Page 33 - Cybersecurity Career Guide for Mastercard

For Maximum Cred,
Join the US Cyber Team
The US Cyber Games are cybersecurity-meets-esport, with a goal to in- spire the next generation of cyber professionals and recruit a killer team to represent the US at the International Cybersecurity Championship.
Each year, the season starts with the US Cyber Open Capture the Flag Challenge (CTF), where individuals of all skill levels can play. In 2022, over 1,200 participants, ages 16-24, from 50 states and Washington, DC, com- peted in this free, 10-day virtual event. The contest consists of online cybersecurity challenges in cryptography, cyber forensics, re-
verse engineering, web, and more. Prizes are awarded in each CTF category and to the overall champion.
From there, a diverse group of high-potential cyber
"athletes" is invited to participate in the US Cyber Combine
Invitational. It's an 8-week period of evaluation and assess-
ment where they engage with other athletes and the coaching
staff, attend Sr. Tech Mentor lectures, demonstrate their techni-
cal and interpersonal skills via assignments and challenges, and net-
work with industry professionals. Finally, a select group of athletes is con- sidered for selection to the US Cyber Team. This team competes in a variety of global virtual and in-person scrimmages.
Participating in cybersecurity competitions offers tremendous benefits to students interested in pursuing a career in cyber. Head Coach Ken Jenkins says, "We aim to develop the future cybersecurity leaders by immersing our athletes in an environment that emphasizes diversity, collaboration, and career-focused approach." Find out more at https://www.playcyber.com/.
opportunity to work on a team project.” Another key component to maximize your post-grad job opportunities: extra- curricular activities. “Cybersecurity, like
any technical field, is mastered by doing and not passive reading,” says Babak Beheshti, dean of the College of Engi- neering and Computing Sciences at New York Institute of Technology. He sug- gests getting involved in “hackathons,” competitions, and student club activi- ties. “You will learn by doing and will start building a network of like-minded friends.” Build your own network, install virtual machines on a spare PC or laptop to experiment with it, and be willing to intern in a company or business to learn the day-to-day needs of organizations and how you can make yourself indis- pensable to them.
For a state-by state listing of schools offering four-year degree programs, go to start-engineering.com/4year-degrees.
University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, MS
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