While enlisted in the United States Navy for nine years, Joseph Turman cultivated a career in information technology (IT).
“The Navy decided on IT for me,” he said. “It is what led me down the path to the IT field and ultimately obtaining my degree.”
Two years after becoming a civilian again, Turman graduated from Boise State University’s online Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience program in December 2024.
“The first thing that drew me into Boise State was that it’s close to where I live,” he said. “I originally thought I was going to do on-campus courses. Seeing the cyber operations program and what it had to offer solidified my choice. I wanted to get the degree to go along with my experience.
“I switched to fully online because I was unemployed when I started the process of looking to go back to school and doing in-person classes. I ended up being employed full-time, so online made more sense and worked out better for me.”
Turman landed a role as a systems engineer at Woodgrain in Fruitland, Idaho, in July 2023. He and his wife, Haley, live in Nampa.
“What I loved most about the online cyber operations and resilience program was that it was flexible and allowed me to not only work frequently more than 40 hours a week but also take up to 16 credits a semester and graduate in a year-and-a-half,” he said.
Earning the undergraduate degree piqued Turman’s interest in cybersecurity, leading to a change in outlook for the future of his career.
“I plan to transition from the infrastructure team at my job over to the cybersecurity team,” he said. “I have a newfound passion for my career and for cybersecurity.
“I also want to move up into senior-level management. I am already in the advanced stage of high-level system engineering and system administration.”
Hands-on learning
Originally from San Jose, Turman moved to Miami after graduating from high school. He hoped to become a pilot, so he attended Broward College in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
“After I obtained my commercial pilot’s license, I ran out of money to continue that path,” he said. “I decided to join the Navy, where I served in Florida, Virginia and California, before separating due to medical issues.
“The day I officially separated from the Navy is the day my wife and I started our drive with the dogs from Virginia to Idaho two years ago.”
Turman enrolled at Boise State in April 2023. In addition to enjoying the Offensive Security course, he said the capstone course, taught by Kody Walker, was a game-changer.
“Several of my classmates and I worked with the Idaho Army National Guard to scan the State of Idaho’s ITS Department network, searching for vulnerabilities, and presented those findings and recommendations to the state agency’s stakeholders,” he said.
“The Idaho Army National Guard invited me back to do another project recently, but I couldn’t do it because my first child was born on June 5. I have since started working on the Certified Ethical Hacker certification. I appreciate Kody Walker’s support and encouragement.”
Aloha, homework
Turman credits his wife with providing strong support for him during his 18 months enrolled at Boise State. They married in a small ceremony in 2021, then had a larger ceremony two years later, followed by a honeymoon in Hawaii, while he was in the program.
“I have to apologize to her for spending half the time in the hotel room doing schoolwork while we were on our honeymoon, and for not having free time for the last year-and-a-half,” he said. “I got a lot of grief from a lot of folks for working on school during my honeymoon.”
Walking at Boise State’s commencement was extra special for Turman, who enjoys target shooting and fishing in his free time.
“When I went to graduation, it was the first time I had ever been to any kind of school event on campus,” he said. “It was a good experience.”
Although he is a new father for the first time, Turman will continue his higher education journey in the fall. He is enrolled in a cybersecurity master’s degree program at the University of Idaho. He plans to utilize his experience as a Boise State online student as a blueprint for his master’s degree.
“The advice I give everybody is you have to put the time in and bust your behind, but it’s worth it,” he said. “Your life is doing the work until it’s done. After that, you get to enjoy your leisure time again. I got good value out of the online Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience program.”
Turman had a wealth of real-world knowledge and experience coming into the program, but he still found plenty of valuable takeaways. He is also appreciative of the journey.
“The degree solidified some things I already knew,” he said. “It was primarily getting that degree to match my experience and be more marketable, but it also helped me learn a lot more about the cybersecurity field and led me down that path. It worked out great.”
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.