Robert Helin

After spending eight years in the Marine Corps, I decided I needed a change. At the time I was fixing weapons and optics and thought I wanted to continue that. so I took a contract overseas and spent the next year in Afghanistan fixing weapons for the Army. I didn't mind it and actually enjoyed being back downrange. However, when the year was over and I was asked to renew my contract, I declined. I just did not see myself doing this type of work forever. It was ok, but it wasn't anything I got excited about.

It was about that time I was trying to really decide, "What do I want to be when I grow up?" and as a 28-year-old man with no job, 2 kids, and an active duty spouse, I really needed to figure it out. That is when I started thinking back to what I wanted to do growing up. Or, more accurately, what I enjoyed doing as a teenager. The simple answer there was "building computers".

That is all well and good as a teenager that likes to tinker. But it wasn't something I could envision paying the bills. Enter the IT field career path consideration. I liked computers, so IT should be a natural step. Well, as I got looking more and more into IT and different specialties I was intrigued by security. The idea of protecting people and assets resonated pretty strongly with me as a Marine, so I started looking for jobs in that field to see what I needed to do in order to be successful.

At that time I was in Hawaii and started shooting applications to basically any entry-level IT position. I got a call back for a Desktop Support position out of Pearl Harbor, but it required two things: a security clearance, and CompTIA Security +.

Now at the time I didn't know what the DoD 8570 was or that there were comparable certs I might have been able to get to satisfy the requirement. But Security+ was the objective and it needed to be done, yesterday.

So for the next eight days I studied like crazy. I was an absolute mess. The day of the exam, I was more nervous than I had been in a warzone!

I passed.

I was so relieved and exhausted I literally cried in the car after walking to the parking lot. I did it. I was on my way to a career in security.

After that, it was a whirlwind of certifications and new job opportunities. Desktop Support - Incident Response - Security Analyst - Compliance Analyst - Security Engineer.

Ever forward, ever upward in terms of increased responsibility.

This is what I worked for. This is what passion and dedication to craft can accomplish.

In just four years I amassed a slew of certifications as well as a Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity Management and Policy while working full time.

I am currently enrolled in SANS Cybersecurity Management Graduate Certificate Program and am leveraging my experience and expertise as a security professional to help grow and improve the security program at my current company.