Why Community Matters More Than Certifications | Dr. Nathan Fisk, USF & Cyber Florida

Join us as Dr. Nathan Fisk, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity Education of USF and Cyber Florida Academic Director, discusses the importance of community in cybersecurity education. In this episode, Nathan explains how formal education has drifted away from the hacker culture that actually builds effective security professionals. He shares insights on why passion beats certifications, how community connections trump degrees, and what parents need to know about their kids' shrinking attention spans in the age of AI.

0:00 How a computer infection got Nathan into his career
5:32 Generational differences in approaching cybersecurity
11:38 The decline of the "hacker mindset" in cybersecurity
28:55 How community makes better security professionals
36:01 Nate's inspiration to start the 502 Project
49:50 Most cybersecurity degrees fail industry needs
57:18 What must we get right in cybersecurity education

🔔 Follow Nate and John on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nwfisk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarse/

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