I have shared this story often privately, but I recently shared it through my social network and then at an event. The feedback I received was shocking, as I didn't expect my story to have such an impact. Many people enjoyed hearing how I told the story, but more importantly, it helped people realize that the road to your career in cyber does not need to be obvious.
Mentorship is a passion of mine, and through mentorship, I have shared that you do not always need to know what you want to be when you grow up, but you need to know what you are passionate about. That "thing" that lights a fire under you - that is what will drive you to your version of success. I only realized this through the support of my mentors and family and through my career path - which has been anything but linear.
Without repeating my entire story, I started my journey with a love of math, became a Statistician, hated every interview, got a job as a business analyst so I could talk to customers, then was pointed to Project Management, completed a post-grad degree as a PM and my PMP, and after getting my MBA in Strategic Planning along with my CCXP credential I realized I wanted to help companies build businesses to solve problems for customers. My second job out of university was in Cyber back when it wasn't as well known or flashy, and while I took a job not entirely focused on cyber in the middle there, I was always drawn back to this industry. Why?! It never sleeps; it pushes you to continue learning, growing, and improving and impacts everyone. That directly ties to how I want to solve customer technology problems - and I made so many amazing friends along the way; how could I not want to stay here?
In my career, I have heard countless other stories of people who, just like me, did not start in cyber or know that cyber is where they were meant to be. Only by sharing these stories can other people learn about this industry and how it accepts all backgrounds and experiences and benefits from that diversity. Fighting cybercrime requires us to think differently and act quickly; with the rise of AI and Machine Learning, that has only increased. Cyber requires many roles, from project management to SOC teams, sales executives, customer success, engineers, and beyond. These roles help us make Canada more secure daily through their work - and no one is more crucial than another as cyber defence is a team sport. Suppose you are interested in a career in cyber and need help figuring out where to start. In that case, you are already ahead of the game, being aligned with the Canadian Cybersecurity Network. Here you can find job postings, companies to follow, contacts you can make, and mentors. You can also find access to resources and events to attend, podcasts to follow, and links to other articles about so many areas of cyber. At CCN, you can find where your passion meets cyber and the directions you may seek to get to the next place in your career in this fantastic industry.
For those reasons and many more, I call on everyone who reads this to share their road to cyber. Together, we can excite the next wave of amazing people to join us in ensuring the protection of customers and citizens across Canada.