Spotlight on Tacoma Community College

Rather than narrowly focusing a degree program on cybersecurity, TCC has deliberately built a broad-based program that prepares graduates for the full spectrum of IT roles in their region. In the heart of Pierce County, where many students have a military background, the top employer is government, followed by healthcare. TCC's programs are designed to serve both.

To learn more, the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence sat down with TCC's team of educators for a candid conversation. What emerged was a portrait of a program built on industry realism, student-centered flexibility, and a long view on what it takes to launch a technology career.

A Program Designed for Early Cyber Careers

When Sergio Hernandez and his colleagues originally designed TCC's Bachelor of Applied Science in Advanced Networking and Data Security, they made a deliberate choice to avoid branding it as purely a "cybersecurity" degree. The reason was simple: industry said not to.

Our advisory committee insisted that most students will not land cyber-focused roles after right graduation. It's just not realistic. Foundational pieces and on-the-job experience are needed first. - Sergio Hernandez - Program Chair.

The advisory committee emphasized that new cybersecurity workers should build hands-on experience in other IT roles before taking a job dedicated entirely to cybersecurity. So TCC built its programs around three pillars: networking and infrastructure, database and big data, and security. Students graduate with enough depth in all three to find a role that matches their interests — and enough breadth to adapt as their career evolves.

The results show that this approach works. Graduates of the TCC program typically find IT roles with school districts, state agencies, healthcare systems, and military installations. Other roles landed by recent graduates include database administration and the management of IoT healthcare devices.

Security-Heavy, but Not Security-Exclusive

Cybersecurity is woven throughout the entire program. By the third and fourth years, students earn two industry certifications in security — CompTIA Security+ and CySA+. They also study cloud platforms, Cisco networking, and Python. The goal is to produce a graduate who is, as Sergio put it, "a bit of a Jack of all trades" — someone who arrives on day one with enough background to contribute meaningfully across a technology team.

This philosophy aligns with what hiring managers repeatedly tell us: they need fundamentalists who understand how domains work, how routing operates, and what's happening beneath the surface — not just analysts watching a SIEM tool.

The programs at Tacoma Community College include:

• Bachelor of Applied Science in Advanced Networking & Data Security
• Associate in Applied Science in Networking & Cybersecurity
• Technical Support Certificate
• Help Desk Certificate

The two-year degree has transfer options, not only to the 4-year degree at TCC, but also to the University of Washington, Western Governors University, and Pacific Lutheran University. To explore the TCC programs, click this link. 

Soft Skills - Taught from Day One

Soft skills aren't an afterthought at TCC — they're a first-quarter priority. Students begin learning these skills in the very first classes and consistently practice them throughout the program.

Erin Korff added an important dimension: the ability to communicate across teams that may not share your technical vocabulary, time zone, or background. In today's distributed and globalized IT environments, making space for others to contribute and translating technical detail into plain language are as essential as technical proficiency itself.

Capstone Projects and Building a Portfolio

In today's competitive, AI-disrupted hiring environment, a GitHub portfolio and a strong LinkedIn profile are essential to rise above the noise and be noticed. 

TCC's answer to this challenge starts with its capstone projects, embedded in both the associate's and bachelor's programs. For the bachelor's capstone, Erin Korff assembled a panel of eight former industry colleagues who serve as reviewers — checking in at midterm and evaluating final presentations. The program has since transitioned this role to its industry advisory committee, making the engagement more sustainable. The results have been striking.

“During a recent capstone project, one industry advisor said, 'If I had an open position, I would hire that student right now.'” - Erin Korff, Instructor

Beyond capstones, TCC actively coaches students to build digital portfolios and use GitHub as a professional showcase. LinkedIn profile development is taught within coursework, and the program is piloting a dedicated class session to walk students through setting up and populating a GitHub presence. A student-led cohort of those who have already built their portfolios is being brought in to mentor classmates.

Drew McKay, Pathway Specialist, runs workshops on LinkedIn, professional networking, and how to make a strong impression at career events. Their advice to students is direct: you are marketing yourself, not just applying for a job. And the market includes more employers than most students imagine.

"Nobody's thinking about the bank right across the street that needs an IT person. But IT is everywhere — not just at Microsoft or Google. And somtimes, landing an internship simply involves asking for one." — Drew McKay, Pathway Specialist

Flexible Schedules for Real-Life Students

TCC's student demographics include veterans, career-changers, young mothers returning to the workforce, and Running Start participants.

TCC intentionally scheduled classes to accommodate these groups. First- and second-year classes are offered during school hours — roughly 9 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. — so that parents can be home when their children get out of school. Third- and fourth-year classes shift to evenings because students are typically employed full-time at this stage.

‘Fresh Start’ Students Experience College

TCC has been actively expanding its outreach to populations that don't yet see themselves as future IT professionals. One group is the ‘Fresh Start’ students who are completing their high school diploma through the college after traditional high school didn't work for them. Drew McKay has spent a year with this group, slowly building trust and planting the idea that a career in networking or cybersecurity is attainable for them. It takes time and patience to build the dream and elevate the goal from high school diploma to college degree.

"Many high school students mistakenly believe that IT careers are exclusively about programming. If they're not interested in software development, they'll dismiss technology careers entirely. But after some exploration in the college setting, some discover an aspect of IT that really appeals to them." — Drew McKay, Pathway Specialist

The Identity Gap: A Challenge Worth Naming

Sergio Hernandez's doctoral dissertation focused on Social Cognitive Career Theory — the research framework that explains why certain students never see themselves as belonging in technical fields. His findings are directly relevant to TCC's recruitment challenges.

Students develop career identities between middle school and high school. If they don't encounter positive experiences with IT during those years — through peers, family, school support, or role models — they don't associate the field with themselves. By the time they reach college age, the gap has already formed. TCC calls the students who find their way to the program after struggling in computer science "CS refugees" — students who liked technology but couldn't see themselves in the math-heavy world of a CS degree. The IT program offers a different door into the same exciting field.

For women in particular, Sergio emphasized that representation is not enough on its own. Students need to observe successful women in the field, feel that they belong, and experience equal ownership of the space. With concerted effort, female enrollment has risen to about 20%. Extra effort has also been needed to recruit female faculty, and TCC deeply appreciates those that they do have.

"They need to see themselves in the field — and as successful in the field — and as belonging. It's outreach, representation, and support. All three." — Sergio Hernandez

A Versatile Pipeline for South Sound Employers

Tacoma Community College has built a technology program that is honest about the world students are entering. It doesn't promise a direct path to a CISO title. It promises something more durable: the broad skills, the professional habits, and the human connections that let a graduate build a career over time — in government, healthcare, the military, the nonprofit sector, or wherever the region's economy needs them most.

"IT really is everywhere. Cybersecurity impacts everything — profit, non-profit. Helping students imagine broadly where they might end up — and that starting somewhere small might be the ideal learning ground — that's what we do." — Mary Jane Oberhofer, Dean.

For prospective students, TCC offers an affordable, flexible, and deeply practical pathway into technology. For regional employers, it offers a graduate who arrives ready to contribute — not just in security, but wherever the work takes them.