Page 44 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023
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Passion and Opportunity
Students in STCC’s Cybersecurity Program Have Both
 “In the cybersecurity field, experience is key to finding a job. With his experience as
an SI and his internship, Jackson is on the path to a rewarding career in cybersecurity.”
Jackson Perez was always “a computer kid.”
“I’d come home from school, and I’d hop right on the com- puter. I’d be on it for five, six hours,” he said.
When he came to Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), he enrolled in the physical therapy assistant health pro- gram, but he soon realized it wasn’t a good fit for him. His mother, Shana Perez, a professor at STCC, suggested her son try out a pro- gram that matched his passion for computers: cybersecurity.
Perez was instantly hooked; very soon, he couldn’t see himself in any other major. In fact, Cybersecurity Professor Brian Candido asked Perez to work as his supplemental instructor (SI), a role in which he tutors other students in Candido’s computer classes. He gets excited seeing other students finding the ‘a-ha’ moment that he had when he took the class.
He also landed an internship at the cybersecurity company TOSS C3, starting this past November as its first intern.
“They’re a great company,” he said. “They handle data for compa- nies. I’ve loved it so far. I’ve learned so much from them. I’m thank- ful they are giving me this opportunity to get experience.”
Perez credits the STCC professors with offering support and ultimately getting him his internship, noting that cybersecurity stu- dents at STCC get support from professors that include Candido, who teaches operating systems classes and programming classes; Jason Alves, an assistant professor of computer technologies who teaches upper-level information-security classes; and Professor Wes- ley Crouch, who teaches networking.
Candido said he’s thrilled to see Perez taking advantage of opportunities and excelling.
“We encourage our students to get internships, which gives them experience outside of the classroom,” Candido said. “In the cyber- security field, experience is key to finding a job. With his experience as an SI and his internship, Jackson is on the path to a rewarding career in cybersecurity.”
Perez added, “Without Brian, I wouldn’t be even close to where I am now.”
Every student like Perez who enters this field is helping to meet a critical shortage in the cybersecurity workforce, with an estimated 20,000 more professionals needed in Massachusetts alone, not to mention about 1 million in the U.S. and 3 million around the world.
That robust career opportunity is certainly a draw for young people deciding on a career — and it’s partly why STCC is working with the Springfield Redevelopment Authority and the Mass Tech Collaborative to establish a cyber range and security operations center (SOC) at Springfield Union Station, serving Western Mass. and beyond. In addition to supporting the cybersecurity needs of the region, the center will provide valuable hands-on training and career experience for students and will be a unique draw to attract a diverse workforce to the profession.
Perez hopes to earn his associate degree in cybersecurity and a certificate in programming. He’s learning programming languages that can help him build websites. In the cybersecurity program, he’s finding out how to hack into networks, knowledge that helps him understand how to protect companies that are facing security threats.
Perez spoke this past fall at the Massachusetts Municipal Cyber- security Summit with STCC’s Vice President and Chief Informa-
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