Oct. 1, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Dakota State University.

Luke Constantino is months away from graduating with a bachelor’s degree in cyber operations from Dakota State University and just took a big step toward his future career.

Constantino, a Wyoming neighbor, was motivated to pursue cybersecurity by mentors in high school “who were excited about all these fascinating technological concepts, and they inspired me to use those technological concepts to help others — pointing me to DSU in the process,” he said.

At DSU, he connected with Pat Engebretson, associate professor at The Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences, who served as his honors thesis adviser and introduced him to the recently launched Cisco Networking Academy at DSU.

The Academy is a global education and training partner that is designed to help learners prepare for technology careers.

“Our Academy at DSU is specifically focused on computer and network technologies,” Engebretson said. “Big picture, this is about helping students hone their already strong computer networking skills and make them even more relevant to industry and employers by supplementing their existing education with highly focused training.”

The idea is to provide students with additional opportunities and expertise by preparing them to pass the Certified Cisco Network Associate exam, he said.

DSU’s Academy launched this fall after extensive preparation. Engebretson needed to become a Cisco Certified CCNA instructor, attending three classes that included various assessments, labs, lectures and face-to-face course attendance.

“As a candidate instructor, I was required to master not only the technical content of each course but also the pedagogical skills required to teach the Cisco curriculum,” he said.

“Cisco is very heavily involved in the process as they set the curriculum and direction; however, Cisco does not teach students directly. Course delivery is done through local academies. In other words, Cisco provides the teaching platform and curriculum; the curriculum is delivered locally through certified instructors.”

Supplementing and expanding DSU’s already strong academic curriculum with widely recognized industry certifications “is a win-win for students and employers,” Engebretson said.

“This is just another option that we can provide to Dakota State students to make them even more attractive to prospective employers.”

Participation in the Academy is voluntary.

In addition to reinforcing theoretical knowledge, the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum focuses on hands-on learning, which allows students to demonstrate a level of competency and understanding through “doing” and the completion of hands-on labs.

“This was a natural fit for us as it matches very well with our existing curriculum at DSU,” Engebretson said.

“The NetAcad curriculum is specifically tailored to help students succeed in completing their CCNA exam, but it’s important to mention that the curriculum also provides a wider opportunity by teaching additional skills, including critical thinking, troubleshooting and problem-solving.”

Students who complete NetAcad courses are well prepared to be successful on the CCNA exam. While taking the exam isn’t required as part of the Academy, it is a globally recognized certification that helps students be more competitive in the job market, Engebretson said.

“It tells employers that a student not only has a highly respected degree from Dakota State but has further demonstrated their skills by successfully completing the Academy curriculum,” he said.

“Many organizations today include the CCNA certification preference in their job postings.”

Additionally, students who successfully complete the Cisco curriculum and meet the necessary requirements are eligible for a CCNA exam discount voucher.

“I’m grateful to Pat for this opportunity,” Constantino said. “Being able to earn an industry certification by taking a class here at DSU really streamlines the process and is a unique opportunity for myself and other DSU students.”

Constantino’s involvement with the Cisco Network Academy has been positive as he works through the course material.

“My overall goal is to use this opportunity to prepare myself to earn an industry certification, the CCNA,” he said. “One of the things that stands out about the Academy is the depth of material. The certification is from Cisco, and here I have the opportunity to learn the material directly from Cisco themselves.”

In-depth videos and visualizations, as well as virtual lab environments, allow him to simulate the technical skills necessary to earn the certification.

“Understanding how to configure network devices is crucial, and the labs available to me through the Cisco Networking Academy, via DSU, are a great feature that’s difficult to find elsewhere,” Constantino said.

“I see the biggest value as preparing myself to take the certification exam for the CCNA while learning from the best at a discounted rate.”

Ultimately, he hopes to work in cybersecurity in the networking or compliance sector. Certification through the CCNA, which is a computer networking-focused exam, would “be a great step toward a career in computer networking for me,” he said.

Roles utilizing the certification could include network and system administrators, network engineers, network operations center and security operations center analysts and entry-level cybersecurity roles.

“The CCNA is one of the most widely recognized certifications in computer networking today and really sets students up for a wide range of roles,” Engebretson said. “Because networking is so ubiquitous, these skills are important to nearly every sector, including large enterprises, ISPs, government and military, and even small and medium-sized businesses.”

Early response to the Academy at DSU “has been fantastic,” he added.

“Our students were eager for the opportunity, and we ended up with more participation than we expected. This opportunity is about taking our already great students and making them even better.”

To learn more about the Cisco Networking Academy at DSU, contact pat.engebretson@dsu.edu.