UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Liam Geyer, a graduate student in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), knows exactly what he will do after earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in cybersecurity analytics and operations. Thanks to his involvement in student organizations, he’s landed his dream job.
Before choosing a college, Geyer knew he wanted to study and have a career in cybersecurity. He also knew he wanted the opportunity to participate in cybersecurity competitions. He got both in the College of IST.
Getting involved
Geyer currently serves as the president of the Competitive Cybersecurity Organization (CCSO) at Penn State, an experience he said has been “the most impactful part” of his college career. As first a member, then a team captain, and now the group’s leader, he has helped CCSO enjoy much success on the competition circuit.
Geyer described his entry into the organization as a sort of passing of the torch.
“Two learning assistants in my first cybersecurity class were former members of CCSO and encouraged students to get involved,” he said. “I was hooked right off the bat and jumped at every opportunity to get further involved with the organization.”
Geyer and other CCSO executive board members have continuously worked to grow the team and improve its performance and placement in competitions.
“When I started coming to CCSO meetings, we were lucky to have more than 20 people there,” he said, “but this semester, we filled the Cybertorium with current and prospective members. I think we have a mission that resonates with students — that CCSO is an opportunity to build real skills, make friends and pursue a career.”
Beyond CCSO, Geyer also has honed his skills as a learning assistant and instructional assistant in IST’s Java programming courses, something he’s done since his second year as an undergraduate.
“I’ve graded programming assignments and quizzes, held office hours to assist students, and occasionally held review sessions or helped deliver content,” he said. “It’s been a low-stress job throughout my time at IST that’s been a fun way to connect with my peers, provide help and improve my programming skills as I spent time reviewing code and helping others.”
Becoming a graduate student
While scheduling courses for his fourth year as an undergraduate student, Geyer decided to enroll in the Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) program to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cybersecurity analytics and operations in just five years.
“It seemed like a great option for me because I could get a better return on my investment with a master’s degree,” he said. “I wanted to get more out of my education and potentially have better job prospects in the future, and I really liked that I could save money while doing it and not have to come back to school later in life.”
As a graduate student in IST, Geyer was named an RSA Conference (RSAC) Security Scholar. The designation afforded him the opportunity to join thousands of cybersecurity professionals at the 33rd annual RSAC in San Francisco last spring. Again, his CCSO experience came into play.
“I had a lot of fun meeting the other security scholar class members and navigating the conference with them,” Geyer said. “There were a lot of students there who I'd competed against or knew mutually through the whole competition circuit, and it was a good opportunity to get to know them.”
Leveraging internships
Every IST student is required to complete at least one internship, and Geyer has completed multiple. He served as a technical intern at Digital Cloak and as a development, security and operations engineering intern at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory.
“I’ve held a few internships and found out about all of them by networking with other IST students, chiefly through CCSO,” Geyer said. “My biggest piece of advice to fellow IST students would be to build a strong resume, put in work outside of class and make connections to help get your foot in the door — things that really helped me get noticed.”
This past summer, Geyer interned as an advisory red co-op at Security Risk Advisors (SRA) in Philadelphia, a position he learned about from a CCSO alum who now works at SRA.
“Working in penetration testing at SRA was pretty much my dream job — I’ve wanted to break into offensive security since high school,” Geyer said. “SRA provided a dynamic environment where I was able to grow both my technical and soft skills. I loved coming into the office and work with like-minded people passionate about security.”
More than 84% of undergraduate students in the College of IST receive a job offer from an internship provider, and Geyer is now among them.
“I accepted a full time offer from SRA at the end of my internship this summer as an advisory red consultant, and I’m continuing to work there part time during the school year until my return after I graduate,” he said. “I plan to move to Philadelphia from State College next August after I finish up my degrees.”