From Trombone to Cybersecurity: How One South Graduate Found an Unexpected Career Path
Posted on October 30, 2026
For Destin Hinkel, cybersecurity wasn’t always part of his career plan.
Before becoming an IT auditor with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Hinkel had started in music education. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education, performed with the Jaguar Marching Band and served as an assistant band director at a local high school for two years.
But his schedule while completing his master’s degree in music education allowed him to explore another longtime interest: computing.
He began taking additional coursework that would meet the qualifications for a master’s program in computer science.
“I’ve always had an interest in computing, even before I went to school to become a band director,” Hinkel said. “I didn’t originally intend to pursue it — I just wanted the option for the future, maybe after retiring from teaching.” Then an unexpected opportunity changed the direction of his career.
Hinkel applied for the Scholarship for Service program, a federal initiative that provides scholarship support to students pursuing cybersecurity-related degrees in exchange for service in the federal government.
“I applied for the Scholarship for Service grant thinking I had no shot and actually was awarded it,” Hinkel said.
That award opened a new door. Rather than putting computer science on the back burner, Hinkel decided to pursue computer science full-time and graduated from South in December 2024.
Today, he works in cybersecurity as an IT auditor, where he helps evaluate information technology and cybersecurity-related practices within the federal government.
His path from the marching band to cybersecurity may seem unusual, but Hinkel said the skills he developed as a music educator have proven valuable in his new career.
Music education taught Hinkel more than how to play an instrument or lead an ensemble. It taught him how to practice, persevere, organize and work with other people — skills that translated directly into learning computer science and cybersecurity.
Music students spend countless hours developing their skills, and Hinkel said that experience helped prepare him for the discipline required to learn programming and cybersecurity.
“Practice creates habits, and habits, if cultivated correctly, establish excellence,” he said.
His experience as an educator also gave him something else that he uses every day: strong communication and interpersonal skills.
In his role with the federal government, Hinkel works as part of a team, presents information to stakeholders and directors and helps facilitate stakeholder involvement in projects.
In cybersecurity, technical knowledge is only part of the equation. Professionals must also be able to communicate risks, explain complex issues, collaborate with stakeholders and work effectively as part of a team.
“A huge misconception about the cyber field is that people don’t collaborate or communicate very well,” Hinkel said. “My experiences have proven otherwise.”
Hinkel's passion for teaching hasn't disappeared with his career change. In fact, it has followed him. This summer, he was paired with an intern, giving him the opportunity to help a new professional learn the processes and procedures of the agency, answer questions and navigate the early stages of a cybersecurity career.
It's a role that feels familiar.
“Based on my background,” Hinkel said, “my team knows to ask me to help in those endeavors.”
His commitment to teaching extends beyond the workplace. He continues to work with high school students on trombone, maintaining a connection to the music education career that first brought him to South.
In many ways, Hinkel is now doing something similar in two very different worlds: helping the next generation learn, grow and develop the skills they need to succeed.
Hinkel’s road to a career protecting and evaluating technology didn't begin with a keyboard. It began with a trombone, a music education degree, a graduate assistantship with the Jaguar Marching Band and a willingness to explore an interest in computing. His journey is also a reminder that there isn't one path into cybersecurity
And along the way, the skills he developed as an educator became some of his most valuable tools in cybersecurity.
