When Jason Pietsch graduated Anne Arundel Community College and was looking for IT work, employers wanted people with experience. “It was a problem,” he said. “I needed a job to get experience.”
Now he shares his passion by hosting an internship program giving students an interactive, front-seat look at the industry. “Everything is changing so fast that you never really get bored with cybersecurity. … There's always something new down the line.”
As cybersecurity/IT support analyst with Glen Burnie startup Bantach Cyber, Pietsch has interns explore work from different industries, from law firms to medical offices and property management.
Working with students excites Pietsch. “What I like about the interns from Anne Arundel is that they're hungry. They want to get the experience, and we offer an opportunity for them to get their hands on things they otherwise wouldn’t get.”
Interns also have paid access to an IT training database to gain additional certifications for the fast-changing cybersecurity world.
Pietsch’s long educational journey started at AACC with an associate degree in 1995, then a certificate in computer network management, He’s earned a bachelor's in applied information technology from UB, and then master’s degrees in information systems and later in cybersecurity from UMBC.
He credits AACC for laying a strong foundation. “The tech instructors at AACC are some of the best instructors that I ever had,” he said. “Their experience and knowledge was definitely part of it. They had just a very in-depth knowledge of IT.”
He said many of his instructors were previous or current National Security Administration professionals, leading in the field during the day then teaching in the classroom at night. “I don't think I ever had a bad IT instructor at AACC.”
If you are interested in an internship as a student or in hosting a student, email Gwendolyn Johnson, Internship program coordinator, at internships@aacc.edu.