Bart Kubiczek is no stranger to defending attacks. The martial arts enthusiast recently completed his Certificate IV in Cyber Security 22603VIC and found his skills in the ring prepared him well for the virtual battlefield.
“They’re both a competition,” explained Bart.
“You are either on attack or defence. You can be the blue team protecting a network or the red team trying to break in.”
Following 7 years of building his personal training business in Australia, Bart was dreaming of a new challenge when he started thinking about joining the IT industry.
The fitness trainer dipped his toes in with a Certificate II in Computer Assembly and Repairs, learning the ins and outs of the hardware behind the screen, before he started working towards his next step: a career in Cyber Security.
“It’s something that constantly evolves and will always keep me interested,” says Bart.
Since making the switch, Bart has found the Cyber Security industry to be the perfect balance between his desire to help others and his interest in the digital world.
He explains, “Big companies have the protection; they have the money to spend on a cybersecurity team.”
“However, regular people are the most vulnerable, especially since there is very little awareness of how they can protect themselves from cyber-attacks and scams.”
Years of training in martial arts and fitness prepared Bart well for his Certificate IV course at Melbourne Polytechnic, where he put his teamwork skills to the test at the TAFEcyber 2022 National Cyber Challenge.
Joining a group of 4 classmates, Bart led the team on a number of challenges including code cracking and answering scenario-based questions.
“Teamwork has been very important during study. You have to learn to bounce ideas off each other,” says Bart.
“Sometimes someone else will come up with the solution to a very difficult problem.”
The tenacity Bart brought to his sport is something that also served him well during his learning, eventually helping him win the Vocational Student of the Year Award in the Outstanding Business, Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics category.
Winning the award might have been an honour, but for Bart, it's the learning journey he shared with Melbourne Polytechnic that truly matters.
"When I found out I was going to be Vocational Student of the Year, in a way, I don’t really care for glory and riches. What I really care for is skills,” says Bart.
It was the skills learnt during his course that brought Bart to where he is today, working in his dream career as a Cyber Security Consultant.
Far from the end of the road for this martial arts fighter, Bart is now looking forward to becoming a lifelong learner in his field.
“It’s the same thing with fighting. You have to adapt. You cannot stay the same. You have to learn new things.”