STATES AT DISADVANTAGE IN RACE TO RECRUIT CYBERSECURITY PROS

Austin Moody wanted to apply his cybersecurity skills in his home state of Michigan, teaming up with investigators for the State Police to analyze evidence and track down criminals.

But the recent graduate set the idea aside after learning an unpaid internship was his only way into the Michigan agency.

“I don’t know many people that can afford to take an unpaid internship, especially when it’s in such high demand in the private sector,” Moody said of fellow cybersecurity job seekers. “Unpaid internships in cyber aren’t really a thing beyond the public sector.”

Hiring and keeping staff capable of helping fend off a constant stream of cyberattacks and less severe online threats