updated Nov 4, 2019
The first offering of our updated cybersecurity career development program is scheduled for January / February 2020. The deadline for applying to the initial offering is 11PM Eastern Time, November 29th (Friday). Details provided below.
Q1: Who is eligible to apply?
A1: Due to limited class size, this cybersecurity program is open to participants — defined to be primarily veterans, active service members in the Air Force, Army, and Navy as well as those in the Guard and Reserves, plus military spouses seeking to explore cybersecurity as a potential future career.
In addition, government employees and contractors seeking to make the transition to a cybersecurity career may be accepted on a limited case-by-case basis until all openings are filled under this initial offering. Because of the nature of what is being offered, participants must be US citizens.
Our 3D virtual cybersecurity campus means that participants with a suitable computer connected to the internet can complete this program from anywhere in the planet.
Q2: Exactly what is being offered?
A2: Three things are being offered under our Cybersecurity - Veterans Assistance Project (CVAP): (1) an Intro to Cyber Fundamentals to give participants an overview of the cybersecurity career field and key principles, (2) hands-on training experience focused on ethical hacking utilizing a Raspberry Pi and (3) a cybersecurity certification training session that can lead to successful participants passing an exam leading to an initial CompTIA cybersecurity certification.
Q3: How much will this cost?
A3: There is no-cost … however in the spirit of full transparency, an informational session will explain the specifics and conditions to ensure participation by those who fully understand the opportunity and the expectations and thus are committed to giving their very best efforts. As a veteran, the executive director is committed to assembling the resources needed to offer this opportunity at no-cost to the participants in recognition of their service in the defense and security of our nations.
Under a program funded by the Dept of Labor and in support of the principal investigator, an NSA-certified cybersecurity university program, the goal of this program is to cover the cost of the exam for those in our program that successfully complete our initial education & training program. That will take dedication and commitment on the part of the student and DLG. At the time of this web page update, the cost of the exam is almost $350. This cost will be reimbursed by DLG for those who successfully complete our initial education & training program … and successfully pass the test. The specific details and conditions will be provided to those who apply and are accepted to this cybersecurity career development program.
Q4: How much time is required and where will the program be conducted?
A4: The entire experience is spare-time/flex-time to allow participants to work around their job and family commitments but at least 3-5 hours / weeks should be set aside especially for the ethical hacking training session component and the cybersecurity certification exam study sessions with your peers. It is conducted inside of DLG’s 3D virtual cybersecurity campus such that participants will complete the experience as avatars from home. This 3D virtual campus approach was developed over 14+ years — initially under a multimillion dollar Air Force STEM workforce development program that the DLG director ran for 10 years before retiring as founding director to continue it philosophically as the nonprofit DLG over the past 4 years. This 3D virtual campus approach has been fundamental to DLG’s operational success and has many advantages to include the fact that students can participate from home via a computer with internet access. The free software to gain password controlled access to our 3D virtual cybersecurity campus can be downloaded. The program is spare-time / flex-time which means that students can participant from home around their job and family commitments - e.g. evenings and/or weekends.
The participants will work together as part of small teams coming together inside DLG’s 3D virtual cybersecurity campus as avatars to help each other succeed.
Q5: When does the program start?
A5: The first class is currently scheduled to start in the Spring of 2020. We expect to hold at least 2 offerings per year. The 2nd offering is tentatively scheduled to kick off in the Summer of 2020.
Q6: What is the track record of this opportunity? How will this help me get where I want to go?
A6: We can not guarantee success. We can only offer the opportunity to succeed through diligence and tenacity as evident by the 2 example testimonials by past participants at the bottom of this web page.
Q7: Will this take the place of my having to complete a cybersecurity college degree in order to secure a career in cybersecurity?
A7: This program is designed to help participants better understand cybersecurity as a potential career path, to gain some initial hands-on experience around cybersecurity principles associated with ethical hacking, and to participate in pre-certification study sessions desired to help pass an initial cybersecurity certification exam. As part of that, we will work to secure partnerships with cybersecurity companies with the goal of creating pathways to follow-on apprenticeship opportunities with potential future employers. These partnering cyber companies will be recruited from across the nation via our 3D virtual cybersecurity campus.
Successful participants in our program may still want to pursue a formal cybersecurity education strategy - whether a 2 year community college program or a formal 4 year university cybersecurity program depending on the participant’s long term goals … to complement and enhance the hands-on apprenticeship-like training and certification experience that CVAP is designed to provide.
