Why an introduction:

From a certain perspective it’s arrogant to think that you really need to know that much about me. It’s true!  When it comes to computer science, the individual is just the messenger.

From a forensic analysis process, we go where the data takes us. However, the messenger’s experience implicitly impacts the interpretation of the data e.g. education, certifications, real world experience. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, this is the benefit of the human experience.

Why it matters:

Sharing my story is important, because there are others like me who want to break into a career in infosec. Hopefully this can help those people figure out how to make those steps. It can also benefit those folks in leadership to better understand the journey that people are taking to get their foot in the door.

There’s a lot of hand-wringing being done by students who are wondering how they’re going to make the jump from the academic setting to a professional career. They talk a lot about finding the right internship or mentor, whether GPA is important, what certifications are necessary (if any), and what’s the is if AI is going to take over in x years. There are a lot of talented people out here walking around the dark looking for the right answers.