Throughout my time at ODU, I have learned a great deal.  I was a transfer student from TCC, so I did not take many general education courses at ODU.  However, I did take my cybersecurity courses here, and I learned a great deal.  From networking basics and network security to cyber policy and penetration testing, I gained an abundance of knowledge these past two years. 

 

Through my cybersecurity courses, I was fortunate to have been able to learn about and gain hands-on experience with many different cybersecurity tools.  Though I enjoyed the experience, I have learned that I am most passionate about penetration testing techniques because it requires problem solving and critical thinking.  These skills are valuable because penetration testers have to know about all levels of a network, how to think like a hacker, laws and regulations, coding knowledge, and social engineering techniques to effectively do their job.  

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I gained networking knowledge from IT 315 and CYSE 301.  IT 315 taught about each of the network layers, how to design and draw a network layout using Visio, and how to estimate the materials required for the design.  CYSE 301 taught Linux basics, basic and advanced Wireshark capabilities, password cracking techniques, use of Metasploit and NMAP to exploit vulnerabilities in another computer, and other penetration testing techniques.  

 

My most valuable learning experience during all four years is to always try your best, try to solve your own problem before asking the professor to solve it for you, and to always ask questions if something is unclear.  Surprisingly, I did not encounter too many obstacles at ODU.  As a mother of two, I sometimes had scheduling issues, but remote learning has helped with that.  I learned earlier in college that sometimes I have to teach myself something through other methods.  Whether that be via alternate books, videos, or asking someone to help explain the information, sometimes learning requires finding a finding a method that works for you.  Understanding this allowed me to complete the program because I didn’t hesitate to find other resources if the ones provided did not work for my learning style.

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IDS 493 teaches how to design an ePortfolio that will interest viewers.  We were able to use Wix or Wordpress using a template or a blank slate.  From design principles to page content, this class taught it.  Each week, students were tasked with designing a new page, or simply adding new design elements, to their ePortfolio with prompts to assist in the creative process.  There were multiple opportunities to receive peer reviews that pushed me to improve my site.  By the end of the course, students should have a completed ePortfolio that demonstrates their knowledge and experiences gained throughout their time at ODU.

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During one of my first courses at ODU, I was tasked with creating an ePortfolio using Wordpress, so I initially chose to build upon that page.  However, as the course progressed, I found myself wanting more customization options.  I started teaching myself Java and manipulating the page elements myself.  However, I realized I did not have the time to fully build it properly and switched to Wix.  I really enjoyed working with Wix and Wordpress to learn more about website design and development.  Overall, I am pleased with my site, including the color scheme and overall layout.  I am most proud of my embedded Replit frame that allows users to use my custom program I built in one of my courses.  If I had to choose one page for viewers to go to, I would probably point someone to my Homepage or skills page because I think they stand out the most.

   

I encountered obstacles of my own making when creating my ePortfolio.  I tend to stray away from anything prebuilt or decided.  For instance, I never follow a recipe closely, I always alter it in some way.  In this course, I did the same with the templates on Wordpress which led me to trying to learn Javascript and editing the code of the website itself.  I ultimately switched to Wix due to time constraints and the desire to fully customize my site, but I would have loved to have continued designing on Wordpress from scratch. If I had more time, I would love to build my ePortfolio mostly from custom code, without the use of templates.  One day, I will.

 

Much of the information taught in this class was new to me, but I have dabbled in website design in the past.  I really enjoyed learning about all of the elements of design and how certain elements can completely alter the success of a page.  

  

When I declared my major in cybersecurity, I thought the ultimate focus would be coding, penetration testing, and computer science more than anything.  However, I have learned how cybersecurity is connected to and influenced by almost every discipline.  This is the digital age, and as such, our daily lives, laws, and economy are intertwined with cybersecurity.  Cybersecurity is directly related to the person using a device, application, etc.  As an incoming cybersecurity professional, it is imperative that we look at a problem from the person using the device, the applications they are using, and the hardware itself.