Some Wabash Valley students explored the cyber world learning how to protect themselves as the tech universe continues to grow. 

For most of the students participating in “Cyber Connection,” their whole existence knows nothing else other than the Internet.

So the occasion was to really open young eyes to the realities of the interwebs while also instilling integrity for the choices they’ll make. 

Mother boards, wireless routers and tons of cords.

Ivy Tech professors aided young Wabash Valley students with many things in the cyber world. 

“They’re putting computers together,” says Charlie Peebles. “They’re creating networks- wireless networks [and] securing those and then we’re showing them some of our hacking tools.” 

For almost all of the students, their entire life has revolved around the Internet. 

“As we get older, it [internet] evolves more and more each time,” says Nathanial McMichael. “I mean, like, the world now has switched from books to computers.” 

So for these students, their future jobs and careers count on them being tech savvy. 

“In our area, there’s talk about in 2020, having a situation where we need another million people that has some skills like this,” says Peebles. “So lot’s of jobs and good paying jobs.” 

“This industry always needs more people to go into it and [that] know how to work and have the skills needed because like, we’re always going to be needing a new generation to do the work that others can’t,” says McMichael. 

Students were also shown how to spot scamming e-mails teaching them how to determine an attempted attack, as well as discovering the consequences of leaving a computer screen unlocked and unattended.

Ivy Tech offers eight different courses related to cyber technology fields. 

Four of them are offered in a classroom setting.