arek Bentley has been studying the art of
“hacking” for years. In a fi eld where doing
is learning, the Amarillo High School senior
experiments in some harmless ways to hone
his hacking skills. He watches Black Hat
Briefi ngs and DEF CON Conferences on
YouTube. When he graduates, he plans
to study computer science and software
engineering at the University of Texas—
Dallas, with the long term career goal of
becoming a penetration tester and ethical
hacker. Putting it simply, Barek wants to turn
the tables on the bad guys, using their own tricks against them.
“Hacking is a set of skills. You either use those skills for good
or you use them for evil. I’ll defi nitely be practicing what the bad
guys do and using it for good,” says Barek.
Anyone who is paying attention knows there will be plenty
of opportunity for Barek to do so. In 2017, there were more
than 1,000 data breaches in the industries of banking, business,
education, the government and healthcare. “It’s a growing need.
As everything becomes more and more digital and we move
away from paper, we need to protect those systems like our bank
accounts,” says Barek. “The time is now. We don’t need to wait
because we think it’s not here yet. It’s defi nitely here.”
A quick search on the internet employment website
monster.com reveals thousands of job opportunities under
the term “ethical hacking.” The current average salary for an
ethical hacker is $71,000, but many, who work freelance or on
contract like Barek hopes to, make well into six-fi gures. According
to one recent industry survey, most companies that responded
said less than a quarter of applicants for cyber security positions
were qualifi ed. On top of that, the applicant pool is shallow.
This is true among almost every career in the so-called STEM
fi elds of science, technology, engineering and math, where job
opportunities vastly outpace qualifi ed candidates.
For budding cyber superheroes like Barek, that’s both good and
bad news. He’ll have job security, but until a new crop of cyber
security experts is ready to go to work, Barek says businesses in
the U.S. are vulnerable. “It is an exploding job market that we’re
behind in, having to compete with other countries that have
entire buildings dedicated to hacking,” says Barek. “America is
lagging behind so I defi nitely want to be on the defensive for the
United States.”
Amarillo ISD is working to make sure Barek and students like
him have the educational support to prepare them for the college
and career opportunities of the STEM revolution, starting with a
vision that began taking shape a few years ago.
Thinkers, Communicators,
Collaborators, Contributors
“When we heard from the community what they wanted
for their own children who go to our schools and what they
wanted for business and industry here in Amarillo, it wasn’t for
students to do well on a test. That wasn’t their concern at all,”
says Superintendent Dr. Dana West. “Their concern was whether
their child will be able to create a future in a world with jobs we
can’t even imagine yet.”
For Dr. West, AISD’s answer to that lies in the District’s vision
statement. Two years ago, Dr. West, along with AISD’s chief
executive offi cers, high school principals, school board members
and students came together with more than 60 community leaders
for a series of brainstorming sessions. Their challenge was to
identify the skills and characteristics necessary to build the dynamic
workforce our community needs. The product of the group, their
vision—to empower scholars to be thinkers, communicators,
collaborators and contributors—became AISD’s vision.
Ethical Hacker:
Computer security expert who specializes in
penetration testing and in other testing methodologies to
ensure the security of an organization’s information systems.
$71,000: Current average salary for a Certifi ed Ethical Hacker.
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