09/01/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/01/2022 06:18
Lysa Myers: To be frank, I wasn't aware of this holiday until recently! Sometimes I forget that the security industry is so much bigger than when I started almost 25 years ago - when you could comfortably fit all the women in the industry into a single conference room. Now we number in the thousands (or tens or hundreds of thousands? I don't honestly know!). The industry has really exploded, and women are a huge part of how career paths have gotten a lot more diverse than just including the stereotypical hacker in a hoodie.
Natasha Rohner: It goes without saying that we need more women in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) - men currently outnumber women three to one in cyber, according to recent research by (ISC)² - but I'd argue that first, we need more (and better) media portrayals of successful women working in the STEM professions.
Wherever you look in the world, the bedrock of our culture is based on stories - from the first tales told around campfires about, "that crazy guy who survived the wooly mammoth attack," to the million-dollar Marvel Multiverse madness you'll see on the big screen. For instance, I'm a huge Big Bang Theory fan because the show depicts women being just as successful (if not more so!) as men working in science and technology. I'm fully confident that women will catch up with men in the end, both in the way we're depicted on TV and in society - even though men will still criticize the way we drive the Mars Rover.
Lysa Myers: One of the biggest "Aha!" moments in my career was when I first started presenting at conferences. I initially thought that I had very little of interest to say to the wider community because there were already so many researchers that seemed to know absolutely everything.
But as it turns out, having such a strange background gave me a unique voice that helped me reach a different kind of audience than those researchers typically reached. One of the silliest and most gratifying moments of my career was being invited to speak at a data privacy conference for lawyers, to talk about comparing securing data to what I've learned about effectively fencing farm animals. (Who doesn't love looking at pictures of cute animals while being taught useful info!)
Natasha Rohner: I read somewhere that to achieve mastery of any skill - from playing the violin to learning to code like Bill Gates - you have to first practice for 10,000 hours. That became very clear to me during my first week at Cylance, when I had to look up practically every other word in the research-based articles I was hired to edit. After a year I was looking up maybe one word per article, and after seven years with the company, I find myself shouting at the TV when some leather-gloved character produces a laptop, presses three buttons, and instantly "hacks into the mainframe" (what?!).
Lysa Myers: My biggest advice for women who are looking to get into security is to look beyond just technical skills. While those technical skills are certainly important, they can be put to use in many different ways, in different career paths. Sometimes having diverse experience can be what makes you really stand out. For instance, if you have a legal background, that could be really useful in helping people understand new security and privacy legislation. If you have a background in writing or art, this can be put to excellent use in communicating difficult concepts to financial stakeholders or customers.
Natasha Rohner: Don't give up on a career in cybersecurity just because you may not have the qualifications listed in the job advert. Apply anyway - you never know where your particular skills and abilities might fit in
Lysa Myers: As you might have guessed, I did not leave my biology-nerdery behind when I joined the security industry. My spouse and I run a little hobby farm with a few sheep, goats, and chickens, plus a couple of tortoises, an iguana, and three cats. My husband used to run a mobile zoo with the reptiles, which is why they're in our menagerie (now enjoying a peaceful retirement). We use the wool from the sheep and eggs from the chickens around the house. Which leaves the goats - they work with the sheep at brush control in our yard, but they're also part of an on-demand mini petting zoo. They've been included in so many local and international news articles that they occasionally get recognized like celebrities!
(Editor: We heard you're a published author and a Comic-Con presenter?)
Natasha Rohner: I don't tell anyone I'm an author, or people make me read their unpublished screenplays. I've always been a prolific writer, and in my six years working for Games Workshop I published eight full-length novels internationally: five movie tie-in books for partner media companies such as New Line Cinema and Rebellion Publishing, an original novel trilogy set in an alternative Los Angeles overrun by werewolves called Dante's Girl, plus a couple of short horror stories.
I was also once put on a panel at Comic-Con along with Max Brooks, who wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Zombie Survival Guide (and son of Mel Brooks and the late Anne Bancroft). I'm fairly sure they booked me by mistake, but we did have some fun switching our name-cards in the signing line to see if anyone noticed. And guess what? Nobody did. That's why this world needs more proofreaders.
In today's environment, cyberattacks on governments, organizations, and individuals are growing in expanse and sophistication at warp speed. Even though the cybersecurity industry is considered among the fastest moving on earth, the ability for organizations to garner and retain top cybersecurity talent has never been more challenging. The Great Resignation and related economic trends beginning in early 2021 saw numerous cybersecurity employees voluntarily leaving their jobs, and this continues to plague companies, with many positions left unfilled.
According to a June 2022 analysis, women comprise approximately 24% of the cybersecurity workforce. Men still outnumber women, and there are persistent salary disparities. However, progress continues to be made. Women in the industry are benefiting from higher levels of education and are increasingly ascending to senior roles. An ISC ² Cybersecurity Workforce Study reveals higher percentages of women cybersecurity professionals compared to men in positions such as chief technology officer (7% women vs. 2% men), vice president of IT (9% vs. 5%), IT director (18% vs. 14%) and C-level/executive (28% vs. 19%).
There's still work to be done, but findings indicate women are forging successful paths to management and better positions in the cybersecurity industry.
And to echo the supportive words of our threat research and intelligence professionals, there's wisdom in avoiding limiting beliefs, because the unique skills one brings to the table are valuable. Keep up the good work!
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Peggy Kelly is the Blog Editor at BlackBerry.