A few years ago, Isaiah Moroshan sat in a biology classroom. He was in college to prepare for a career in pharmacology. “I was next to this girl who had taken the same class eight years ago, and she had saved her notes and assignments — she said the curriculum had not changed in almost a decade,” Moroshan explained. “I didn’t feel excited to be in an industry or learning about something that felt so stale. It’s just not what I pictured for myself, so I dropped out.”
Discovering a passion for cyber
Moroshan continued to work as a pharmacy technician and grow his family in Portland, Oregon. He understood the importance of a degree, so he resumed online classes through Boise State. It was CPS 301 Informational Assurance and Critical Thinking course with Sandy Dunn and Sin Ming Loo that first introduced him to the world of cybersecurity. “I was hooked instantly. The class felt so exciting and relevant. I really connected with the professors,” Moroshan said. “I’ve really always been interested in stuff like cyber. I remember after watching The Matrix for the first time, I was really intrigued by the idea of hacking, like problem-solving and finding workarounds.”
“But now it’s just hacking for good!”
Motivated by his rediscovered passion for cyber, Moroshan enrolled in the new Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience at Boise State — a fully online program that accommodates his busy life. This new program helps students like Moroshan become career-ready professionals who can anticipate and manage cyber threats and design resilient systems.
Video – Prepare for a changing world with a Bachelor’s in Cyber Operations and Resilience
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Cult of the Dead Cow, digital forensics and more on the cyber curriculum
Since then, he’s taken more cyber courses, crediting his professors with how much he has learned and for igniting his curiosity and passion for the subject. “In CPS 301, we got to read this book called Cult of the Dead Cow, which is a historical book about one of the oldest hacking groups and how they work for the good of society now. It was so interesting,” Moroshan exclaimed. “I also took this digital forensics class where we were given an image and had to find all of the data hidden in the image. It really opened my eyes to how difficult recovery is, especially as data becomes more complex.”
But even more important than the course curriculum is the notion that what Moroshan was learning mattered and could have an impact on the world. “We talked about the Solar Winds attack and the Ukraine power grid hack. We were able to apply and correlate our learning to very real and current events,” he described. “This makes it feel like this degree matters.”
In the future, Isaiah Moroshan hopes to enroll in the online Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience and work as a system architect in the healthcare field — merging his pharmacy experience and passion for cybersecurity.
Learn more about Cyber Operations and Resilience at Boise State
Learn more about Cyber Operations and Resilience programs at Boise State by registering for a live, online information session or contacting a student success coach.