Paige Bennett hasn’t always been interested in finding a career in the cyber operations field. Growing up she considered a few very different career paths, and at one point, she wanted to be a veterinarian. Bennett decided against this choice after taking biology her sophomore year. “It really made me wake up,” Bennett said. Another option she had in mind was becoming the President of the United States. “I even looked into doing them both,” Bennett said. After realizing neither of those careers were for her, Bennett thought of a new option: interior design.

Bennett’s dad, who she says is her greatest supporter and biggest influencer, recommended she look into a different career, suggesting she should find a career path that suits her strengths and doesn’t involve many of her weaknesses, such as math.

That was when Bennett stumbled upon the option of cyber operations. Bennett said cyber operations is “like hacking.” It is a useful job in our day and age where technology seems to be at the forefront. According to Bennett, the goal of cyber operations is to build a defense against potential hacking that could occur. This career is always going to be there for people who are interested in it, as progress in technology is inevitable for the future. “It’s always going to be needed,” Bennett said. Her ideal place to work is the cyber operations field for Google at their Silicon Valley location in California.

Because her career choice is in the technology field, Bennett wanted to find a college that offers her major and suits her wants/needs. She visited Dakota State University in October of 2017 and said this university seemed to be a good fit. “I met with one of the professors and he said the course is going to be very hands-on,” Bennett said about the technology courses she will need to take.

Throughout all the career phases Bennett went through, her dad was there supporting her. Without him, Bennett said she would not have found a career she is excited about pursuing.