Student Highlights
Fast-track to a Cyber career

At the age of 13, Jack had built his gaming PC and discovered an ever-increasing interest in computing. Achieving a Bachelor of Commerce, he took a different path initially.

“My academic interests were initially in economics. I got a job in an insurance brokerage and quickly used my interest in computers to specialise in cyber liability insurance policies,” he said.

After working in area of cyber space, Jack wanted to bridge the gaps in his knowledge before fully moving into the world of cyber security.

“I decided to develop my technical skills in cyber security. I completed a Graduate Certificate in Information Technology to bridge the gap between my bachelor’s and the Master of Cyber Security program I was aiming towards,” he said.

Jack described the cyber security industry as a constantly evolving environment where continued growth is required.

“This program allows me to combine state of the art practical skills with world class instructors so in an industry where learning is so important, [University of] Newcastle allows me to practice the skills that will keep me at the top of my game,” he said.

Seeing the impact of the Master of Cyber Security in his career, Jack has transitioned into the workforce a lot sooner than he originally anticipated.

“Combining my insurance background with the skills learnt so far in this course and the opportunities created during the merge of Newcastle Permanent and Greater Bank, I have been lucky enough to secure a job in the Governance Regulation and Compliance team of the Cyber Security Division of NGM group,” he said.

With goals of improving his career prospectives and having a better grasp on the cyber threat landscape, Jack feels the course content is guiding him towards these goals.

“The course content has been extremely relevant to my work. From project management methodologies to object-oriented programming, the graduate certificate in IT is an excellent background to any job in the IT industry, and these principles still hold true in Cyber Security,” he said.

Flexibility in adapting to threats, changes, and regulations within cyber security is a requirement of the industry. Through continued professional development, Jack is assured he will remain on top of all aspects of the industry.

“It is such a broad area that self-learning and even in-industry experience can only offer more of a high-level overview as you need to be constantly adapting to new threats and challenges. This program is excellent for drilling down into specific components of cyber security such as applicable laws and regulations that you may not come across day-to-day working in cyber security,” he said.

Hoping to improve both his career and the work of his team, Jack encourages others to start their study but also make time for life.

“After completing the program my goal is to better equip myself with cyber security tools that can help my team keep up to date with the threat landscape,” he said.

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Jack Saunders

Interested in gaming since childhood, Jack’s career has flourished by building on his knowledge of cyber security and computing with professional development through study.

This program allows me to combine state of the art practical skills with world class instructors so in an industry where learning is so important, [University of] Newcastle allows me to practice the skills that will keep me at the top of my game.