Since joining HanaByte, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in many HanaByte Hearts events; however, the most enjoyable and informative was getting to serve at the Boys and Girls Club for Career Day. This was a very unique experience at the time, mainly because this was my first time ever doing a career day where I was presenting and I had no idea what to expect initially. This would also be the first time that I would be taking part in a career day where I wasn’t a student, so needless to say I was eager at the prospect of getting to talk to the next generation of potential security professionals. Perhaps more than anything I think I was looking forward to exercising my “communicating with teenagers” muscles again. Many years ago during my time in undergrad I worked as a highschool substitute teacher and I can remember some of the anxiety I initially felt wondering whether I’d be able to get the kids to pay attention and not scroll through Instagram while I was speaking. With that being said, going into this experience, I counted any time not spent checking social media as a win.
The Event
I was joined at the event by my colleagues Patrick Davis (Principal Consultant) and Kat Evans (Chief Executive Officer). This was the first time that the three of us had ever done an initiative together so I was intrigued to see how they went about connecting with the students. Upon further reflection, it was a great strategic idea to have Kat there because if I had to categorize the students that we spoke to into two groups, I would say half of the kids were interested in the technical/security side of things whereas the other half were more fascinated by the business/entrepreneurial side. We had the perfect team to cater to both interest groups. I can’t count how many times I heard Patrick telling a fascinated group of students about compliance frameworks or cloud-based security services while another group was engrossed hearing Kat talk about what inspired her to start her own company. It was very encouraging to see.
Regardless of the initial interest level of the students, we typically started our interactions when the students sat down at our table by offering a simple question: “What is the cloud?” or “When I say cybersecurity what is the first thing that you think of?” Unsurprisingly, the answers that we received in return were really unique–everything ranging from “the way the government keeps tabs on you” to “how I watch Game of Thrones on HBO Max”. Although the students approached our table with the impression that we may have food like the State Farm table (the answer was no, we collectively agreed HanaByte swag was of much better value), we were genuinely able to connect with the kids—which for me was the best part.
The Takeaways
These interactions gave me insights to gauge what the next generation would be like and how motivated they are to scope out and obtain knowledge. It was an interesting lens to peer through for two reasons. Firstly, I have a nephew around the same age as most of the students, so on more than one occasion I found myself picturing him sitting in one of those chairs. Secondly, being that I’ve spent a good bit of time as a mentor in HanaByte’s associate program, I also found myself doling out a lot of the same advice that I’ve given to our various cohorts—which I think speaks to the level of curiosity possessed by the students. The best takeaway I got from this event was to observe how open-minded the students were in learning about the industry and membership programs in general. I shared my personal journey to provide insights, advice, and suggestions to alleviate potential blockers. In other words, things I wish I knew prior to starting my adventure into cybersecurity. For the individuals interested in the field, I recommended different personal projects and certifications that they could work towards.
At the time of this event, I was studying for a difficult certification exam and was on my third attempt; however, I tried to offer words of encouragement and to remind the students to remain resilient when life presents them with challenges. The old Japanese proverb: nana korobi ya oki (fall down seven times, get up eight) came up quite a few times, and I would like to think the students were left feeling pretty encouraged hearing how I’d failed, which in turn encouraged me (and thankfully it didn’t take seven attempts to pass the exam as I would pass on the third try). And finally, since Kat and I came from non-traditional paths into HanaByte, we made it a point to advise the students that you do not have to have all the answers about your future the day you graduate. It is okay to figure it out as you transition into the workforce.
Conclusion
Although I am well aware that not every kid we spoke to that day will end up being a security professional, I hope that they will at least take some of the advice that we gave them and apply it to other careers and areas of their lives. Characteristics, such as working hard, being curious, or having a growth mindset, are attributes that are instrumental for any individual to possess regardless of if they wish to be an engineer, consultant, entrepreneur, or even President of the United States. Career day was important to me as I left knowing I made an impact on some students and passed down wisdom to the next generation as they carried on with their journeys. It will be interesting to see how the next generation of security professionals handle the continued advent of AI in our industry and also how this affects potential newcomers like myself who do not come from a traditionally technical background. I also believe that as technology and cyber threats continue to evolve more expertise will be required from security professionals. All in all, my experience at the Boys and Girls Club (albeit brief) did leave me feeling that our industry will be in good and capable hands for years to come.
