2025: Work at CACI While You Study

Get immersed in real-world cybersecurity issues and gain mentored work experience while earning $25 an hour as part of the CCI Project-Based Learning Program in partnership with CACI.

Five students will be selected for this program, which will support CACI’s Cyber Mission Operations Team.

Tasks will include generating, documenting, and implementing a project plan to create and build a repository of approximately 30 challenges to be used for CACI CTF employee and outreach events.

CACI will provide account access, demonstrate the range, and create challenge categories. 

What You’ll Do

• Create Jeopardy!-style challenges and identify categories.
• Identify testing process workflow and acceptance criteria by testing flag, difficulty level, and repeatability.
• Implement testing process
• Determine roles of team members 
• Determine technical requirements (access and system resources)
• Provide challenges for various CTF events throughout the year (for example, at George Mason's Patriot CTF).
• Build a repository of approximately 30 challenges to be used for CACI CTF employee and outreach events
• Finish challenges by December 2025.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the program, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be enrolled at a Virginia institution of higher education within the CCI network.
• Have completed one year of school (or will have completed one year or earned 30 credits when the program starts in fall 2025).
• Be enrolled in cybersecurity or cyber-related courses. 
• Commit to the program from Sept. 5 to Dec. 5, 2025.
• Have access to a computer or laptop.
• Demonstrate an interest in cybersecurity (for example, Hack the Box or other online capture-the-flag-style activities, belong to a cyber club, etc).

Program Requirements

If selected for the program, during the academic year, you will:

• Work in teams on a cybersecurity project.
• Must dedicate a minimum of six (6) hours per week to the program; hours will not exceed eight (8) hours per week
• Students will meet weekly with the CACI leads (exact time to be coordinated between the interns and CACI leads).
• Students are advised to prepare to schedule another one to two hours a week for group work that all students must agree to. The group work meeting will be determined with a student poll.
• Attend monthly demonstrations to report status and test results with CACI Cyber Missions Operations point of contact.
• Complete the CCI Clearance Preparedness Program.
• Attend in-person and virtual mandatory meetings. Students will meet weekly with the CACI leads (exact time to be coordinated between the interns and CACI leads).
• Participate in project-related tasks.
• Inform your university/college advisor of project participation.

Expectations and Repercussions

This is a professional opportunity, and you’re expected to conduct yourself in a manner befitting a professional environment.

You will be held accountable for attending meetings and actively participating in project-related tasks. Failure to meet these expectations could result in your dismissal and forfeiture of your stipend. You must:

• Meet participation requirements. If you don’t, your advisor will be notified once via email that you’re in danger of being dismissed. 
• Resolve any attendance and participation issues. Failure to do so will result in your dismissal, and you and your advisor will be notified.
• Attend 90 percent of mandatory meetings.
• Participate in project-related tasks.

Participate in CCI’s Project-Based Learning Program

If you're interested in seeing this program at your school or sponsoring such a program at your company, please contact Sarah Hayes at sshayes@vt.edu.