Written by Chris Frighelis
Since I became an instructor at the University of Miami Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp, a lot of people ask me what led to my career in cybersecurity and how I became so passionate about the industry.
After reflecting on the question, I realized I believed in the industry and the future of cybersecurity so much, that I wanted to teach it to others. My passion stems from personal belief combined with the fulfillment of working in a career that allows you to have a positive impact on something bigger than yourself.
Then it hit me.
I entered the industry because of my interest in cybersecurity and the prospect of a fulfilling career. Now there are more reasons than ever to join this field.
“Cybersecurity” and “hacking” are used as these vague terms. We all see it in the news on an almost daily basis – countries and companies being hacked, millions of identities and credit cards are being stolen and sold on the “dark web,” and fraud is at an all-time high.
In a nutshell, crime has proliferated and flourished online at a rate that’s almost impossible to measure.
Why cybersecurity? The answer is very simple. Someone has to stop cybercriminals and none of us can do it alone.
If being a digital superhero isn’t your thing, that’s fine too. There are a lot of other incentives for joining this field.
You interact with a lot of intelligent people doing extremely creative and innovative things on a regular basis – your “inner geek” will thank you for it.
This fast-paced field is constantly evolving. You will never be bored and always feel challenged and fulfilled.
I’m no economist, but this field feels very stable to me, so it’s of interest to individuals seeking job “security,” (pun very much intended).
What makes it even better is how rewarding this field can be. The security engineers I know (who all impress me regularly) share one very important common trait: they love what they do! You can run down a 50 bullet point list of potential reasons to attempt to enter this field, but a passion for security should always be near the top.
One of the most exciting things for me as a security professional and instructor is seeing my students enthralled with the tech we are working with. Post-graduation, some of my students still stay in regular contact and discuss all sorts of emerging cybersecurity topics with me.
While they were once my students, today we’re peers with a shared passion and similar goals.
Hopefully, they go into the field and help others as they make it further up the ladder. I still remember the people that helped me grow as a professional as well as those helping me to this day and make it a point to do the same for others.
So, why cybersecurity?
Once you know it’s the career path for you, there is nothing else interesting enough to pursue!
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Written by Chris Frighelis
Chris Frighelis is an instructor at the University of Miami’s Cybersecurity Professional Program and the VP of Cybersecurity focused on Offensive Security for a Top Five global financial institution. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @ChrisFs81
