A Veteran Success Story with Antonio Grant

I've always wanted to be a hacker.

My name is Tony Grant, I'm a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and I served between 1986 and 1994. My MOS was in Motor Transportation, specifically in Artillery. I spent a total of eight years in the service.

I am now a 100% permanent total disabled vet, due to an injury in 1988 at Twentynine Palms.

My background in IT came after I left the military.

In the wake of the 2008 Silicon Valley bust, I spent 2010-2011 rebuilding tech infrastructure. I started in cabling, then moved to system and network administration.

I discovered Divergence Academy's Cybersecurity Professional Penetration Tester program while at voc rehab.

Attending Divergence gave me the opportunity to gain more skills than I could have ever imagined.

At Divergence, there is an immersive hands-on element through labs that allow students to dive deeper. You're given examples and you put those things into practice.

The level of immersion that my cohort experienced under the CPPT program was challenging in the best possible way. It gave me a new perspective on the big picture of cybersecurity.

Divergence is continuously trying to give us the resources we need to be successful.

As a veteran, I feel that going into these emergent fields is another way for soldiers to serve. We're no longer on the battlefield; we're on the back-end, creating the security that this country needs.

To future learners: it's important to have the mindset.

Create good study habits and everything will work out. It's going to take time and you have to be patient. But know that by putting the work, dedication, and time toward what you're trying to achieve, you will achieve it.