Everyone has questions, especially when something is new to them or they are just beginning their investigation into a new product or service. The following questions and answers are provided for your assistance.
1. Are you an accredited degree-granting institution of higher learning? Are your courses accredited for transfer?
Answer: No, we are not an accredited institution. We do not directly offer any college degrees. Instead, we require that all of our students to be enrolled in an accredited college degree program from any college or university that is recognized by the US Department of Education.
We will be seeking to have our CGSC™ Professional Courses, Modules or Forums to be accredited by the American Council on Education for 4-Quarter credits or 3-Semester hours each. When that is officially completed, if a student takes the CGSC-T™ Program, there are eight courses, modules, or forums to complete and they will earn either 32-Quarter credits or 24-Semester hours for that program. These accredited academic credits can then be directly transferred to any accredited colleges and universities that accept ACE academic credits. Currently over 2,000 colleges and universities nationwide accept ACE academic credits.
2. What type of "school" are you?
Answer: Technically speaking we are a Professional Cyber Security Consulting firm that includes our Cyber Security Institute. We tutor, mentor and develop Cyber Security Specialists and we are incorportated as a non-profit 501 (c) 3 educational institution in New York State. We are not a "trade school" nor are we a "college" in the normal sense and understanding of that word. Instead our primary function is to work with other registered and accredited institutions of higher learning nationwide that do offer college degrees and we serve as a "subject matter expert" in the field of Cyber Security and Information Assurance. Our courses or forums are completed "on-line" and then the student receives academic credit for each course upon completion.
3. How do the CGSC™ Forums prepare me for a real job?
Answer: It is an "adult-learning" methodology that combines tutoring and mentoring that we call "ITS3 Cyber-Guardian Formation." It is composed of multiple "peer-based" study and discussion based classwork that students complete "on-line" and that our approved College and University partners integrate into their official degreecurriculums. Our students take their degree programs and then complete the forums which our College and University partners grant course-credit towards their degree programs.
A direct benefit of the forums is that they significantly assist and prepare our students to complete corresponding IT Vendor examinations and to earn their industry standard certifications. However, our CGSC™ forums are NOT certification courses per se. Instead they supplement and expand on the standard IT Certification process but with one very significant difference — they add real depth, breadth, and scope in the field of Cyber Security to each of the standard certifications so our students gain an in-depth and enriched education and training program that truly prepares them for great careers.
In addition, because students participate in these asynchronous forums, they are able to interact with fellow students and their instructors from a broad range of localties and specialties. All of this provides each of our students will exceptional depth and breadth in their studies.
4. Why and how did you develop the "Cyber-Guardian Security Certification?"
Answer: The concept is there remains a real "gap" between the theoretical and the actual "field" skills that people must have to fulfill employer expectations. Too many people are just passing certification exams and only have a "paper-certification." As our President/CEO continued his Ph.D. studies in Information Systems Management he reaffirmed that today's employers wanted four things from their prospective new hires: (1) a college degree, (2) IT Certifications to demonstrate current technical knowledge, (3) work experience in an actual job environment and (4) verified "field" skills from a vendor-neutral "peer" that would confirm for them that the person being interviewed for the job could "actually do the job" they were applying for.
5. How do candidates get "job" experience if they can't get hired?
Answer: It seems like the proverbial "Catch-22" but in reality the best way to get job experience is to obtain job internships and externships in conjunction with your college degree programs. That is precisely what we do with other strategic partner relationships we have developed with nationwide companies like Graybar Electric, Panduit, and all of their customers like IBM, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, and dozens of national defense contractors.
6. Am I guaranteed an intership or externship if I enroll in your program?
Answer: We can never guarantee you that anymore than we can guarantee you a job after your studies are completed. However, we do our very best and we are developing some new concepts that will greatly enhance this.
7. How do I become an ITS3 Cyber-Guardian Professional?
Answer: The very first step is to enroll in a undergraduate or gradute degree program in Cyber Security with an approved College or University Partner. Then as you complete your degree program, enroll in the appropriate CGSC™ Forums as part of your degree program. Then earn IT Certification that are required under each CGSC™ Level. Then attend at least one CGSC™ Residency each year, and prepare for your CGSC™ Professional Exam. Once you have passed all three sections of the CGSC™ Professional Exam, you're done!
8. That sounds like a lot of work! Why should I do this?
Answer: This is want employers want you to do! We have heard it over and over and over again. If you want to get a high-paying job you have to have the right skills just to get in the door for an interview. The job marketplace is very competitive right now and will be for the foreseeable future. If you don't get the correct education and training, you won't have a chance to compete in the first place.
9. What are the CGSC™ Residencies? How many must I attend?
Answer: The Residencies are one-week programs where you meet face-to-face with your CGSC™ Instructor-Examiners at a "trade-show" offered nationwide in cities like Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Boston, Seattle, Washington DC, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City, Salt-Lake City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. A host of Cyber Security vendors will introduce you to their hardware products and software solutions, and you will get to meet with top experts in the field and listen to various presentations.
You need to attend one Residency per year as part of your "on-line" degree programs. This is also where you begin to develop those all important field skills and learn how to integrate theory with practice.
10. What is the projected cost of this program?
Answer: Each approved College and University Partner sets their own tuition and fees. You may be eligible for Title IV student guaranteed loans and military veterans may also be eligible for "GI Bill" benefits. Our tuition and fees are listed on another Web page on this site.
11. How do I get started?
Answer: Go to the link on this web site entitled Colleges & Universities and check out the various approved providers of the program. Apply to the college of your choice and upon acceptance, you will apply to the ITS3 Cyber Security Institute as well. If the college accepts you, we will too, but we need to make sure you are enrolled and remain enrolled with one of our approved College or University Partners for the entire time of your education and training program.
