(HARLINGEN, Texas) – U.S. Army veteran Mario Benavides and U.S. Navy veteran Jacob Mendoza are combining some of their military discipline and video gaming strategies in their education in the Cybersecurity program at Texas State Technical College.
The two students are honing the skills necessary to prevent cyberattacks and meet the demands of today’s cybersecurity employers.
Benavides, who is working toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity, said his military and video gaming experiences are informing his ability to handle complex security challenges.
“In the Army I helped protect information from cyberthreats during training exercises,” he said. “The video games that I have played taught me how to coordinate with a team, allocate resources and plan for obstacles.”
Mendoza, of Santa Rosa, is studying for a Cybersecurity certificate of completion. He explained that the strategic thinking he developed as a security guard in the Navy and through playing video games mirror some of the principles used in cybersecurity.
“In the Navy I served as second in command for the building security operations and managed access control,” he said. “As for the video games I played, I had to determine the best strategy to defeat the opposing forces.”
John Labanieh, a TSTC Cybersecurity instructor in Harlingen, said Benavides and Mendoza’s backgrounds in discipline and problem-solving shape how they approach the program.
“The students’ strategic thinking fuels their natural curiosity,” he said. “They are both able to adapt to complex situations through their ease with technology.”
Mendoza said he chose to pursue the program because his background aligns with the field of cybersecurity.
“When I worked the security clearance job, it taught me how to stay a few steps ahead,” he said. “It’s a similar concept to anticipating a cyberattacker’s next move.”
According to onetonline.org, information security engineers in Texas earn a median salary of $108,170 a year. The website projected that there would be a 29% increase in the number of such jobs in the state from 2022 to 2032.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.