This summer, more than 80 computer hackers from across the United States attended a U.S. Cyber Challenge Camp hosted by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Reynolds is the first institution in Virginia to host the distinguished camp which offered specialized training sessions on cyber crime and terrorism prevention taught by renowned faculty and cyber security experts. A job fair, ethics discussion and roundtable discussion (which included State Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey and CEO’s from major cyber security firms) were also part of the camp. According to JSRCC Information Security Officer Kristopher Cox, Cyber Camps provide a unique training opportunity in a field with excellent employability.
“Industry experts will tell you how important it is to hire people that know how to identify and stop threats to information systems,” said Cox. “As the volume of online attacks increase and scams become more sophisticated, the need for skilled practitioners will never be more critical.”
All attendees were able to network with employers. Many have genuine job prospects. The week concluded with a virtual “capture the flag” competition. The five winners of that competition received scholarships for further training.
