Preparing for a Cybersecurity Career: Insights From Justin Miller, MA, MS
Written by:
University of Tulsa
• Mar 2, 2026
On the surface, starting a career in cybersecurity may seem intimidating. Not only is there a whole world of technical skills to learn, but the inventiveness of cybercriminals means that skill set is constantly changing.
No one knows this better than Justin Miller, MA, MS, an associate professor of practice of cyber studies at The University of Tulsa and director of the online Master of Science (M.S.) in Cyber Security program.
Before arriving at TU, Miller spent 25 years with the U.S. Secret Service. Over the course of his career, he’s worked to foil international money-laundering schemes, uncovered digital evidence to capture perpetrators of violent crimes, and helped private-sector businesses recover from data breaches.
These accomplishments required high-level information technology (IT) skills, but Miller believes these skills should be built on a much more fundamental set of abilities — ones that many professionals and students already possess.
Research and Patience: The Backbone of Cybersecurity
Miller’s law enforcement career began at 19, when he graduated from the police academy in Farmington, New Mexico. He was young for a recruit, but much of his family was in law enforcement. He’d spent his entire life looking up to them and the quiet confidence they exuded.
Despite that, Miller’s father encouraged him to go to college and explore other avenues as well. Miller took that advice and earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history, with an emphasis on foreign relations.
Miller didn’t know it at the time, but he says this is when his preparation for cybersecurity truly began.
When I transitioned into cybersecurity years later, the disciplined research methods I learned as a history student proved invaluable," he said. “They sharpened my critical thinking and built the patience required for cyber investigations, where tracing and tracking an adversary can take years.”
As the cybercrime landscape continues to shift, Miller says being patient and methodical is more important than ever.
“Cyber threats have shifted from isolated actors to organized transnational operations,” he said. “We’re seeing ransomware, supply chain attacks, and AI-enabled fraud, are increasingly intersecting with nation-state activity and criminal enterprises.”
Using Communication for Success
Miller didn’t get into cybersecurity until about 10 years into his Secret Service career. By then, he’d developed invaluable experience in extensive planning for complex protective operations and in communicating those plans to everyone involved. Those skills proved just as critical in cybersecurity.
For example, when Miller was investigating private-sector data breaches, he often found himself in boardrooms surrounded by executives, lawyers, and IT professionals.
“I was often in rooms where the technical expert who understood the breach didn’t have the space to communicate that understanding to the C-suite,” he said. “That dynamic made situations adversarial, especially in legally driven environments where the focus quickly turns to assigning blame. Everybody’s pointing the finger.”
Miller used the skills he’d fostered through his career to clear the air. He and the IT team would draw diagrams of the company’s networks on whiteboards. Diagramming the network together created a shared reference point. It decompressed the room, lowered tension, and allowed more productive conversations to happen.
“Within a couple of hours, we’d be able to isolate areas requiring further investigation. That clarity helped reduce tension and supported more constructive discussions,” Miller said.
The Key to Breaking Into Cybersecurity
The soft skills Miller had spent his whole career honing were indispensable once he got into cybersecurity. Despite that, he came to the field with little information security knowledge. He knew that if he was going to be successful, he was going to have to go back to school.
At first, that was an intimidating prospect.
“I was a professional way beyond school,” Miller remembered thinking. Still, he overcame that feeling and earned his master’s degree in information security operations. “I had to become comfortable with being uncomfortable and learning from scratch.”
To Miller, this means being confident yet humble enough to ask questions, continuously updating his knowledge, and going back to relearn and practice. That’s the key to his success as a cybersecurity student and professional.
Now, Miller’s using that approach to help students at TU confidently break into cybersecurity.
“How we set up the classes, especially in the M.S. in Cyber Security program, is through cumulative learning. Concepts reappear across courses, so students aren’t learning and forgetting. They are building confidence and the ability to speak intelligently about cybersecurity.”
A Program Built on Technical Competence and Professional Confidence
In TU’s online M.S. in Cyber Security program, students can learn the hard and soft skills they need to pivot into this increasingly important sector. Under the leadership of experienced faculty such as Justin Miller, the curriculum evolves with the field itself.
“At Tulsa, we’re continuously integrating real cases, current frameworks, threat intelligence, and feedback from industry and government partners,” Miller said. “We’re able to get you to a level of competence in a short amount of time and upskill you.”
To find out more about the online M.S. in Cyber Security curriculum, hands-on learning opportunities, or enrollment, request more information today.
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