A Veteran Success Story with Tony Preston

My name is Tony Preston and I am a native Floridian and an Air Force Veteran.

During my time in the Air Force, I was in telecommunications focused on network operations. That made me responsible for monitoring our audio and digital communications so that those networks maintained top efficiency.

After leaving the Air Force, I transitioned to a corporate career. I took a consulting role focused on insurance, risk management, and claims management.

Outside of my career, I am a dedicated family man.

My wife and I have been happily married for more than 35 years. We have one biological daughter who is currently a 24-year old college student, and about 4 years ago, we decided to do this risky but amazing thing--we adopted five siblings.

We saw this little family of five siblings that were one week away from getting kicked out of the foster care system and being separated forever into different households. Our hearts went out to them and we knew that we just had to step up and adopt these five children.

My biggest challenge coming into this career shift is that I'm not a young guy anymore.

I come from COBOL and Fortran environments and it's a different world now. Cyber felt like this big challenge for me since it seemed like a young man's journey. Divergence made me realize that my age does not make me a dinosaur--it gave me the experience and potential that I bring to the table day after day.

I had a big mountain of finances standing in the way of my education.

I was able to communicate with people from VA and other programs. Divergence's VA representatives made the whole process simpler. From the moment I engaged with you guys, the application process for VRRAP became a breeze.

Finding Divergence felt like getting an answered prayer.

I didn't want a program that would only give me a basic foundation. I wanted something that would immerse me right into the strategic and management side of cybersecurity. I was really excited about SOMI because it had everything I wanted--risk management with a focus on CISSP.

I also finished the CMMC course, which focuses on the assessment and consultation for DoD contractors.

I'm able to apply the skills I learned from the Air Force in my studies.

The three A's: Assessment, Analysis, and Application. Cybersecurity is about identifying, analyzing, and addressing threats that cause issues in a network. Defending against those threats requires the three A's.

The Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program left a positive impact on my education and career.

VRRAP empowered me to enroll in any of their approved schools. I enrolled in the Security Operations Management Immersive program without paying out of pocket.

Divergence gave me a holistic learning experience.

My instructors made every skill I developed in my previous job applicable to the cybersecurity world. They genuinely wanted to hear where we came from and encouraged us to contribute to the class.

Soon after completing the program, I received a job offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). After completing the CMMC program, I felt inspired to be an independent consultant or a business owner.