Cybersecurity Extra Credit Blog

Key Learnings:

On Wednesday, I got to listen to three people who work in cybersecurity talk about their experiences. Before coming to this presentation, I had very limited knowledge of it, but I was curious to learn. As they were talking, I learned that they track a lot of criminals and protect networks, which I found interesting. I also learned that most people don’t know how to stay safe and a lot of people fall for phishing attempts. I found this interesting since I don’t fall for the obvious things, but I could unknowlingly do things that can be harmful. I learned about ransomware, which I’ve never heard before, but is actually very costly and illegal. A lot of the things the panel was talking about I didn’t even realize were crimes before, and it showed me how important cybersecurity actually was. I also learned about ethical hackers, people who test the security of networks, and how it’s important to maintain integrity.

Takeaways:

I got a lot out of this presentation, including a potential career option and new insights. Before, I never really considered cybersecurity or even know it was a thing, but the idea of tracking down people and investigating weaknesses seems interesting to me. Some things that I can take with me that aren’t computer science related are to maintain personal integrity and values. While this is especially important in cybersecurity, this can apply to any job or even right now, when I’m in school. Instead of trying to cheat my way through something, I want to keep maintaining my integrity and actually learn. I also learned that you need to be dedicated and have soft skills, which I think also applies to anything. If people don’t like you, you won’t get far. If you make connections and friends with as many people as possible, more opportunities will open up for you. I also learned that cybersecurity is relatively new and open, and it’s always evolving and changing. I thought that was interesting because I learn quickly and I like to evolve and learn new things, and maybe I can find a passion in it.

What I got out of it:

Because of the panel sharing their experiences, I got to learn a little about a different career option, and also some tips for the future. I learned that while you may not like someone in a group or work well with them, it’s important to have good soft skills and just deal with it. I learned the importance of a group, even though it may not seem like it, and also how important forming connections are.

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