Network Security Scholarships
Industry Requirements are Climbing: Get your Education Today
Even though the demand for IT professionals continues to grow, there is an invigorated level of demand for network security professionals. These are the guys and gals who are now spending long hours shoring up the porous borders of the networked world.
Network security professionals earn high-level jobs by putting in hard work in entry-level positions. You may be required to start out manning a help-desk, which will position you to navigate your pathway up the IT ladder. Also, securing large enterprise networks is serious business and professionals spend a lot of time keeping current with the latest tools, techniques and security processes possible.
Scholarships
Intrigued by the Snort Scholarship Challenge? If your IT program takes you into network security realms, then you might consider competing. Up to $10,000 is at stake and someone will win. Snort is a network security software package created by SourceFire the company that funds the scholarship. One minor hitch is that your school must actually use the product in order for you to participate in the event.
If you're studying network security then you are wanted for high-level work with the federal government. Two scholarships for service programs are available:
- The CyberService Scholarships target graduate level students who have studied system and network security at an advanced level, including Ph.D. Qualified applicants must be studying at an academic center for excellence and be willing to work for the federal government after graduation. Award amounts are $12,000 for up to two years. Program is a 1 for 1: a year of scholarship money for a year of service.
- Information Assurance Scholarships offer $10,000 scholarships to undergrads studying in an "information assurance" major, which includes all the normal computer science majors including network security. (They really need help.) The IA scholarships are awarded to a couple hundred students throughout 50 "academic centers of excellence" as determined by the DoD, who funds the program in combination with the National Security Agency. For every year of scholarship dough you accept, you work a year for the federal government after college. Scholarships are ultra-competitive for obvious reasons.
Symantec Scholarships are available to undergraduate and graduate level students interested in pursuing network security. Symantec, one of the leading competitors in the computer security realm is just one of the corporations trying to beef up the number of students trained in cyber security. Symantec scholarships are available through partner colleges and universities.
CyberLearning Scholarships for industry certifications are very valuable funding alternatives for students who will need a suite of networking and security certifications to gain a toehold in the job market. Scholarships entitle you to networking certifications such as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE), and CompTIA Security+ Certification for a fraction of the cost.
Want to know where some schools get the dough to outfit their labs with top-of-the-line computers and equipment? Speaking of scholarships, Cisco is one of the biggest donors to collegiate programs all over the world. The company recently gave over $60,000 in Cisco equipment to Purdue University, which is also one of the federal government's academic centers of excellence.
