Jon Varney

I have had basically no IT or cyber experience in my past. I completed college with a bachelors in criminal justice, I have worked in construction, logistics and in communications. I later joined the Navy where I did meteorology, oceanography, weather data analytics and mission planning. My skills I gained in the military are not easily transferable to the real world so I wanted to learn a new skill that would offer me high pay and opportunities no matter where I decided to move after my time in the military. I did some research and that’s how I landed at IT and Cyber. I was fortunate to be accepted into the DOD Skillbridge program with Forge Institute to get a kick start in cyber security. Having no prior knowledge or experience with cyber security made it a bit overwhelming to narrow down a subject that I wanted to pursue. I was able to attend a beginners course in IT/Cyber fundamentals offered by Forge that gave me basic concepts both operationally and theoretically about multiple subjects in the career field. I gained a certification through this course and had discussions with many different career coaches sponsored by Forge that come from all different areas of technology. Their insights coupled with the courses offered by Forge and the projects I was able to participate in allowed me to become exposed to different things in the field that I never even knew existed, which is a powerful tool to help somebody like me with no prior direction decide on an entry level career to pursue. No matter where you come from in life or what experiences you have. Forge Institute will allow you the knowledge and resources to break into a career in cybersecurity or offer you the time to further pursue certifications for those with experience.

Forge Fellow