Cybersecurity Guide

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Cybersecurity Guide is one of the internet's leading resources for cybersecurity education. We produce guides and information about cybersecurity degree options, bootcamps, certifications, and career pathways. It is our goal to help increase the visibility and access into all of the opportunities available in cybersecurity -- from entry-level to the c-suite, and from intensive bootcamps to PhD research programs. This podcast is the a companion to cybersecurityguide.org

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60 recent

June 8, 202632 min

Arthur Carter | Radford University

Dr. Arthur Carter is a professor of information systems at Radford University and chair of the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems.With a background spanning mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering work with the Navy, business information technology, and cybersecurity education, Dr. Carter brings a practical, multidisciplinary perspective to preparing students for both technical and management-focused cybersecurity careers.Dr. Carter discusses the difference between technical cybersecurity roles and cybersecurity management roles, emphasizing that students should explore their interests, strengths, and long-term goals before choosing a pathway. The conversation also highlights Radford University’s multidisciplinary cybersecurity programs, online certificate options, and student outreach efforts, with the key takeaway that cybersecurity offers many possible career directions, from hands-on technical work to policy, risk, management, and leadership.A full transcript of this episode is on Cybersecurity Guide.

May 6, 202628 min

Chris Carroll | Drexel University

Chris Carroll is a teaching professor and program director at Drexel University, where he prepares students for careers in cybersecurity and IT. Drawing on nearly 30 years of industry experience, he brings practical insight into networking, cloud computing, ethical hacking, and secure systems design.Professor Chris Carroll explains how Drexel’s cybersecurity program combines technical IT training with cybersecurity education so students can build practical skills and real career options. He emphasizes that many graduates begin in roles like networking, server administration, or support before moving into cybersecurity, and that Drexel’s co-op model helps students gain that experience early.He also argues that strong fundamentals matter more than chasing every new technology trend. His advice to students is to build good academic habits, explore different areas of IT and security, and pursue certifications strategically once they know their direction and can align them with employer needs.Find the full episode on Cybersecurity Guide.

April 21, 202634 min

Marrci Conner | Henry Ford College

Marrci Conner is a seasoned cybersecurity educator and IT professional who brings more than two decades of industry experience and 17 years of college-level teaching to her work at Henry Ford College.With expertise spanning cybersecurity, networking, programming, and digital forensics, she offers students a rare mix of technical knowledge, business insight, and real-world perspective that helps prepare them for both the classroom and the workforce.Find the full episode on Cybersecurity Guide.

April 8, 202639 min

Diane Murphy | Marymount University

Dr. Diane Murphy of Marymount University explains why the field now offers multiple entry points for students, career changers, and professionals who want to protect systems, data, and people in an increasingly digital world.Drawing on decades of experience across industry, government, entrepreneurship, and higher education, Dr. Murphy shares why modern cybersecurity education must go beyond theory. Her perspective makes a strong case for experiential learning, workforce readiness, and future-focused skills that prepare students not just for today’s jobs, but for the challenges still coming next.More details about this episode are available on Cybersecurity Guide.

March 24, 202634 min

Robert Greenberg | Sam Houston State University

Robert Greenberg, Director of the Cyber Forensics Intelligence Center and Assistant Professor of Practice at Sam Houston State University.With decades of industry experience and a strong background in computer science, he brings practical insight into cybersecurity education, digital forensics, and student career preparation.Robert Greenberg discussed the university’s cybersecurity, digital forensics, and computing pathways. He explains the differences between computer science, cybersecurity, information assurance, and digital forensics, while outlining SHSU’s undergraduate, master’s, certificate, and PhD options. He also emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning, internships, certifications, and extracurricular projects in preparing students for the workforce. The conversation highlights a key takeaway for listeners: succeeding in today’s cybersecurity job market requires more than earning a degree alone.Learn more about the full episode at Cybersecurity Guide.

March 4, 202659 min

Gregory Laidlaw | University of Detroit Mercy

Dr. Gregory Laidlaw emphasizes students need a broad IT foundation (networking, systems, databases) because most entry jobs aren’t purely cybersecurity.He explains the program aligns with national frameworks (including CAE) and industry feedback while focusing on principles over specific tools. He keeps courses like ethical hacking and forensics intentionally challenging, grading documentation, process, and ability to pivot—not just outcomes—while stressing ethics: written permission, clear scope, and leaving no trace. His advice: stay open, try areas you think you won’t like, and use certifications to signal readiness to employers.Find the full episode on Cybersecurity Guide.

February 12, 202633 min

An interview with Ayad Barsoum | St. Mary's University

Dr. Ayad Barsoum is the interim chair of computer science and graduate programs director for cybersecurity at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. In this episode, Barsoum discusses how the school’s NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence designation translates into real value for students, rigorous standards, shared resources, grants, and internship opportunities, while preparing graduates for both private-sector and government roles. Barsoum describes building a comprehensive cybersecurity master’s program with a strong technical core plus business/management and law/ethics, and explains the stackable pathway: a 12-credit graduate certificate (four courses) that can be tailored to goals (e.g., cloud, wireless, cryptography, forensics, risk, policy, AI/cyber, CISSP prep) and then fully applied toward the 33-credit MS. He also outlines prerequisites for non-tech majors, the MS capstone choice between project or research thesis (especially for PhD-bound students), and how the curriculum emphasizes hands-on competence through course projects, demos/defenses, and career supports like internships-for-credit, career fairs, and industry seminars.More details on Cybersecurity Guide.

February 2, 202648 min

Douglas Rausch | Bellevue University

Douglas Rausch is and associate professor and program director of cybersecurity at Bellevue University.Rausch shared his nontraditional path from software and military communications into Air Force cyber operations, and how that experience shapes Bellevue’s workforce-focused cybersecurity program. He emphasizes mastering the systems you defend, prioritizing risk management and business context, and building adaptable, career-ready skills through flexible online/on-campus options, hands-on cyber range scenarios, and a curriculum aligned with national standards and continuously updated with industry input.Find more details about this episode at Cybersecurity Guide.

January 20, 202647 min

Lance Fiondella | University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Dr. Lance Fiondella is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the director of the UMass Dartmouth Cybersecurity Center.Fiondella says cybersecurity is about being reliable and tough: plan, handle problems, bounce back, and adjust. It needs strong tech skills, teamwork across subjects like engineering and policy, and good talking skills. He says to do this work to help make the world safer, steadier, and more peaceful.Learn more about this episode at Cybersecurity Guide.

January 6, 202645 min

Todd R Andel | University of South Alabama

Dr. Todd R. Andel is the Dean of the School of Computing at the University of South Alabama, a former U.S. Air Force officer with 23 years of service.In this episode he explains how industry and government partnerships help keep coursework aligned with real-world threats, highlights hands-on learning through labs like digital forensics and hardware security, and shares internship pathways that connect students to regional defense and technology employers. He closes the episode by encouraging students to see cybersecurity’s fast pace as an advantage and to stay curious, adaptable, and committed to continual learning.