Virginia senator highlights cyber security jobs day after hacking hearing

A job fair combining the cyber world with the workforce is giving students with a thirst for technology a path forward.

"When I came into Virginia Tech I knew I wanted to play with computers but I didn’t really know where I wanted to go," Virginia Tech senior Jonathan Defreeuw said.

Defreeuw received a CyberCorps Scholarship for Service, a program designed to increase the number of government jobs in cyber security. 
Now he’s joining hundreds of other scholarship students hoping to put what he’s learned to use.

“Coming up here I have handed out plenty of resumes for national labs,” Defreeuw said.

Besides meeting with over 100 employers here, students had the chance to catch up with their own senator, who said the fair couldn’t have come at a better time

"We have a need and it’s programs like this that keep us safer and adept in the cyber realm," Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said.

As a member of the senate armed services, Kaine heard testimony this week about alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 election and cyber security. He said it is fairs like this that are recruiting the best and brightest students into the workforce.

"It’s kind of like an ROTC program, these students if they’re committed to working in cyber fields, for the government, they can get significant payment during the time they’re in college to study these areas and then they have an obligation to serve and the excitement of these students is very very significant," Kaine added.

For Jonathan he just wants to be able to help protect, his country.

“I know that there is a lot of other governments that we need to be aware of so I know that the work I do will hopefully help them out," Defreeuw said.