Cybersecurity Career Guide by Alyssa Miller

Author:Alyssa Miller [Alyssa Miller]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Manning Publications
Published: 2022-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

5.2.2 Advanced research programs

While choosing the right degree program is important, so too is choosing the right university or college. It is important to look beyond just the degree itself and instead really understand the supporting activities and programs that the school offers. Some of the more valuable programs starting to gain popularity are external research groups and labs. These programs provide students an opportunity to build practical skill sets by performing real-world security research.

An example of one such program is the University of California at Santa Barbara’s Computer Security Group, known simply as SecLab. The SecLab team devotes its time to various initiatives that center around “designing, building, and validating secure software systems.” While this may sound theoretical, the work they do has practical real-world impact. For instance, part of their work is analyzing open source software for security weaknesses. When they find weaknesses, they report them not only to the maintainer of the software but also to security organizations that ultimately report the findings to the industry at large. In this one aspect alone, SecLab is helping make software more secure.

Other programs focus on collaborative partnerships with industry organizations working on various projects and research. For example, MITRE is an organization that manages various federally funded research centers in the United States. It regularly partners with universities and other academic facilities to support its research. This gains MITRE access to researchers, while the students involved have the opportunity to build practical real-world skills that are useful when they begin searching for their first cybersecurity role.

When looking for a school and a degree program, it is important to understand the types of opportunities available. Especially when pursuing a noncybersecurity-related degree, the ability to still participate in this kind of research provides excellent material to make a resume stand out. However, if the school you choose does not offer these kinds of opportunities, all hope is not lost. You can gain practical cybersecurity skills in other, less formal ways that you can ultimately include on your resume.

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