I am a cybersecurity professional with deep specialization in defense in depth strategies and cybercrime investigation tactics. I have been associated with IBM for nearly a decade, performing various roles, and currently working as the Global Cybersecurity Architect. I am responsible for the overall cybersecurity strategy of the organization, ensuring its protection against all internal and external cyber threats.
I was keen on strengthening my credibility in the industry and wanted to master complicated cybersecurity topics. Without a second thought, I chose EC-Council University (ECCU) as it is among the most renowned cybersecurity-focused universities across the globe. It also offered the course in part-time and online learning modules which was very convenient for me because of my busy schedule as a cybersecurity professional. Moreover, I was very excited in enrolling into the program because I was already holding many other certifications including C|EH, C|HFI, ECSA, and LPT from EC-Council.
These certifications will qualify for a credit transfer when you enroll in the MSCS, which means, it shortens your time to attain the postgraduate qualification and saves you a ton of money.
At first, I was a little hesitant to go back to the university. I am a very busy professional and I knew it would be tough to balance my career with the expectations from the school. However, after a lot of thought, I enrolled into the Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCS) program. I was expecting the course to be challenging and it did not disappoint.
ECCU employs some of the best faculty in this space. The professors made difficult subjects easy to traverse, and honestly, they made it fun. One of the best parts of learning with EC-Council is that the faculty is very engaging. Most of them are active thought leaders in the cybersecurity space with extensive hands-on experience in the topic, which made the class even more interesting.
The most interesting part about the course was where we got to apply all the theories into real-world scenarios. There were a few courses that were difficult in nature, while the others, where I had innate experience, came to me naturally.
Earning a Master’s degree in cybersecurity adds to your credentials and potentially attests your passion in the field. In my opinion, organizations will always find it beneficial to have a skilled professional who has a solid education attained from a credible and accredited university like ECCU to take leadership roles. The MSCS degree definitely helped me climb my company’s career ladder faster. I was able to get into a high-rank position with a bigger paycheck upon graduation.
Earning the degree was a great milestone for me personally. Everyone around me are really proud of my achievements and I am glad that I could put a smile on their faces.
I always try to give back to the cybersecurity universe through various means such as volunteer work, teaching in schools and universities, and educating people in forums and conferences. I am also a strong promoter of bringing women to the cybersecurity space.
My advice to the future aspirants is to start now. Do not delay anything or make excuses. Start now and try to align studies with your work. Try to make your research paper your next project at work or vice versa. This will save time and help you excel at work and school, simultaneously.
We are in the digital era where everything is accessible online. Universities like ECCU are online. You don’t have to drive through traffic to attend class, you don’t have to travel overseas to attend college; simply open your laptop and you are in class with your professors and fellow students from across the world.
My experience with MSCS has been fantastic and I recommend the course to all.
