A Decade as a Woman in Cybersecurity: What I Wish I Had Known

When I graduated college with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, I had not envisioned a long-term career in tech, let alone cybersecurity. However, not only did I dive head first into a field I knew nothing about but also went on to get a Master’s in it. Here I am, ten years later, Senior Security Researcher at Sonatype, finding it hard to imagine what an alternate career path would have looked like.

With hardly any women role models in the field, I have navigated this territory as an outsider, making several mistakes along the way that have probably been made before. This blog pens down the advice I would give to my younger self and anyone else who finds themselves in my shoes.

Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Fresh out of college and with an enthusiasm to learn everything about everything, I embraced the mantra – ‘Step out of your comfort zone’. A year into my first gig in an applications development team, I was presented with the opportunity to join the company’s newly established information security department. Naturally, I said yes. I was on a mission to learn and didn’t hesitate. I was one of five women in the development team, and would be the only one on the information security team. Ten years, three countries and four companies later, this statistic has not changed.

I wish I had known that as a woman in tech and cybersecurity, I would have to embrace the uncomfortable, every step of the way and it would have nothing to do with my career or technical skills. I am referring to the discomfort of dealing with microaggressions and biases, being talked over during meetings, or being the only person in the room that looks like you. There are still opportunities for growth somewhere in (Read more...)