After watching Digital Forensics by David Teo, describe your thoughts on the speakers’ pathway to his career.

Following the ones and zeroes does not require a lab coat but does require a level of knowhow in preserving evidence. The key point about his descent into the cyber career field was thanks to his father. It almost seemed like he took the forensics job opportunity on a whim as his justification was, “I used computers.” It is worth mentioning that this position was part of the first national digital forensics practice in Australia. It was a career paradigm shift that seemed to be fueled by luck. Him seizing the opportunity is what guided his career into what he does today.

Employment and opportunities is at an all time high but the expectation hiring managers have is that you are very experienced for an entry level job. The disconnect from HR and team leads has generated a barrier to entry that requires a certification to be noticed but a high level certification or degree to even have a chance. There are talks that the industry is trying to remove unnecessary gatekeeping in order to meet manning requirements and foster a new crop of cyber security professionals. There is something to be said about having a network or knowing someone already in the career field. As the saying goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”