PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College is continuing to offer its Networking & Cybersecurity program for students interested in entering the workforce as a network technician and/or as a tier 1 cybersecurity analyst in a Security Operations Center (SOC). 

Students can also elect to transfer to a college or university to further their skills in computer Info Systems (CIS) to become a tier 2 or 3 security analyst or network engineer. On average, entry level analysts start out making about $62,000 a year.

"Anyone who has watched the news in the past couple of years knows why cybersecurity has become so important and the need for cybersecurity analysts is growing," John Osthoff, professor of Computer Information Systems/CCNA Certification at the college, said. “Businesses need security in their IT department. Small business do not have a huge IT staff so they are looking for employees that can do a bit of everything."

Students that complete the Networking & Cybersecurity program will gain experience in IT skills, programming, networking and cybersecurity analysis and mitigation. The curriculum focuses on the concepts of the Cisco Certified Network (CCNA) and the Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certifications along with other CIS supporting skills.

"We heard from local companies and they want IT personnel that are experienced in networking, but also in cybersecurity. We heard this and modified our program to allow students to get experience (and certification) in both areas," Osthoff said.

For more information about the new certificate programs offered at the college, visit the website.

• Most Read

• Most Comments

• All News

• Blogroll

• Photos