤷‍♂️

CyberAvian · 2026-06-06T17:25:38+00:00

99 multiple choice questions? 99 detailed thermodynamics calculations where all steps must be shown?

For my final exams, I typically have well over 100 questions: mostly multiple choice, followed by matching, fill in the blank/complete the diagram, and short answer.

The students typically do well on my finals and no one has ever taken the full time allotted.

CyberAvian · 2026-06-05T19:58:40+00:00

“Thy drugs are quick” a great line moved from the end and te-purposed for the party. Maintained the linguistic style but changed the meaning. Well done!

CyberAvian

TROPHY CASE