The Spurs Hype Team marched through the hall, and the Spurs Coyote cheered on several local teens and young adults to celebrate Signing Day.
But, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports these weren't star quarterbacks or power forwards doing the signing. In a unique event, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the Spurs, and AT&T presented the first annual Cyber Signing Day, to celebrate the accomplishments of skilled young cyber security professionals on receiving internships and full time jobs in local cyber security companies.
"Cyber Security is around our lives everywhere," said J.D.Salinas of AT&T. "If you remember how you started your day today and how you will end it, cyber security is around out lives everywhere. We have a cyber threat every day, to every family and every company."
Will Garrett of Syber Security SA, a unit of the Chamber of Commerce, said events like the unique Cyber Signing Day, which was part of a national conference on Cybersecurity Education underway at the Convention Center, is a way to make sure that skilled young cybersecuirty professionals and the growing cybersecurity industry can get together, and take mutual advantage of the growing cyber security landscape.
"Just connecting the dots, so we don't lose good students who don't believe there are good jobs here," he said. "And that we can attract students who know that this is a base that is growing, and the jobs will be here now, and ten years from now."
San Antonio's rise in this critical industry of the future is noteworthy. San Antonio is now second only to Washington DC in the number of skilled professionals engaged in the cyber security industry.
"When I rode my Uber over here today, without cyber secuirty, I would not have arrived," Salinas said.
Cyber security professionals were told about the fact that this is an industry which is growing, is well paid, and will lead into numerous professional opportunities in the future.