My inspiration to pursue a future in cybersecurity stems from a favorite (and loathed) American pastime – watching television, or more specifically, watching crime shows on various streaming services. Albeit the fictional stories and portrayals of law enforcement and cybersecurity aren’t exactly accurate depictions of these careers, I could forgive the anomalies and take each episode’s story with a pinch of salt. Some television shows have laughable understandings of what hacking actually is, like the original NCIS with its infamous scene of Abby Sciuto attempting to catch a hacker withTimothy McGee assisting by typing on the same keyboard to hack faster. Uh, not exactly how that works.

Possibly, the most accurate portrayal of someone working in cybersecurity is Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds, the eccentric and bubbly optimist who helps the team as a technical analyst. Hackers have been portrayed in media as shadowy loner types who keep themselves hidden away in a room full of computer monitors, always using their powers for evil and personal gain. Criminal Minds broke that mold by showing you a human being, a shining beacon who believes in the inherent good of humanity, even throughout the horrible things she and the team witness on a daily basis. She uses her skills for good, saving lives with each and every detail she finds to help out the team.

Too long have computer-savvy people been perceived as “nerds” and “geeks” by the social norm and mass media. This anti-intellectualism is dangerous because it trivializes the cyberwars happening daily across the planet. Terrorism and political espionage have evolved alongside technology and things you see on the Internet day after day may seem benign at first glance can be part of a conspiracy deeper than you could have imagined. Take the likes of Qanon, an online cult created from a mysterious online presence only known as “Q”. What started in a Reddit post branched out over the Internet, across social media, across mass media like wildfire. These terroristic conspiracies about the 2020 election of President Biden being fraudulent have even gotten a voice in Congress through Marjorie Taylor Greene and allegedly the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas.

Sorry if I stepped on a political soapbox there for a second. I am passionate about cybersecurity because I believe it is a field on the frontline of defense against terrorism, fascism, and war. It’s not just cybersecurity majors who study such an extensive field. I have an Associate’s Degree in Information Systems Technology and many of my classes were about laws regarding cybersecurity and cybercrime. Business majors might also have cybersecurity credit requirements for many businesspersons need to know how to keep their businesses secure since most transactions are done online. Those seeking degrees in Administration or Management might find cybersecurity important because the workings of manufacturing, warehousing, retailing, merchandising, and payrolling are done through the use of computers and phones.