All Cameron White needed to find his direction in life was time to think in one of his favorite places — the outdoors.
“I was sitting out at Lake Lowell trying to find some direction in life,” he said. “I was going through Boise State’s course catalog and found cybersecurity. It piqued my interest.
“I was enrolled at the College of Western Idaho (CWI), but my previous majors were daytime classes, and I needed a program I could do at night. Cybersecurity fit and seemed interesting, like a lifelong puzzle. I definitely found my place.”
So much so that White is now an adjunct professor at Boise State University. He graduated from the online Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience program in August 2024 and the online Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience program in December 2025.
“The reason I transferred to Boise State is because it was an easy transfer from CWI,” he said. “The reason I stayed was because of the opportunities it affords — the internship program in the bachelor’s degree, where you have to have a real-world capstone project — removed everything from the non-tangible books and turned them into real-life experience.”
In addition to teaching three courses per year at Boise State, White works full-time as a systems administrator at Vallivue School District. He also operates a handyman and landscaping business, Skidplate, LLC.
“Not only did the online format make it manageable, it allowed me to work on it when I could,” he said. “Some nights it was right after I got home from my day job, other nights it was two in the morning.
“Another one of the strengths of Boise State’s online program — especially the cyber operations and resilience program — is that you can learn at your own pace. There was a lot of review material I had done in the industry I didn’t necessarily have to spend time relearning. I got to review that and focus on the things that were new to me. It was a huge time-saver and one of the strengths of the program.”
Building a cybersecurity career through flexible online learning
White was born in Richfield, Utah, but grew up in Caldwell, Idaho. He landed on cybersecurity because he wanted to do something exciting and relevant. White graduated from CWI with an associate degree in cybersecurity in 2022.
“So many people wind up in jobs that are repetitive,” he said. “It seemed so boring to me. I didn’t want to go do the same thing every day. Cybersecurity really provides you the opportunity to do a new thing every day — especially as the threat landscape changes.”
While enrolled at Boise State, White attended Idaho National Laboratory’s cybersecurity lab in 2023.
“That was really an amazing opportunity for me thanks to Professor Sin Ming Loo,” he said. “Even though I don’t work directly with industrial control systems, the principles involved in securing the engine technology are always behind the eight ball when it comes to cybersecurity. ICS (Industrial Control Systems) principles of securing ancient architecture really come in handy with the day job.”
White’s favorite course in the master’s degree program was CORE 502: Developing an Insider Threat Strategy for Enterprises.
“All users are inside threats,” he said. “Even though it’s designed around building an insider threat program, it has applicability to literally every vertical.
“The information I learned at Boise State was really relevant — especially compared to some of the other colleges, where a few of my peers chose to go.”
White became a lead student engineer while enrolled in the online bachelor’s degree program. One of his fellow CWI classmates took over for him after graduation.
“I started with Boise State in the CORE learning lab,” he said. “I helped with that from the ground up. Once I graduated, they said, ‘Hey, do you want to come teach?’ I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
From cybersecurity student to adjunct faculty
White did not walk at commencement for the bachelor’s degree, but he did for the master’s degree. He is the first person in his immediate family to earn a master’s degree.
“They all totally thought I was crazy working full-time and going to school full-time,” he said. “My immediate family and friends gave me a lot of grief like, ‘Oh, I never talk to you.’ I said, ‘Let me finish the degree.’ Graduation day was quite the experience.”
Now that he is finished with school, White is focusing on his two jobs and keeping an eye on the future.
“Having these degrees gives you the ethos to go out and say you know what you’re talking about,” he said. “Everybody has YouTube and the ability to check out books at the library, but until you have that piece of paper that says, ‘Hey, I know what I’m talking about,’ it doesn’t matter.”
As for the future, White hopes to someday own a cybersecurity business and become his own boss on a permanent basis, perhaps while continuing to teach adjunct.
“I really enjoy working for myself,” he said. “I haven’t figured out how to make that transition from the handyman and landscaping business, which I’ve been doing for about 10 years, to cybersecurity.”
White said it’s important to bring the right attitude to either the undergraduate or graduate online cyber operations and resilience program.
“You have to be prepared to do the work,” he said. “The benefit of the master’s program is I didn’t have any more gen ed classes; it was all cyber focused. It was the degree in cyber that really interested me with the real technical stuff, the real useful stuff.”
White is grateful he found his true calling that lazy afternoon on Lake Lowell. And he’s happy to be a Bronco.
“The programs exceeded my expectations in every way,” he said. “It’s something else Boise State nails — building a sense of community.
“I was at a conference recently, and I ran into two of my former classmates. One of them I had never met in person, but we were able to recognize each other from mutual video events we attended.”
Learn more about the cyber operations and resilience program
Boise State’s cyber operations and resilience program can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online program is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.