We had the opportunity to speak with our talented Cyber Security Consultant, Keria Pascua, to gain insight into her professional journey and gather valuable advice for anyone considering a career in the field of Cyber Security.

"How did you get into Cyber Security as a career?"

"A career in cyber wasn't something I thought about when I was younger, as it wasn't a topic spoken about until several years ago. Taking influence from my dad growing up, I always had an interest in information technology. At college, I studied Business with an IT BTEC and absolutely loved how I could transfer knowledge to help with certain assignments and projects. I enjoyed both subjects so much that I continued onto university to study my undergraduate degree in Business Information Technology. In all honesty, I didn't really see any jobs that suited me after my studies. I learnt from my dad that cyber security was a rapidly growing industry, and I should research more into the industry on what it covers - my research found that it covered a wide variety of areas, and this piqued my interest, so I decided to take the plunge and apply for an MSc in Cyber Security, and the rest was history!"

"Why did you choose Cyber Security?" 

"The main reason I chose to follow a cyber career was because of the never-ending possibilities of where I could work. I always believed that in order to have a successful career in technology, coding was a hard requirement. But I found that within cyber, there are so many avenues you could follow without the heavy use of programming (though it may be helpful) with the ever-growing advancement of technology and software. My interest was sparked more when I knew I could utilize my business knowledge and skills to protect information systems and data."

"What do you enjoy the most about it?"

"Being in such a fast-paced and dynamic environment, I enjoy knowing there is always something new to learn within the industry. For example, keeping up with external factors like legislation is imperative and can have a huge impact on organizations, and their cyber security functions, as it affects how they move forward to keep up with the latest implementations for their safety."

"What is the most interesting/challenging thing you've learnt on your career path?"

 "The most challenging thing I found on my career path was at the beginning where I felt intimidated by applying to job positions - there weren't many entry-level positions at the time and I was afraid I lacked the experience. However, after finding my position here with P3M Works, I learnt that it wasn't all "doom and gloom" and I found it interesting that there are organizations who are willing to invest the time and effort into helping me apply the knowledge and skills I developed at university in a professional setting."

"What advice would you give someone looking to start a career in Cyber Security?"

"For anyone looking to step into a career within cyber, as a starting point, I recommend you do your research for all the possible jobs/ roles/ departments that you may be interested in and get up to date with the latest news or blog posts online. Once you've learnt that, I'd recommend building or updating your LinkedIn profile as it is a very handy place for networking, and you can find people who are in the similar field you're interested in. Don't be afraid to ask questions or reach out! More importantly, just go for it! Don't be afraid to take risks or seize opportunities. There is a lot of free material online (i.e. YouTube) to learn more about the different career paths in the cyber industry!"