{"670943":{"#nid":"670943","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Seeing Family Members Scammed Sparks Former Marine\u0027s Interest in Cybersecurity ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBecause computer science (CS) is required for every Georgia Tech undergraduate, students from every major pass through the School of Computing Instruction (SCI). Among the computer engineering majors this semester is Marine Corps veteran James Baker, who is pursuing his passion for cybersecurity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBaker\u2019s journey to Georgia Tech required hard work and determination. After serving as an enlisted combat engineer in the Marine Corps for over five years, he is juggling a job and family while working toward his degree.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMilitary Service and the Call to be an Engineer\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn addition to his primary responsibilities as a combat engineer, Baker worked alongside utilities engineers in the service.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to be an engineer. It\u2019s what I\u2019ve wanted to do since I was a little kid,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI like computers and figuring out how to do stuff with them, so I put the two together.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlthough his path to cybersecurity and privacy at Georgia Tech wasn\u2019t straightforward, his passion for engineering never waned. Baker says his interest was sparked by the desire to protect individuals and their information from online threats, as he had witnessed family members falling victim to scams.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI had such a roundabout way of getting back into the whole thing because I got out of the military, I worked at the airport, and then I started working with the Department of Homeland Security. Somewhere along the way, I decided to try to get back into school,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/threads-better-way-learn-computing\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThreads curriculum pathway\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech allowed Baker to personalize coursework based on his interests in hardware and cybersecurity and privacy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe Threads CS curriculum was developed by the College of Computing. It allows students to combine regular CS instruction with classes related to specific application areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt made more sense for me to pick the threads,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt gives you more focus and direction into what you want to do.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECommunity at Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOne crucial aspect of Baker\u2019s journey at Georgia Tech has been his connection with lecturers and fellow veterans. Baker recalls receiving help in SCI Associate Chair Mary Hudachek-Buswell\u2019s CS1332 class.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI needed a little extra help, and she was great. I also had a specific teaching assistant who would help me. It wasn\u2019t like I didn\u2019t understand it; it just took a bit more,\u201d Baker said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe also met other veterans in the class and at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/veterans.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Veterans Resource Center\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. He says connecting with other veterans and attending events has helped him find a community of students experiencing the same challenges.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt helps to find other people. You see each other, speak, and realize other people also came from doing completely different things and are now in school,\u201d he said.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFamily and the Future\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESome challenges on Baker\u2019s academic journey include juggling work and family. With kids active in football and cheerleading, he says time management is essential. He also says in-person classes are his preference as it is easier to focus on lectures without distractions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBaker says his family is also what keeps him focused.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIf it was just me, I could just work my job, and I\u2019d be fine and get to school when I get to it. But I want to finish and be in my career before they\u2019re older,\u201d he said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe\u2019s currently seeking an internship in cybersecurity and privacy to explore the field further. Baker says he may not be a traditional student, but that\u2019s not stopping him.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cYou\u2019re not going to tell me I can\u2019t do it because of my situation.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMarine Corps veteran James Baker is navigating a non-linear path to pursue his passion for cybersecurity as a computer engineering major at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Former combat engineer James Baker is working toward his undergraduate degree in computer engineering at Georgia Tech."}],"uid":"32045","created_gmt":"2023-11-08 15:10:37","changed_gmt":"2023-11-08 15:35:22","author":"Ben Snedeker","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2023-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"}],"categories":[{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"55581","name":"military veterans"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmily Smith, Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech School of Computing Instruction\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Eemily.smith@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}