Going from E-sports to Cyber
Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing Management, Winter 2024
What drew you to come work at the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute?
When Benjamin first noticed the CCI’s job listing for an e-sports commentator, he was immediately drawn to apply for the position. Benjamin has extensive experience in the e-sports field as he grew up playing video games and for the past five years has grown a following on his YouTube channel, Twitch, and various other forms of social media, accumulating 500k views. He felt that the part-time position at the CCI would be the right fit as he could apply his past job experience while also expanding his skill set.
What interests you about cybersecurity or technology?
Benjamin’s interest in technology first began when he interned for Vectra AI, a company that automates IT processes, about four years ago. As an intern, Benjamin not only learned more about the technology industry, but also about himself.
Additionally, Benjamin became fascinated with the cybersecurity industry as it presents plenty of opportunities. With a shortage of over 3 million workers in the cybersecurity field, Benjamin sees the growing talent gap as the ideal time to seize the chance to expand his work experience.
What have you been working on at the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute? And what skills have you learned or applied during your tenure?
Benjamin initially began with creating podcast episodes for the Space Grand podcast. As mentioned previously, Benjamin had prior experience with livestreams which has aided in the audio-visual aspect of both the podcast and the annual Space Grand Challenge. In addition, he was familiar with creating unique content when the CCI required.
Benjamin has developed a wide range of skills during his time at the CCI. In general, he learned more about the cybersecurity industry, specifically terms unique to the space. When Benjamin first started with the CCI, he turned to colleagues for help when presented with unfamiliar topics. Individually, he researched different key terms in order to make himself comfortable speaking about cybersecurity matters during day-to-day activities and during the Space Grand Challenge’s livestreams.
How does the Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute fit in your future career?
The Cal Poly California Cybersecurity Institute fits into Benjamin’s future career as it is one of the first building blocks in his cybersecurity work history. As there is a lingering fear of job security following his graduation in the Winter of 2024, cybersecurity careers have a promising future.
As an entrepreneur, Benjamin has created two of his own businesses – one of which is cybersecurity related. He has used his experience at the CCI to build an automated cookie preferences browser extension solution. Overall, Benjamin sees his time at the CCI as a significant learning experience for the future.
This student profile was written by Gwen Danley.