Well Deserved #TechRespect

When students graduate, it's always a bittersweet moment. It's sad to no longer see them around campus working, on projects, and hanging with friends, but we are so proud to watch them grow and land amazing jobs! Hunter Autrey is no exception—from putting in hours in the Security Operations Center (SOC) to securing a Network Administrator position—he's had quite the journey at UAT. After graduating from University of Advancing Technology (UAT), we caught up with recent graduate, Hunter Autrey, and asked about his post-graduation plans.

Hunter's Experience

After completing college and getting my Bachelor’s in Network Security, I am finally starting off my career as a Network Administrator. This is going to be my first “real world” job, and I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity. The company I am working for has put me through eight weeks of training to really get the knowledge and information flowing. After training, I will continue into the work force where I'll be securing the network and and making sure it's working appropriately—monitoring network performance (availability, utilization, throughput, goodput, and latency), testing for weaknesses, installing and integrating new hardware, and even keeping an eye out for any out-of-date software needing to be updated. 

Without the help of UAT, the courses they offered, and the accelerated options, I would not be where I am today. Every teacher I had, helped me more than they'll ever know. There were many opportunities for me to go outside of class time to set up servers, and to teach kids and their parents about both UAT and the Network Security program. I also had the opportunity to ask my professors for tips and tricks on how to do certain things. Professor Aaron Jones went above and beyond for all his students. He showed that he cares for us, and he was always trying to get us cool and exciting networking opportunities. Professor Jones is the one who pushed me to apply for the Greater Phoenix Chambers Cyber Security externship. From this externship, I expanded by network, learned so much about different companies, and how those companies utilized their cyber security.

I couldn’t be more grateful for everyone at UAT—for everyone who pushed me to do my best, allowing me to succeed in my studies, and getting me to where I am at today. All the hard work over the last two years and eight months has been well worth it. I now know that if I put my mind to a certain project or objective, I can get the work done. Going into this field, I knew I was never going to stop learning. I strive to continue learning, and pushing myself until I am known throughout the cyber security field, doing my very best! 

Interested in studying cyber security? UAT Network Security degree students use critical thinking to research current and evolving cyber security trends and become experts in network security industry standards and regulations. Graduates from the cyber security program will have the essential knowledge and experience to automate their own security processes through extensive training in network security programs and scripts, and be prepared for careers in government and multinational corporations seeking certified ethical hacking professionals.