Students from across Jackson County recently participated in a Cybersecurity and Information Technology Summit at the Kevin Dukes Career and Innovation Academy. The event was organized by Ms. Dana Keller, one of Northeast Alabama Community College’s Computer Science instructors who serves students at the KDCIA.
The event introduced students to various careers in the field, and several companies were present to discuss these opportunities with students. "I wanted to come up with a way to inform students about various careers in Cybersecurity and IT,” said Ms. Keller of organizing the event. “Most students don't realize there is a huge variety of areas available to specialize in and that some part of this field is needed in almost every business or occupation."
Famers Telecommunications Cooperative, Google, Ken Mitchell with Yellowbox Solutions, David Blevins from Life Care Centers of America, and Alabama School of Cybertechnology and Engineering (ASCTE) all gave presentations to the students. Fellow NACC CIS instructor Bryon Miller was also in attendance, educating students about Northeast’s CIS program.
“We are very pleased to partner with Jackson County Schools, the Kevin Dukes Carrer and Innovation Academy, and Google,” stated NACC President Dr. David Campbell. “Our area people have the skills and capacities to pursue these opportunities in computer science and cybersecurity. They just need to know more about what is out there for careers in these fields. The sky is not even the limit for these careers as they say in the space industry with Google and the other advanced companies that we have here and in nearby Huntsville!”
NACC’s Computer Information Systems department offers students a wide range of options when it comes to degree plans and certificates. Students have the opportunity to obtain up to three short-term certificates from NACC and courses will count towards our Associate in Applied Science degrees in Computer Information Systems and Cybersecurity.
“We’re excited to be able to offer students this experience and to expose them to the world of information technology and cybersecurity,” said Miller concerning the event. “This new partnership will give Jackson County students opportunities to prepare for cybersecurity careers in north Alabama. There are nearly 5,000 cybersecurity-related job openings in north Alabama right now and most jobs in this field have above average salaries for Alabama.”
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