Challenge Accepted: The English Major Enrolls in Level Effect’s CDA Bootcamp 

Hi, I’m Rachel! 

I was an English major (West Virginia State University, class of 2016). For my graduate school experience, I was a communication major (Southern New Hampshire University, class of 2020). 

And in just a few days, I’ll be a student in Level Effect’s Cyber Defense Analyst Bootcamp. 

Career pivot? Yup. Am I scared? Terrified. Challenge accepted? Yes! 

Why the Career Pivot? 

Back in 2021, I decided to pivot drastically away from higher ed—a field I’d been in since I began my own higher ed journey as a student—and check out cybersecurity. 

Kind of. I ended up landing a gig as a Content Marketing Manager at a cybersecurity firm called Huntress—the same Huntress that acquired Level Effect’s Recon™ technology a few years ago. I guess my learning cybersecurity has been somewhat tangential, clenching onto bits and pieces I’ve learned through working with some of the greats (such as John Hammond). 

But I’m still not entirely sure what PowerShell does. 😅 

All that to say that a year into my tangential cybersecurity career, I’m still not feeling great about my cyber knowledge. 

I know enough to do my job as a Content Marketing Manager well enough not to have been fired yet, but I know my career would reach a higher plane of existence if I could master a few cybersecurity concepts. 

Enter Level Effect 

I was fortunate enough to meet Level Effect’s founders, Greg Ake and Rob Noeth, through Huntress. Even more fortunately, they offered me the gift of a lifetime: a seat in their Spring 2022 bootcamp. 

Like I would pass that up. 

But real talk? I’m terrified. And I’ve been that way since I opened up the Cybersecurity Foundations module…five minutes ago. 

VMware? A lab setup? Ubuntu? Speak English, please? 

Don’t get me wrong—I’ve had a few conversations about my reservations with the instructors at Level Effect. Greg, Rob, Anthony, and Will have been nothing short of encouraging and reassuring that I’ll be just fine. But they haven’t been my instructors yet, and I’m afraid that I’m about to prove them wrong. 😅 

Final Thoughts 

I’m feeling a lot of the same emotions I can remember feeling just before my first day of college. I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up, and I’m scared I’m going to slow everyone else down by asking a ton of questions.  

But I’m way more scared of turning down the opportunity just because I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it. 

I’m going to give it my all and do the best I can, and hopefully, my best will be enough. Stay tuned! 

(Read part two here!)