Learner Testimonial — Dillon, Cyber Security Technologist

Earlier this summer, our Apprenticeship learner, Dillon Bose was Highly Commended in the Cyber Apprentice of the Year category of the BCS IT & Digital Apprenticeship Awards. We sat down with him to find out more about his experience on the Firebrand Apprenticeship programme.

“I work as Information Security Analyst at Amey, a large company that does consulting, construction, highway management, Government contracts, MODs, MOJs... I do a facet of Cyber Security.

“I’ve always been into tech. I did Computer Science and Maths at A-Levels, then decided to learn on the job. Uni just wasn’t for me, so I did part-time work, applying for Apps on the side. All this was during lockdown.

“My college pushed everyone in my field to go to uni, the ‘normal’ path – but my girlfriend found an interesting App in a different field and I started researching them. Don’t get me wrong – at school, they always supported me, but there was always that push to go to uni.

“I really like the idea of learning while getting paid; I researched on forums and social media. In college, I’d enjoyed learning to code on Python – then, I found out about Python’s security capabilities – I was intrigued! Cyber Security was always on my radar, Ethical Hacking, but I applied for loads of Apps, including Software Developer, Network Engineer, general IT jobs…

“The application process lasted 8-12 months. I was quite fortunate; I live close to big companies, so there were lots of opportunities. I was also learning to drive at the time.

“I was accepted as a Level 4 Cyber Security apprentice with the same company I’m in now, Amey, taught by Firebrand. Being an apprentice was a really, really fun experience! As an apprentice you kind of get the excuse to be jumped into different fields, which makes for great exposure; I covered almost every aspect of Cyber Security in 2 years!

“At the time, we had a very small team for the size of our company. When I was hired, there were only 3 people – the Head Manager, myself, and another Analyst. Since then, the team has got a lot bigger, almost 10 people.

“My In-Work Mentor was the Head Manager; from Firebrand I had Adam Barnes as Learning Mentor, then Zaira [Martinez-Delgado]. My Firebrand LMs had to change, but the transition was seamless!

“Learning on the job was probably the second-best thing about the Apprenticeship. I knew about Cyber Sec, but I didn’t know the corporate stuff they need you to know. That’s where taking courses with Firebrand was really interesting! I learned the industry standard and was able to compare how our company does things differently.

“For these courses, I went to Wybo [the Firebrand Training Centre at Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire] five times during my Apprenticeship. My employer was keen for me to attend as many courses as interested me, and I did!

“I took CompTIA Network+, Security+, the EC-Council Certified Network Defender (CND), also ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, which was great, ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity, Microsoft SC-900, which is Microsoft-specific, and a 24-hour virtual sandbox training, Security Blue Team Defender Level 1 – I took it on my own, not with Firebrand. It was a 24-hour incident response exam – investigating an incident, gathering evidence, reporting…

“I took the exams too to become certified – Security+, Network+, and ISO 27001. Certifications had not been on my radar before starting the App, but while taking it I learned the power of certifications – they really demonstrate someone’s knowledge! They look great on your CV, plus nowadays job descriptions call out specific certs – e.g., Microsoft SC-900 – because that’s what the companies use. Security+ gets updated every year too, they keep up with everything!

“The support has been amazing. Zaira has been awesome and the knowledge experts too [Subject Matter Experts, SMEs] – I’ve been able to contact them and help me go over things I needed extra help on, especially going into Gateway [and EPA].

“I don’t know what to say about Apprenticeships, because my only Apprenticeship has been a good one 😊 All the courses gave me the knowledge to pass and I had a really positive experience!

“It was really exciting when I finished the App and got a Distinction. Then I was nominated for an award, and the rest is history.”

So, what’s in the cards for the future?

“A lot! I’m staying in Cyber Sec and starting to expand my knowledge – GDPR, Data Privacy; I took ISO 27701 Lead Implementer last week with Firebrand. I want to do ISC2 CISSP, Microsoft SC-200 – all while supporting the team, of course! I want to become an expert.”

Thank you for your feedback, Dillon! Good luck with everything!