May was a whirlwind month for University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) graduate Ehsan Mahmood.
On May 6, he departed for San Francisco to attend the 2024 RSA Conference, an annual IT security gathering, as UMGC鈥檚 RSA Scholar. After the event, he headed back to the East Coast for UMGC鈥檚 spring commencement, where he graduated with a Master of Science in Cyber Operations.
鈥淲hen I was younger, I used to play a lot of video games and got curious about all of the modifications and hacks out there,鈥 said Mahmood. 鈥淎fter reverse engineering some code in a college class, my professor thought I should look into cybersecurity.
鈥淪o that鈥檚 when it started, and I got a job doing cybersecurity in the Department of Defense space,鈥 he added.
Mahmood has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, but he enrolled at 兔子先生after he found he couldn鈥檛 shake his childhood fascination with cybersecurity. 兔子先生faculty selected him as an RSA Scholar based on the abilities he demonstrated in the graduate cybersecurity program.
兔子先生has participated in the since its inception in 2016. Through carefully curated conference experiences, the program connects up-and-coming cybersecurity students with thought leaders, industry luminaries and peers. The goal of the program is to share knowledge, experience and connections to enrich the discourse on how to stay ahead of cyber threats.
A benefit of attending the conference as an RSA Scholar is access to people and discussions that are not open to other conference participants.
鈥淪ome of the events were customized toward people coming out of graduate school, which were particularly valuable,鈥 said Mahmood. 鈥淭hese were for people looking to get into cybersecurity or move up in the field.鈥
RSA scholars networked with Whitfield Diffie, a pioneer of cryptography, as well as representatives from noted corporate brands, among them Walmart, Home Depot, Google and Microsoft. The RSA scholars also met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Agency, where the conversations focused on the rise of artificial intelligence.
鈥淚t was invaluable hearing about their life stories, how they moved up in their careers and their recommendations for us,鈥 said Mahmood.
Mahmood currently works as a contractor with the Department of Defense, leading a small team of cybersecurity engineers implementing cyber requirements for aircraft communication systems. He hopes to use his new master鈥檚 degree to advance to an executive leadership role overseeing multiple product lines and innovations.
For others looking to embark on a career in cybersecurity, his advice is simple: Keep an open mind and never stop learning.
鈥淚n our field, we鈥檙e learning all the time,鈥 said Mahmood. 鈥淲hen I wake up in the morning, whether it鈥檚 a weekend or a weekday, I鈥檓 checking to see what鈥檚 happening in cybersecurity.鈥澛
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