Tyler Dibble isn’t much for standing still.
While completing Boise State University’s online Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience program, he enrolled in the online Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience program.
“They offered a dual-credit master’s program where I could knock out six of the 30 credits,” he said. “Since I had proven to myself that I am capable of being an online student, I decided I might as well get the master’s degree, too. It gives me an edge on the job market. It’s also an achievement.”
Dibble, who is in his second year of a cybersecurity internship at Boise State, became a first-generation college graduate in May 2024. He has been working toward the master’s degree since the previous August.
“For the last 10 years, I ran my own construction company, installing all types of flooring,” he said. “I didn’t want to grow my business because I don’t want to exist in that space. It’s physically demanding, and I am an active person. I lift weights. I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I have work and school.”
Three months ago, Dibble incorporated a new cybersecurity business, Apex Cyber Consulting, LLC. He initially started a computer science bachelor’s program at another school, but he didn’t like its focus.
“I am not super interested in business classes, so I transferred to Boise State because it seemed to be solely cybersecurity-focused,” he said. “After looking through their degree programs, I decided to make the jump.”
Job, security
Dibble, who is from Lewiston, Idaho, tried several jobs after graduating from high school, including sales, tech support and construction.
“At the end of the day, I want to be a penetration tester,” he said. “I have a few penetration testing certificates I have acquired over the years. That’s the end goal. I also want to grow my business.
“I love working for myself. I don’t mind working for other people, as long as our vision and effort are the same. Hacking is what I want to do professionally.”
Learning in an online environment is key for Dibble, 35, to be able to accommodate his busy lifestyle and still have time to study.
“I most appreciated the flexibility of the program,” he said. “Additionally, the frequent requirement to write numerous papers each week not only significantly enhanced my academic writing skills, but also improved my ability to craft technical reports.
“The program forced me to think critically in many respects. These skills are invaluable and will certainly benefit me in my future endeavors.”
Dibble especially enjoyed the courses in the undergraduate program curriculum that focused on security and putting techniques into practice.
“The Boise State program is a governance, risk and compliance degree,” he said. “It’s a lot of security framework, developing policy, understanding policy, understanding compliance.
“They have tertiary classes to expose you to other things. I really liked the offensive security and forensics classes. I am a technical nerd.”
After making connections at Boise State, Dibble landed the internship at the same time he started the master’s degree.
“They noticed that I might have some leadership qualities, so they put me in the internship position,” he said. “I am one of the administrators for the cybersecurity lab at Boise State. I am a lead, or mentor, for internship programs for other students, which I have written myself. I helped with creating or updating curriculum. I have written a lot of documentation on how to do certain offensive attacks.
“We also run engineering Friday meetings during the day. I have used a lot of what I have learned. The thing about security is it’s about how much work you put into it. As long as you are willing to put in the work and learn, you can implement it.”
Blazing a trail
Dibble walked the graduation stage at commencement earlier this year, which was a special moment for him and his family.
“It was a cool experience,” he said. “It was beautiful. My family has never been prouder of me — especially since I didn’t go back to school until I was in my 30s, and graduated with a 3.99 GPA. I also made a lot of good friends through the program, which is important to me.”
Although he is a recent graduate, Dibble has already seen a huge difference in the way he approaches his business and career. He has tentatively accepted an internship for another company as he works toward the master’s degree.
“Since enrolling at Boise State, my life has undergone significant changes, particularly in developing the skills necessary to be an effective leader,” he said. “Leading by example, I’ve proven to myself that achieving perfect grades is possible, despite my initial doubts at the start of my academic journey.
“Apex will provide a range of services, including penetration testing, vulnerability testing, risk assessments and physical assessments. This new business will allow me to apply my knowledge and skills in a practical and impactful way.”
Dibble looks forward to continuing his successful return to higher education while he gets his new business off the ground — as long as he doesn’t have to stand still for too long.
“People have a lot of preconceived notions about online learning,” he said. “You can take a regular course load, do it and see what happens. If within the first week or two, you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can withdraw from a course.
“It’s better to get the degree sooner than to put it off because you’re worried it might be too much to take on. I’ve always taken four classes per semester, and it’s always been fine. I have absolutely got good value out of the cyber operations and resilience programs at Boise State.”
Learn more about cyber operations and resilience at Boise State
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