Hacking victim turns to cybersecurity pursuit

Once plagued by ransomware, Mr Bryant Soputan’s career objective is to protect others’ systems from hackers

By Rachel Genevieve Chia

Jan 14, 2022

When Mr Bryant Soputan graduated from secondary school, he dreamt of becoming a game developer.

The curious teen learned programming skills from YouTube, and successfully created a simple 2D game after his O-level exams. “I was proud of it because it was the first thing that I made by myself,” he said.

But to his horror, that precious achievement would soon be taken away. Mr Soputan’s computer was hacked and infected with ransomware, and he lost access to all his files, including his game.

“I still receive fake e-mails from ‘myself’,” he laughed. “This led to me thinking about how I can protect myself and improve others’ lives by protecting their systems.”

Now aged 21, the aspiring cybersecurity professional is in his first of a two-year Bachelor of Cybersecurity degree at the Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU), with an education sponsorship from SAFRA.

The programme prepares students for roles like cybersecurity analyst and penetration tester. It also teaches higher-level concepts – including risk management and governance – that allow graduates to take on senior management positions later.

His favourite module is on cybersecurity and cryptography fundamentals. “It’s interesting to see the many ways hackers can get into a network,” he said.

A code a day

Mr Soputan advises those aspiring towards a career in the booming cybersecurity field to try out daily coding exercises before applying for courses.

“I have seen many people who initially wanted to pursue cybersecurity and IT-related courses decide to change majors as coding was not their thing,” he said.

Mr Soputan, who is currently learning multiple programming languages in school, admits it can be challenging.

JCU’s course trains undergraduates not just in cybersecurity, but also foundational IT skills such as software and app development, database design and machine learning.

To ease into his studies, Mr Soputan attended JCU’s Pre-University Foundation Program, a course that not only brought him up to speed, but also enriched his worldview.

“People from all parts of Asia were in this class. I got to learn about different cultures and made meaningful connections that I still keep to this day,” he said.

Find out more about JCU's Pre-University Foundation Program at www.jcu.edu.sg/courses-and-study/courses/course/pre-university-foundation-program