Hi I'm Sam and you might be thinking what is this new Cyber Security apprenticeship scheme all about? Which is what I thought too. Curiosity got the better of me and the opportunity seemed too good to miss so I decided to make the 100 mile round trip every day to study for the next two years towards a level 4 qualification in Cyber Security!!
I've been on a fantastic roller coaster ride from day one. Meeting new colleagues, learning interesting and scary stuff about cyber criminals and their sneaky attack methods, to going on training courses, making new friends and constantly building my capability and knowledge.
I'm surprised how much I've grown and learnt. To date I’ve done five training courses covering topics including networking, open source intelligence and malware analysis. I am constantly learning new skills and putting them in practice. There’s a danger I might even be turning into one of those computer geeks (eek!)
I work within a secure command centre which is pretty cool as we have loads of tech equipment and it feels a bit like a goldfish bowl as you need have a special level of clearance to get into the room (Q from James Bond would like this place)!
Study is only one part of the apprenticeship, much of my time is spent in the workplace gaining practical experience of the job by protecting staff and customers from cyber-attacks which is really rewarding. This has helped me to better understand what’s taught in the classroom as well as allowing me to develop my technical skills much faster than through study alone.
My managers are great and are keen to help me develop and grow so I get loads of opportunities to do really exciting work rather than just mundane jobs, which makes me feel embedded within the team and organisation.
Just in case you were wondering, this scheme lets me earn a competitive wage too. It has benefited me in ways that I did not imagine. If you are reading this and thinking of joining, do not hesitate for one minute. It’s the best move you’ll ever make and worth every moment you invest….brilliant!
