Matt Spear was ready for a professional change. “I wanted to transition to a career in cyber, but I felt like my lack of experience would make it difficult to pivot into the field,” said Matt, a cybersecurity analyst at Booz Allen.
“Cyber has always sounded interesting to me because it plays a vital role in everyone’s daily life,” he said. “From a career perspective, I knew I could focus on several pathways and specialties and grow into different roles.”
At the time, Matt was wrapping up his work at Booz Allen with the Air Combat Command as a geospatial intelligence and remote sensing analyst. “I saw it as the best time to take the risk and change course to pursue the cyber career path,” he said. Matt spoke to his career manager about his shifting aspirations and was introduced to the Booz Allen Cyber Tech Excellence program.
Through skills assessments, hands-on training, mentorship, and job placement, Matt learned new skills while starting the next chapter of his career. He completed three different certifications across the intelligence and cyber fields over 9 weeks.
Matt now works as a cybersecurity analyst and assessment-and-authorization team lead supporting the Naval Information Forces Command. He’s happy knowing that he’s able to help clients with cybersecurity challenges and with safeguarding their information systems. “Participating in these programs allowed me to transition into a high-demand field with numerous specialty areas and has helped me realize the growth potential within the cyber field,” said Matt.
What advice does Matt have for anyone considering a transition to cyber? “Do it! Many people may not realize that skills learned in other career areas can translate into cyber careers," said Matt. "Having an open mind to the possibility and trusting yourself enough to make the leap can be highly rewarding. Be prepared to put in the work to learn the baseline knowledge and skills to help you complete the transition.”
