Buzz Growing Around Cybersecurity Nexus Program

Columbus State University’s Cybersecurity nexus program is all about providing its students with real-world industry experiences fending off network attacks seated behind state-of-the-art technology.  Recently, however, its students sat in the hot seat of a different sort as they participated in mock job interviews with actual industry cybersecurity, information security, and recruiting professionals representing local and international companies.  Patrick Aiken, Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity, created this immersive beneficial exercise so students can get a feel for what they will experience when they interview for jobs post-graduation. All interviews were conducted in CSU’s Synovus Center, which also houses the cyber range, a training facility for industry professionals to practice live-fire exercises.  “I thought the event was spectacular,” Aiken said. “We had a great outpouring of support from our partners out in the industry.  There were a lot of organizations from local businesses, big consulting firms, and start-ups from all over the nation. The notoriety that our nexus program has on LinkedIn brought a lot of industry people here.”   Students “interviewed” for entry-level internships with the interviewers for positions in the company’s technology division.  Most of these fictional opportunities included various general entry-level technology tasks, similar to most internships.  “This mock event allowed students to practice their interviewing skills, and there’s no better way to practice and develop something than to actually do it – especially with chief information security officers, chief information officers, senior executives, technical employees, and first-line managers with nothing at stake,” Aiken explained.  More than 70 recruiters representing 18 different companies including Aflac, TSYS, Synovus, CyberSecurity Solutions, Global Payments, Voya Financial, Cognizant, the U.S. Army, In The Door Now, Nice Healthcare, Columbus State’s University Information & Technology Services, Tanner Health System, TEK Systems, Waystar, EY-Parthenon, Toronto Dominion (TD), Crawford & Co, and SecurityStudio, participated in the mock interview program. 

In all, 24 students from the program participated in the event, including returning nexus student, Ben Price.  “The feedback was amazing from the interviews because I was told what I did really well on, what I fell short on, and what exactly I need to work on,” Price said.  “I learned that it’s important to understand that just knowing the answers to questions in interviews isn’t the primary aspect of interviews.”  Price interviewed with various employees from Global Payments and was able to gain insightful information about the industry, as well as advice for future interviews.  “One of the biggest pieces of advice I got today is when employers are interviewing candidates, they’re looking for those who can fit into the environment and team well because the culture of the company is more important to them, rather than the most technical and experienced person,” he recalled. Employers are looking for candidates who can communicate and be cohesive with the team.”  Fernando Cabello was another Columbus State nexus student who has been in the program for several months and was very impressed with industry and community representation at the event.  “The fact that the community came together to bring in not just people that hire positions, but actual leaders in the industry, is amazing,” Cabello emphasized.  “It’s very rare to pop into an office with executives and get direct feedback on the climate and employment structure in cybersecurity right now.”  Cabello explained that he came to the mock interviews very confident and walked away from them with a broad belief and understanding that everyone in this industry wants to advocate for continued education and continue to push the dialogue for continued training.  “From my interviews, I learned that I said more than I needed to, and when you deal with employers who have been in an industry for 15 to 20 years, they know the nuances of being able to speak effectively and how to communicate a lot cleaner,” he noted.  “I learned how to simplify technical aspects for future interviews.”  Columbus State launched its Cybersecurity Nexus degree in August 2020 with feedback from industry partners to address a tremendous shortage of cybersecurity professionals. The nexus program is designed to fast-track future professionals to those career opportunities through a 60-hour course of study: 18 hours in cybersecurity-specific classes and an additional 42 in general education courses. An 18-credit-hour practitioner certification is also available, which students can earn in a 12-month, cohort-based model.