If you wish to learn more about the C-VAP 2020 program, do NOT apply through the “SADE-APPLICATION” link — that is for college and high schools students interested in our summer program. Instead send an email to DLabG.Resume@GMAIL.COM with “CVAP2020” in the email subject line. Include the following information:
indicate whether you are a veteran, active service member, Guard or Reserves, military spouse, govt employee, govt contractor, or other
indicate what prior experience or education that is cyber security related — none is expected however
describe exactly what you hope to get out of this opportunity and
you are an active service member - indicate how many years before separating or retiring
Additional information on next steps - to include scheduling a conference call - will be sent in reply to your CVAP2020 email to us. After the conference call, a (short) application package will be sent to those who are still interested in the program designed to lead to an initial cybersecurity certification for those who successfully passed the test.
The cost of the cybersecurity certification exam will be covered — for those selected by DLG who demonstrated the progress in the training sessions needed to successfully pass the test — through a cost-share by DLG and the industry sponsors (future employers?) we expect to recruit. This in turn will create the potential for follow-on apprenticeship opportunities with the potential future employers. The cost of the exam will be reimbursed upon passing the exam. This will be explained and questions answered in the follow-on informational session that will be organized for those who apply and are accepted. Our goal and full intent is for the experience to be no-cost but for those who are committed to giving their best efforts in fairness to those who don’t get accepted.
Our 3D virtual cybersecurity campus approach will allow us to extend this opportunity to veterans, active service members, and other qualified participants across the country with partnering cyber companies being able to participate from across the country through this same 3D virtual cyber campus approach … as avatars.
—- CONTINUE READING IF YOU WISH TO LEARN MORE —-
As a service veteran of 22 years, the DLG executive director created DLG’s Cybersecurity Veterans Assistance Program (C-VAP) to give military service veterans (and active service members) the career-assistance opportunity to investigate cybersecurity as a potential career pathway and … for those selected for this unique “bootstrapping” opportunity … to help them take their initial steps … at no cost … towards pursuing their first cybersecurity certificate.
There is a “catch” to the no-cost opportunity. To be clear - there will be no cost to the students who are selected for this C-VAP opportunity but the “catch” is in the expectations regarding dedication / commitment / etc to the opportunity across the duration of the program. It is not enough to start. There must be a willingness to persevere to finish what is started. We can help but the participant must do their part. The program takes a team approach in the spirit of “students helping students”.
This C-VAP opportunity builds on an NSA-funded cybersecurity college course that DLG helped to create and teach in our 3D virtual Cybersecurity Campus along with our university and small business partner - (see illustrations at the end).
DLG leveraged the success and lessons-learned from that NSA-funded pilot to create C-VAP as a shorter career-transition-focused “Intro to Cybersecurity as a Career” program that teaches key cybersecurity fundamentals and principles while describing a faster “new-collar” strategy for pursuing cybersecurity as a career.
But wait — there’s more:
DLG plans to create C-VAP pre-certification training sessions in our 3D virtual Cybersecurity Campus for 2020 to help DLG alumni pursue their Security+ after successfully completing our C-VAP program that will be conducted in our 3D virtual cybersecurity campus.
Our plan is for it to be no-cost as well. But because it takes (serious) resources and commitment on DLG’s part to offer this no-cost, there will be a vetting process to ensure that the ones who are selected to participate will make the kind of dedicated commitment and “tenacious enthusiasm” that someone like Mike L. (mentioned below) has made to their own success.
Once again, as mentioned above: If you wish to learn more about the C-VAP 2020 program, send an email to DLabG.Resume@GMAIL.COM with “CVAP2020” in the email subject line. Include the additional information as also mentioned above.
In the words of past DLG CVAP participants (testimonials):
“My favorite aspect of the course was simply the level at which it was delivered. It met the goal spot on by providing starting points for development so that we could see where to dip our toes into the huge ocean of cyber. I also enjoyed this final session that analyzed an actual job request. The subject put the ideas into a concrete view showing exactly what it would take to be involved in this from the perspective of an employer rather than from a study point of view.” — Devan W.
"I want to provide you with an update on my efforts to securing a career in Cyber Security. I'm happy to inform you that I start an exciting position at xxxx with xxxx next Monday! … THANK YOU for accepting me into the CyberSecurity camp and providing me with such an awesome opportunity! I hope you can share my good news as a great testament for all your efforts and proof of the opportunities the camp provides.” — Mike L. (Director’s Note - Mike gets all the credit for this)
