From Healthcare to Cybersecurity: Yassir Erritouni’s Success Story

Meet Yassir Erritouni. We recently had a chance to chat and ask him about his experience with our Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp and how it changed his life.

Life Before the Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp

Before deciding to enroll in the University of Miami Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp, Yassir worked as a scribe and general IT support for an infectious disease medical practice. 

While his occupation in healthcare paid the bills, Yassir spent his free time looking at potential college majors, trying to figure out what type of career would give him not just a paycheck, but a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

When Did You Decide to Make a Change?

“I’ve always been big into IT,” Yassir recalls, “then, just suddenly, I saw the cybersecurity program randomly on social media.” And that struck a chord. He knew cyberattacks were on the rise, so if someone needed to stop them, why not him? 

However, the logistics of pre-pandemic in-person classes and the prospect of a dreadful 45-minute commute to and from school initially discouraged Yassir from signing up. Upon reaching out to an admissions advisor at the University of Miami about the program he discovered that the program was also being taught in-person at one of the satellite campus locations in Boca Raton, FL, where he lives. 

He researched the program, the opportunities in the cybersecurity field, and ultimately decided to ask his father for advice. They were both drawn to the hands-on learning aspect of the program and the fact that classes were taught by industry professionals. 

“Just to have the experience of those professionals,” Yassir said, “I figured it would be more than just teaching off of a book.” His father thought it would be a great idea as well and immediately encouraged Yassir to enroll. 

What Was Your Experience With the Bootcamp?

Starting with the introductory course, Yassir found his passion for technology reignited within him. He was learning networking and security fundamentals from expert instructors who, by day, were working in the cybersecurity field. 

It was an unparalleled experience for Yassir to learn so much in such a short amount of time. “Honestly, it’s a lot of fun. It can be very challenging, but one of the best things about having a super challenging problem is when you finally solve it. It’s a very euphoric feeling.”

Yassir even applied what he was learning to his technical role at the medical practice. He spent the next few months dedicating his evenings to attending classes and putting in extra study hours in the cybersecurity simulation labs. He became passionate about offensive and defensive cybersecurity tactics. 

Halfway through the extended program, the COVID-19 pandemic caused all in-person education to transition to online classes. Yassir was somewhat nervous about learning in a completely virtual environment, but discovered that having class recordings was a game-changer. 

His instructors proved to be incredibly supportive and responsive, always happy to answer questions or help with challenging assignments through extended office hours and via email and Slack. And networking with his classmates also came naturally through their Slack channels.

“I had a really great experience. Not just the program, but also the extra stuff, like the Security+ studying and the Network+,” Yassir said, talking about the level-up sessions that help students prepare for industry certifications. “And career services is pretty amazing, I mean, you just have multiple people keeping in contact with you trying to land you a job, it’s pretty awesome.” 

How Did You Land Your Cybersecurity Job?

Towards the end of the bootcamp, Yassir got a call from one of the University of Miami career services, Javier, who put him onto a fantastic job opportunity. 

“It was a very on-the-spot thing,” he recalls. “I got a call from my lead [career coach], Javier,” Yassir said, “and five minutes later he was like: ‘ok, go here tomorrow at 11:00 am, you got an interview’”.

It was his first interview, and he felt a bit nervous, but the company’s owner was looking to hire someone entry-level to help them grow professionally—precisely the type of position Yassir wanted. He was offered the job on the spot and is now working at his entry-level dream job as a Cybersecurity IT Technician, leaving behind the medical industry and finding himself a more fulfilling role.

If you found this success story inspiring, you might want to follow Yassir’s advice and enroll in the University of Miami Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp. You can also see reviews from learners like Yassir who experienced the bootcamp.

Get started today by calling our admissions team at (305) 425-1151 or fill out the form below to schedule your introductory call.