How Amanda Found Confidence in Tech
Amanda Lewis spent years working customer support jobs while constantly feeling financially stuck.
"I wanted a career where hard work actually led somewhere," she said.
Cybersecurity caught her attention because she enjoyed analytical thinking and solving problems, but she worried she wouldn't fit into a technical environment.
"The first week honestly intimidated me," Amanda admitted. "But the instructors made everything feel approachable."
She eventually enrolled with SkyStates.
Learning Without Feeling Left Behind
One of Amanda's favorite parts of the program was the live doubt-clearing support.
"I never felt embarrassed asking questions, even when I thought they were basic."
The internship and project experience became a huge turning point for her growth. Through simulated enterprise environments and guided labs, she gained practical experience with network security and threat analysis.
"That gave me something real to talk about during interviews."
The resume support team also completely transformed her professional profile.
"My old resume looked like random customer service experience," she said. "After they worked on it, it actually looked like somebody transitioning into cybersecurity."
Finally Seeing Herself in Tech
Amanda eventually accepted a security operations center role with a financial services company.
"The best part honestly wasn't even getting hired," she said. "It was finally believing that I was capable of succeeding in tech."
