Little did I know when I first taught myself how to program “Hello World” that years later I’d be Chair of Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Programs at Champlain College Online. Along the way, I was a news reporter for years and an Information Technology (IT) consultant for a couple decades.
And to think next year I’ll be 29…again.
Long story short, I was a career-changer before it became cool or a necessity. My answer to the question posed in the title of this post is pretty simple. I was too busy to hide, as those who know me will attest.
Looking back, the progression seems quite natural really. I spent a couple of years in college studying visual communication aka art so I could earn my Bachelor’s degree. I had to take a writing elective. I chose a journalism class because I’d done some stringing, which is a journalism term for free-lance work, and sometime during the course the professor recommended I interview with a weekly that was looking for a news reporter. I landed the job and covered town and school board meetings. Fast forward a few years and several other jobs as a news reporter, mainly covering police and court beats, and I moved into IT.
In IT, I was able to satisfy my curiosity for knowing how things work. I learned the theory behind and gained the hands-on experience in hardware, software, networks, programming and more. I also found that I enjoyed all things data – organizing it, storing it, and recovering it. Then, the Internet came along and it changed how everyone thought about data and how much data the average consumer or business amassed daily. That’s when many of those who were already “doing” IT found themselves having to secure all that data. Roles and mindsets shifted with the times, organizational needs and compliance considerations.
Cybersecurity found me.
For others, especially younger generations, cybersecurity is a chosen profession. Somewhere along the line, maybe during a foundations of cybersecurity elective or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program in high school, a decision to pursue a “cyber” career was reached. That’s a great pathway to a career in cybersecurity!
Really, there is no wrong path. And, for what it’s worth, it doesn’t matter whether cybersecurity found you or you found it. What is important is the fact that you made – or maybe as a result of this blog will make – the decision to become a cybersecurity professional.
So, as we kick off National Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week (#NCCAW), I want to issue a challenge to those who are in the profession, including security analysts, incident response team members, academics – basically, anyone who will listen. Develop your “I” story. Answer the question of whether cybersecurity found you or you found cybersecurity. Then share your experience with others who want to learn, grow and love a challenge. In doing so you may be the inspiration for someone else to choose a career in cybersecurity.