Hartford Business Journal

19 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 12, 2021 or five years, with around 850 students. But the school's cybersecurity concentration has grown more slowly, especially compared to subject areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, research and software development. "This is not where students are going," Michel said. "They're voting with their feet. They don't seem to be aware of the opportunities." On the one hand, cybersecurity can be a lucrative field (for example, an information security analyst makes an average annual salary of $103,230 in Connecticut, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data) especially because the skillset is hard to come by. But cybersecurity workers also face a high-pressure environment where they're expected to remain constantly vigilant and up to date on the latest emerging threats. "It's quite demanding," Michel said. "They have a hard job, and the fact that there's not enough of them doesn't help. It's not for the faint of heart, and it requires that you continue to learn and adapt to new challenges over the course of your career." UConn is seeking to attract more people to the discipline through its cybersecurity lab, which allows students to search for vulnerabilities in simulated cloud and "Internet of Things" systems. "They're learning what it takes to defend against cyberattacks," Michel said. "The thinking is, you have to see the dark side in order to learn to protect." Feedback on the lab is positive and ultimately convinces some students to change their majors to cybersecurity. But Michel cautions it will take time to see the results in the professional world. "It's a long-haul process, there's no easy fix," he said. "It takes several years between the recognition of the problem and the solution. There is always a delay." Western Governors University, a private online college with around 800 Connecticut students, has also ramped up investments in its cybersecurity program over the last few years, bringing on new faculty and expanding course offerings. The school currently embeds 14 certifications within its cybersecurity bachelor's degree track to help graduates get into the field as quickly as possible. "We're constantly evaluating our program," said Rebecca Watts, who serves as regional vice president for WGU's Northeast operations. "That's one of the biggest challenges — you're never done learning. You have to constantly stay ahead of what's out there. It's a career-long commitment." This summer, in an effort to raise awareness of cybersecurity as a career option, the university is staging a virtual "cyber camp" for high school students. Watts said the goal is to reach communities that have been historically underrepresented in cybersecurity and in the tech world as a whole. "There may be a barrier because we expect people to know what cybersecurity is without explaining it," she said. "People might not understand that it's not a routine thing. It's constantly evolving, it's constantly exciting and it's absolutely critical." Luise, of ADNET, said close coordination between employers and schools is a critical step toward ameliorating the worker shortage, not just in the realm of cybersecurity but in technology generally. "We've been working with specific schools, giving them our perspective, for well over a decade," he said. "And that's one piece of it, but there's a broader discussion to be had about workforce development that transcends just cybersecurity. That has to be addressed at the national level." not enough to move the needle for most employers. Laurent Michel, a computer science professor at the University of Connecticut, said his department has doubled in size in the last four www.borghesibuilding.com Wittmann Battenfeld, Torrington, CT Napoli Retail, Southington, CT Nufern, East Granby, CT Windsor Marketing Group (WMG), Suffield, CT The Belknap White Group, Hartford, CT Since 1942, The Single Source Construction Firm Since 1942, our goal has been simple: To provide our clients with complete design, planning and construction services for commercial, industrial and retail buildings. Based on years of experience, we're price competitive and offer high quality. When the strictest attention to detail is critical to your success, you can always count on Borghesi to deliver. From concept to occupancy, Borghesi is your single source. 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Butler Manufacturing™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. 2155 East Main Street • Torrington, Connecticut 06790 Wittmann Battenfeld, Torrington, CT Napoli Retail, Southington, CT Nufern, East Granby, CT Windsor Marketing Group (WMG), Suffield, CT The Belknap White Group, Hartford, CT Since 1942, The Single Source Construction Firm Since 1942, our goal has been simple: To provide our clients with complete design, planning and construction services for commercial, industrial and retail buildings. Based on years of experience, we're price competitive and offer high quality. When the strictest attention to detail is critical to your success, you can always count on Borghesi to deliver. From concept to occupancy, Borghesi is your single source. Contact us at 860-482-7613 or visit us on the web. AKDO, Bridgeport, CT Stevens Manufacturing, Milford, CT Building Ideas That Work … www.borghesibuilding.com © 2011 BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Butler Manufacturing™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. 2155 East Main Street • Torrington, Connecticut 06790 Wittmann Battenfeld, Torrington, CT Napoli Retail, Southington, CT Nufern, East Granby, CT Windsor Marketing Group (WMG), Suffield, CT The Belknap White Group, Hartford, CT Since 1942, The Single Source Construction Firm Since 1942, our goal has been simple: To provide our clients with complete design, planning and construction services for commercial, industrial and retail buildings. Based on years of experience, we're price competitive and offer high quality. When the strictest attention to detail is critical to your success, you can always count on Borghesi to deliver. From concept to occupancy, Borghesi is your single source. Contact us at 860-482-7613 or visit us on the web. 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AKDO, Bridgeport, CT Stevens Manufacturing, Milford, CT Building Ideas That Work … Top cybersecurity job titles in CT There are currently over 3,700 cybersecurity-related job openings in Connecticut, and more than 8,000 people in the state employed in cybersecurity-related jobs, according to industry tracker Cyber Seek. The most common industry jobs in the state include: ■ Cybersecurity analyst ■ Vulnerability analyst/penetration tester ■ Cybersecurity manager/ administrator ■ Cybersecurity consultant ■ Network engineer/architect ■ IT director ■ Systems engineer ■ Software developer/engineer ■ Cybersecurity architect Source: Cyber Seek Rebecca Watts Laurent Michel

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