Roughly 80 people are participating in UB’s inaugural Cybersecurity Bootcamp, a 400-hour course designed to equip learners with the job-ready skills they need to navigate a rapidly-changing workplace.
Led by the Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE), the new program is taught by experts within the cybersecurity field. The bootcamp “addresses one of the biggest challenges facing the greater Buffalo area’s workforce,” UB spokesperson Cory Nealon told The Spectrum.
“The rapid development of new technology coupled with the increasing shift to remote work is causing the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals to increase exponentially,” Kemper Lewis, dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said. “The University at Buffalo is pleased to offer this leading-edge program that will prepare participants for the abundance of opportunities that await them in the cybersecurity sector.”
The program offers students career development resources, like LinkedIn profile optimization, interview practice and job placement assistance. TCIE is also offering preparation for certification exams such as CompTIA Network+, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and LPI Linux Essentials.
In addition, the course is supposed to enable students to gain fluency in a variety of areas, including cloud security, Python for security, Microsoft security and more. Hands-on work is a major component of the course, with “virtual cyber labs and real-world simulations on relevant topics such as cyber infrastructure and technologies, ethical hacking and data loss prevention” being taught by instructors.
The course is designed to serve professionals in Western New York who are “unemployed, underemployed or changing careers,” Nealon told The Spectrum.
Cybersecurity, or computer security, entails protecting virtual resources like data, networks and devices from cyber attacks and cyber crime. For students, this could include digital transcript records, passwords and other private information.
As the pandemic forces employers to convert physical assets into digital ones, businesses will need to be able to navigate the changing landscape, Lewis says.
UB doesn’t offer a major in cybersecurity, But it does offer an advanced certificate in cybersecurity, a cybersecurity minor and graduate programs. The advanced certificate allows students to tailor their 15-credit education to their interests through a “managerial track” or a “technical track.” The 23-credit cybersecurity minor expands upon this curriculum with more electives in topics from software and hardware security to computer systems administration.
UB’s move to launch a program focused specifically on cybersecurity comes at a time when the job market in Western New York requires more knowledge in this sector, according to experts.
Jack Porcari is a senior news/features editor and can be reached at jack.porcari@ubspectrum.com
Jack Porcari is a senior news/features editor at The Spectrum. He is a political science major with a minor in journalism. Aside from writing and editing, he enjoys playing piano, flow arts, reptiles and activism.
