This is a guest post written by Shiva from Arkansas. He became a Scholar in the 2021 National Cyber Scholarship Competition by playing CyberStart America.

“I entered this competition with zero knowledge in cybersecurity, and have now left as a finalist with a newfound interest in the field.”

We caught up with Shiva to find out how CyberStart America helped him become a National Cyber Scholarship (NCS) Scholar, and his plans for the future.

How would you describe your experience of the National Cyber Scholarship Competition?

I loved the thrilling frustration of pushing my brain to understand a concept by experimenting and exploring different methods. I think most students in school have a tendency to quickly give up on a problem that seems hard, including me. But this competition helped me overcome that and experience the true exasperation that builds knowledge and understanding.

Although the leaderboard and points system made it competitive, I really just fell in love with the challenge of solving a puzzle. The mystery made me anxious and put me on edge. So really, I saw it as just competing with myself.

Regardless of my standing, I had a wonderful experience these two days problem solving and researching topics I confronted for the first time!

How did you prepare for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition?

Participating in CyberStart America was so valuable since it introduced me to a great arsenal of tools and programs to utilize for different subfields. Completing many of the challenges really prepped me for NCS more than any other resource I used, including YouTube and online articles.

I would like to thank CyberStart America for providing students across the nation with a gateway to such a vital field in computer science so early and so in-depth. The gamified structure is what gravitated me towards this field and this wonderful achievement. I am truly grateful for this honor.

“Participating in CyberStart America was so valuable since it introduced me to a great arsenal of tools and programs to utilize for different subfields.”

How did you feel about becoming a Finalist in the Competition?

I knew this opportunity was special the minute I started my first challenge, BE01. I am thrilled to be a Finalist because I get to finally see that my late nights and tireless efforts have come to fruition.

Becoming a Finalist is so special to me because I entered this competition with zero knowledge on cybersecurity and have now left with a foundational primer as well as a newfound interest in cybersecurity.

“Becoming a Finalist is so special to me because I entered this competition with zero knowledge on cybersecurity.'“

Before participating in the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, were you considering a career in cybersecurity?

No, in fact, I was intimidated by the technicality and complexity of cybersecurity. To be blunt, I thought it would be boring and too sophisticated. But the NCS Competition exposed me to the fun and intuitive aspects of cybersecurity and its significance in securing web architectural infrastructures in almost every field. I think penetration testing and ethical hacking would be great ventures to try out that would be a good fit for me.

“The NCS Competition exposed me to the fun and intuitive aspects of cybersecurity and its significance in securing web architectural infrastructures in almost every field.”

Since participating in the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, are you now considering a career in cybersecurity?

Yes, I would like to not only pursue a career in cybersecurity, but also be more involved now to promote cybersecurity to students because of how valuable this experience was for me. Security Solutions Architect or Penetration Testing are the jobs I am currently interested in, but I believe I will get a better idea of the job I want to pursue as I explore different cybersecurity programs and classes in college.

Do you have plans to continue your cybersecurity studies?

I want to pursue my interests in cybersecurity as well as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Just like any other field, cybersecurity is constantly evolving to produce tougher encryptions as well as prevent more malicious hacks, and Artificial Intelligence integration is the next step. Some colleges I am interested in applying to are Carnegie Mellon and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Are you ready to take on the National Cyber Scholarship Competition challenges like Shiva? You can sign up for free training via CyberStart America here.