David Pierre

Name: David Pierre
Major: Cybersecurity | Class of '18

• Why did you choose your major?

  When I came to the U.S. back in 2016, I realized that the world needs cybersecurity professionals more than ever due to the sophistication of cyber-attacks and e-crimes that occur on a daily basis. I wanted to be a part of that change and chose cybersecurity.

• What advice would you give to students interested in your career path?

  Cybersecurity is one of the finest and most rewarding fields within I.T. What is important is not where you start, but where you are going while staying focused. I started very low in the States five years ago, from cleaning bathrooms at Lowe’s in La Vale and working my way up to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and now PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

   In regard to cybersecurity, Covid really increased the need for a virtual environment. If a student is interested in protecting digital assets, thwarting e-crimes, and doing something that really matters to today’s virtual world, choose cybersecurity, and that student will probably thank himself later.

• What was your overall experience at ACM?
  I had almost zero experience in I.T. when I came to ACM back in 2016, but the experience was great. From ACM I was able to get the CompTIA Security CE and my first I.T. job before graduation. If an immigrant from Haiti can do it in his third language, anyone else can.

• Who was your favorite ACM faculty/staff member?  Why?  
  Mr. Richard Soderman, who was also my advisor. Mr. Soderman was a great influencer, and I still keep him posted with all my achievements within my I.T. career. Mr. Soderman is kind and passionate about his job and he loves what he is doing. He was always available and took extra time to answer my questions and guide me through my time at ACM.
• What is your greatest achievement in your career?
  My greatest achievements are working for Amazon Web Services and becoming "Employee of the Month" for October 2021 for the AWS “Highest Standard” Leadership Principle. In addition, after graduating from ACM, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Software Development and Security at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
• Additional comments:
  When it comes to I.T., it is not where you start, it is where you are going. That being said, ACM can be a great starting point. It is affordable, and if a student graduates from ACM, that student can qualify for a “Completion Scholarship” to the University of Maryland, where the University of Maryland Global Campus will accept the entire 60 credits, and that student will pay $12,000 or less. This is what I did. So from ACM, I was able to work for Smart Choice Computer Solutions, AWS, and now am a Sr. Associate for one of the Big 4’s, PwC. Before joining PwC, I interviewed with companies like Google, the NSA, the CIA, RedHat, GitHub, Meta, Microsoft, and LinkedIn, just to name a few. This is the best time for anyone to get started in Cybersecurity; the reward is unreal.