HIGHLIGHT: ECU
spying the chance
NIKOLAI HAMPTON FORMALISED 25 YEARS IN THE IT SECTOR TO BECOME A CYBERSECURITY EXPERT
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s a kid, Nikolai Hampton enjoyed mucking around with electronics kits and a Commodore 64; later on, he dropped out of an engineering degree to work full-time as a computer salesperson. Now, he has more than two decades of experience in the IT sector and since 2009 Nikolai has run a business providing software solutions to the printing industry. In 2016, Nikolai completed his first degree – a Master of Cyber Security at Edith Cowan University (ECU). “I wanted to formalise 25 years of industry experience with some sort of qualification,” he says, adding that ECU’s track record in cybersecurity research and the accessibility of staff were major drawcards. Studying by distance education from his home in Brisbane, Nikolai co-authored a conference paper with his supervisor Patryk Szewczyk, which won the best paper award at the 2015 Australian Information Security Management Conference. This came as something of a surprise to Nikolai, who was diagnosed as dyslexic in high school. “It turns out I like writing!” he says. “Writing and reading were never things I thought I’d be strong at.” The realisation led Nikolai to start a blog, and several posts, which he published under a creative commons licence, were republished on The Conversation. Now, Nikolai is a contributor to publications like Computerworld and makes regular appearances as a media commentator on tech security issues. He’s also contemplating a PhD. “I’d never thought about doing research. I’d never thought about doing a PhD,” he says. “That was a foreign concept to me, but it’s definitely a possibility now.” – Chloe Walker
THE WORLD IS NO LONGER ABOUT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. IT IS NOW ABOUT SURVIVAL OF THE SMARTEST. QUESTION. How do you stay ahead of the game as we enter the highly competitive tech-based era of employment? At ECU, we believe that now is the best time to equip yourself with world ready, highly transferable skills at postgraduate level. And that’s why we offer expert postgraduate training, including specialised masters, internationally accredited courses presented by world-renowned professors, and courses unique to WA. Get ready to future proof your career with a postgraduate degree from ECU.
Apply now at ecugetready.com.au/postgraduate Australia’s top ranked public university for student satisfaction. QILT rankings April 2017.
Postgraduate Futures 2017
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