Alumni Interview: Markus Mabson Never Stops Learning
May 21, 2021Capitology Blog sat down with Capitol Tech alumnus Markus Mabson. Markus obtained his B.S in Cyber and Information Security in 2017 and just completed his Master’s in the same field. Both degrees were obtained through Capitol Tech.
Q: What made you choose Capitol?
A: Originally, I was a transfer student from Harford Community College. As I was looking at schools to transfer to, a lot of them had larger lecture sizes and lecture halls. I wasn’t keen in being a part of being just a number amongst my peers. I wanted to be able to speak to teachers without speaking to a TA or being in a large classroom. Capitol allows for a lot of one-on-one with professors. It’s a small community, which makes it easy to get to know your way around the school as well as create close relationships with fellow colleagues.
Q: Why did you choose to study cybersecurity?
A: For me, I enjoy network security. I wanted to have more of a security-mindset, so the degree fit. I have a lot of interest in the technology that is involved with protecting networks. I also enjoy knowing that the material that I was learning at the time would be beneficial into helping keep individual’s information safe.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your job?
A: I work for Sealing Technologies. We provide engineering services and network support to various customers, including the Department of Defense. There, I’m a security engineer, where I help guide planning and configuration deployment in support of integrating detection and analytic tools into a network security platform that is designed to capture and analyze network traffic. My day to day can go from designing network architectures in Visio to creating infrastructure as code in V.S. Code with various automation tools/ languages such as Python, Bash or Ansible.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: My favorite part is the automation. If I ever find myself performing a task twice, I’m going to figure out a way how to automate it. Figuring out a solution on how to make my work life more efficient can also translate to how my automation skills can be used to create efficient deployment scenarios for our customers. One of the coolest things is seeing the code that you create is being used in automated deployments amongst your co-workers and sometimes in the hands of cyber protection teams (CPTs).
Q: What is the biggest challenge?
A: The biggest challenge, since we are security-focused, are our adversaries. The people after the DoD are constantly developing and changing. We’re on the defense side trying to figure out what they’re doing. A big part is trying to figure out what our adversaries are doing and how we try to combat that. They’re always one step ahead and we’re constantly trying to get in front. We’re always on the side of being retroactive in responses, when in fact we need to start being more proactive.
When you’re in cybersecurity you have to figure out how to be agile, as your adversaries are constantly getting faster and faster.
Q: How did your degree help you in your career?
A: Capitol provided a lot of coding classes and hands-on experience and labs. Capitol prepares you to be ready in a lot of the scenarios I encounter. When I was at the community college, we didn’t touch that much of any physical hardware. When I went to Capitol, within the first week they handed us a router and a switch and told us to figure how to setup OSPF (open shortest path first). Instead of being attacked by ‘death by PowerPoint’ we were attacked with labs which helped reinforce the lectures that we were given. The skillsets that Capitol teaches you easily translates into the job field.
Q: What do you see as the future of cybersecurity?
A: A lot of the field in cybersecurity is moving away from using a lot of physical services (hardware) and moving toward more of a cloud computing space or hybrid solutions. We’re also moving more into software-defined networking to make networks agile and flexible. User behavior analytics, SIEM (security information and event management) and automation response space are increasingly growing. There has been an increasingly need to create cyber operation platforms in a repeatable and agile fashion.
Q: What class had a greater impact than you expected?
A: There was a class taught by Professor Antunes about scripting languages in which we focused on Python & Perl. I learned automation because I hate repetitive tasks. His class was one that I really enjoyed because it provided the solution of destroying repetitive functions in my day-to-day computer life. It also helped me rekindle the love that I had for coding.
Q: What advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a degree in cybersecurity?
A: If you’re going into a STEM field, constantly keep learning. One of the things employers look for is having a mindset that you’re willing to learn. Build things. If it isn’t broke, then proceed to break it and learn. Build a home lab, learn a new programming language, attend conferences and network with the community. They expect you to fail sometimes, and when you do, fail hard. However, make sure when you recover that you’re recovering ten-fold.
Q: Are communications skills important in your field?
A: Absolutely! Soft skills are important. If you’re coming from the STEM field into full-time work, you don’t need to be as technical as you think you need to be. These lieutenant colonels and higher ups that we interact with – they need to receive applicable data. It’s important that you’re able to listen carefully, work in groups and teams, and explain technical ideas to people who lack your expert knowledge. Teamwork is also a crucial part in working in any organization that can make or break deadlines.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: I want to reiterate that, if you’re in the STEM field or any field, continue learning. If you’re a freshman/sophomore, look for internships as soon as you’re able to. The sooner you can enter the field, the better you look to future employers and the more opportunities you have to learn. Don’t be afraid of change and of new technology. Be ready to transition to a new technology when the field is moving towards it. If you’re ever curious on something, fill that curiosity with new knowledge. If you love code and enjoy networking, you will definitely have an enjoyable time in the realm of cybersecurity!
Want to learn about cybersecurity? View the full list of bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in cyber and information security. Many courses are available both on campus and online. To learn more about Capitol Tech’s degree programs, contact admissions@captechu.edu.