Looking for a career change, Justin Brown enrolled in the cyber defense program at Cleveland State Community College more than 20 years after graduating from high school.
Now, he is a security analyst for a technology company.
Brown entered college after high school, but decided that it wasn’t for him. He worked several jobs in local industry including five years as a turf care technician.
With a 2-year-old son, Brown wanted a more fulfilling career, so his wife encouraged him to return to college. Wanting to stay close to home, Brown discovered that Cleveland State offered a cyber defense program.
Brown was able to leave his job and attend college full time with funding from his wife’s military GI Bill benefits.
Less than two years later, he earned an associate of applied science degree in cyber security and began working as a help desk technician for HCL Tech, a technology contractor at Volkswagen in Chattanooga.
Six months later, Brown was promoted to IT security analyst working three days a week at Volkswagen and two days a week at home.
The computer information technology (CIT) program at the college includes an internship.
Many students work in the student-operated tech support lab, Tech Solutions. The lab provides free service and support to the community.
Student workers diagnose and troubleshoot problems with personal computers; they provide services such as virus removal, operating system upgrades, software installation, remote support and more.
The service is free, but the customer incurs all hardware/software costs.
Brown said, “The Tech Solutions internship gave me a lot more hands-on experience especially working with the servers and cable maintenance.”
“Troubleshooting computers in the lab helped prepare me for the actual help desk job, and the cyber security classes helped me get promoted to the security position,” he said.
Bambi Cannon, CIT associate professor, said, “Justin demonstrated remarkable commitment during his time at Cleveland State, not only to his own studies, but also being a point of support for his peers.”
“He was a great asset during the internship in Tech Solutions, in which he gained both technical and professional skills,” she said. “I imagine he will continue to grow in this profession and have a successful career.”
Brown earned two specialized industry certifications soon after graduating, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+.
“For me, if I wasn’t for the fact that I could quit my job and come to school full time, it would have taken twice as long,” said Brown. “With the GI Bil, it wasn’t a total financial strain. I’m happy where I’m at now; I’m making way more money than I did before, and I’m not as stressed out.”