How Bell’s Josh Raines used the tuition assistance program to build a new career in cybersecurity.

Josh Raines didn’t start out in cybersecurity. He spent six years on offshore drill ships, but when that chapter ended in 2019, he knew he had to make a change. That’s when a former Boy Scout friend told him about Bell and an opportunity in Gear Grinding.

“Working in the Gear Grinding department was great, and all the guys were very patient with me and taught me everything I needed to know. After about 2 years though, I knew that I wanted something different,” Josh says.

He had no IT experience, let alone a background in cybersecurity, but he kept seeing job postings in the field. The more he researched, the more he saw a future for himself there. “I knew IT was a booming industry, and that got me interested,” he says.

Josh knew if wanted to make the switch, he needed a degree.

Then, one day while browsing ERIC, he came across an article about the Tuition Assistance program. The idea stuck with him. If he could attain a degree in the IT field, he could pursue this future for himself and add value to Bell’s IT department. Once he received his supervisor’s support, it wasn’t long before he was enrolled.

At the time, Josh was working full-time, raising three kids, and trying to balance it all. An in-person program wouldn’t be possible for him, so he chose an online school to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance.

“The tuition assistance program was essential in my success in going back to school, and making the transition from shop-floor, to IT/Cybersecurity,” Josh said. “Without this resource, I don’t know if I would have been able to go back to school.”

Even with that flexibility, the road wasn’t easy. “There were nights and weekends when I had to pick studying over family time,” he says. “Some parts in gear grinding took hours to complete, so I’d use that downtime to read and study.”

But the challenges didn’t stop there. Just as he was nearing the final stretch of his degree, Josh was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

He had to put his education on hold while focusing on brain surgery and recovery. But when he returned to Bell, he was determined to pick up where he left off. While continuing his degree, he took a chance and started applying for IT roles.

“I wasn’t sure if they’d hire me without the degree in hand, but I went for it anyway,” he says. After several interviews and discussions with Cybersecurity Director Will Vess, he landed a role as associate cybersecurity analyst in February 2023.

A year later, in 2024, he officially earned his degree from Western Governors University.

While his coursework gave him a strong foundation, Josh says stepping into cybersecurity at Bell was a completely new world.

“The acronyms, the tools, the teams, the infrastructure,” Josh explains. “I had the foundational knowledge from school, but nothing can fully prepare you for the real-world experience.” “My team told me, ‘You’re not supposed to know everything right away. Just keep asking questions and learning.

To this day, he keeps a live Word document of acronyms to remember. “It’s like learning a whole new language,” he says.

Now, with his cybersecurity degree in hand and a new career ahead of him, Josh sees endless possibilities. Looking back, he’s grateful he took the leap and thankful for the Tuition Assistance Program that made it possible. “Go for it,” he says. “I earned a second bachelor’s degree, and it pretty much didn’t cost me a thing out of pocket.”

He knows that time is the biggest hesitation for most people. “Nobody has time to do things they don’t want to do. But we all make time for what we care about,” he says. “Find your motivation. Find your ‘why’—and let that drive you.”

Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, he created it.

Interested in Furthering your Education?

Textron offers an excellent education assistance program for you to obtain your bachelor’s or graduate degree. Employees can receive up to $8,000 per year for undergraduate programs and $10,000 per year for graduate programs at accredited universities. Additionally, there are tuition offerings for certification programs, CPA certifications, A&P, and more.

Learn More: educational_assistance_frequently_asked_questions.pdf