Working in industry is helping a Cyber Security BSc student from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) to get one step closer to his dream career.
As part of his studies at DMU’s Cyber Technology Institute – an industry-recognised teaching and research facility – Ethan Prance opted for a placement year and is now approaching the end of his role with CGI, a Canadian multinational IT and business consulting services company.
CGI supports clients across five continents, and as a cyber security intern, Ethan’s role involves planning, building, implementing and maintaining innovative and lasting security solutions to ensure they and their users are secure.
Despite working remotely for CGI’s UK and Australia department due to the pandemic, Ethan has had the benefit of collaborating virtually with colleagues and clients around the world, including Australia and Canada.
He said: “My experience at CGI has been a real eye-opener and it has been most certainly unique working throughout Covid-19 to support with delivering essential cyber security services to millions around the clock, which is a real honour.
“I’ve been involved in so many projects as both a Cyber Capability Development and Integration Engineer and a Vulnerability Management Engineer, gaining exposure to a variety of technologies and working closely with renowned threat intelligence and security operations teams, which will undoubtedly drive my early career.
“As well as all of the industry experience and skills I’ve gained, one of the biggest outcomes has been learning about who I am as a person, including my strengths, weaknesses, comforts and pressure points. It’s been a big step at such an early stage of my career giving me a strong foothold.”
Daniel Driver, the Secure Applications Services Lead within CGI’s Space, Defence and Intelligence team, said: “Industrial placements help CGI understand what drives the next generation of IT professionals, as well as providing us with well-rounded and knowledgeable members for our team.
“The students themselves benefit from a first-hand understanding of what working in industry is like, and it provides them with the opportunity to take on a broad range of tasks that can take them well out of their comfort zone.”
Ethan praised the support he received from DMU Works, the university’s award-winning careers service, in securing his placement.
“The team provided great assistance from start to finish, helping to build both my confidence and my CV. I feel that my improved self-assurance came across in my interviews, proven by the fact that CGI was my second ever interview and it ended with a job offer soon after,” he said.
Returning to DMU to complete the final year of his degree this September, Ethan is keen to apply his new and improved knowledge to his studies.
He said: “I’m especially looking forward to working more with my newfound love for the Python programming language, which my work with has earned me multiple recognition at various levels.
“I’m thoroughly enjoying studying Cyber Security at DMU and have made many great friends along the way. The course involves lots of practical elements – including my favourite modules such as Penetration Testing, Linux Security and Digital Forensics – which have been beneficial on my placement as they’ve helped me to get hands-on with the projects I work on.”
Posted on Thursday 29 July 2021