By Matt Smith
A few weeks ago, my colleague Lisa Marie and I found ourselves comparing notes about suspicious emails.
“I’m about to get rich!!!” I joked after reading one that promised easy money.
“No, you’re not, Matt. Hit delete,” Lisa Marie replied.
It seems like every day there’s another message that’s just convincing enough to make you pause before clicking.
Around the same time, I received another one of those emails.
You know the kind.
“Your account has been suspended.”
For about three seconds, I believed it.
Then I looked a little closer.
The sender’s email address didn’t match. The grammar was a little off. It wasn’t real.
Nice try.
It made me laugh.
It also made me think.
Somewhere, someone spends every day trying to fool people like me. Or worse, my parents.
Thankfully, somewhere else, someone spends every day stopping them.
What surprised me most is that many of those cyber defenders are being trained right here in Western Wake.
When most people think about cybersecurity, they picture hackers in dark rooms typing furiously on glowing keyboards.
Hollywood deserves some of the blame for that.
But the real story isn’t about the people trying to break into our systems.
It’s about the people protecting them.
That’s the part we rarely see.
Every time we check our bank account, make an online purchase, log into work, or visit the doctor, we’re relying on people we’ve never met to help keep those systems secure.
Most of them will never make headlines.
That’s probably a good thing.
One of those future cyber defenders is Jennifer Medina.
Jennifer didn’t grow up knowing she wanted a career in cybersecurity. Like so many Wake Tech students, she discovered an opportunity she hadn’t considered before. She completed cybersecurity training, earned multiple industry credentials, and gained hands-on experience before being selected for North Carolina’s inaugural cybersecurity internship with the Department of Information Technology.
Today, she’s helping protect systems people rely on every day.
I love Jennifer’s story because it reminds me that behind every secure network is a person who first had to learn how to defend it.
That learning is happening every day at Wake Tech.
Our cybersecurity program has earned national recognition, including designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency. It’s ranked the top associate degree cybersecurity program in North Carolina and among the best in the country.
Those rankings are certainly something to celebrate.
But what matters even more is why they exist.
Employers need talent.
Not someday.
Today.
Cybersecurity has become one of the fastest-growing career fields because nearly every organization depends on secure networks and trusted technology. Hospitals. Manufacturers. Banks. Schools. Local governments. Small businesses.
If a computer is involved, cybersecurity probably is too.
That’s why Wake Tech’s program emphasizes hands-on learning as much as classroom instruction.
Students don’t simply read about cyber defense.
They investigate attacks.
They analyze vulnerabilities.
They practice solving real-world problems.
One of the most unique opportunities is the Sentinel Cybersecurity Bootcamp, where students work directly with businesses, conduct cybersecurity assessments and gain consulting experience while they’re still in school.
That’s the kind of experience employers remember.
It also reflects something I’ve written about before.
The strongest workforce programs aren’t built in isolation.
They’re built alongside employers.
Industry leaders help shape what students learn because technology changes too quickly for education to stand still.
That collaboration helps ensure graduates leave ready to contribute on day one.
What I find especially encouraging is who chooses these careers.
Some students come directly from high school.
Others are veterans.
Some are changing careers after years in another profession.
Others simply enjoy solving puzzles and want to build a future in a field that’s constantly evolving.
There isn’t one path into cybersecurity.
There are many.
As artificial intelligence, cloud computing and connected technologies continue changing the way we live and work, the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals will only continue to grow.
The threats aren’t going away.
Fortunately, neither are the people preparing to stop them.
I’ll still double-check suspicious emails.
I’ll probably always hesitate before clicking an unfamiliar link.
Old habits aren’t necessarily bad ones.
But now, whenever I hear the word “cybersecurity,” I don’t picture a hacker in a hoodie.
I picture students like Jennifer.
Neighbors quietly building the skills to protect the rest of us.
If you ask me, that’s one more unexpected story worth telling.
