Humans are a creative species that can reliably create anything that they put their mind to. Their creativity allows them to create giant buildings and automated systems that make their lives easier. However, humanity as a whole can’t agree and come together to fix its issues. People are deceitful and covet things that others own, as such, there are laws to keep balance in the world. These laws allow people to live their lives without fear of danger. However, when a person decides to break these laws then, they can face punishment. As humanity has evolved so much, there has been a prominent rise in technology in these past few years. With new technology, humanity has and will continue to create amazing things. However, with the rise of technology also come those who wish to misuse it. People that use technology to break laws are criminals but it can become difficult to prevent these types of occurrences without the proper knowledge and software. This is where the field of cybersecurity comes in. There are several career paths that a person can choose in order to help keep the digital world safe. However, with the majority of the paths it helps to have a college degree. A number of the jobs available want more than just certifications and experience in order to hire you. Of course the jobs are also going to want you to have certifications but that’s much easier and less costly than getting an entire degree. Some of the best certifications to have are COMPTIA Security+, CEH, COMPTIA Penetration Testing, and GIAC. It can also help to have a few years of experience in your field so that your employer knows that you can work in a similar environment and do similar work. It doesn’t hurt to know the right people in that field either. One of the most popular and highest paying jobs in the cybersecurity field is of course a security analyst. The main responsibilities of a security analyst is to monitor a contractor’s authentication logs to create a better defense system and alert if there’s a legitimate threat. It can also be possible that you are tied to a client in this job and if that’s the case you’d follow their requests and help them with their issues. Just like what we practiced a couple of weeks ago it is the cyber security analyst’s job to inform the client of safe practices to use. They would want to increase their client’s knowledge and let them know the risks. In all of the daily lives that I researched every security analyst started the day by checking the daily news about technology. In other words they were trying to see if there were any major changes in any major systems that they work with. A change in a system that they are familiar with can lead to more difficulties in their job alongside more vulnerabilities that malicious hackers can exploit. The majority of the next steps after that were going to meetings to discuss whatever projects that they are working on and any new policies or meeting with clients. This is just like what we practiced a few weeks ago with the relationship between worker and team. In order to work in this field one needs to be able to work as a team and adapt to changes. After that most of the security analysts would monitor and analyze systems for the majority of their day and go home. Of course, in this process there would be varying days where they do different stuff but it’s mostly about meeting with clients and addressing their security concerns. Now to get into how it relates back to the course I am currently taking. In our course content it talks about the human centered cyber security model. This is basically a framework where humans are at the center of everything. It’s purpose is to prevent cybersecurity breaches from happening because of humans messing up. Say for instance a person working for a company gets their computer compromised and it starts to send phishing emails to everyone they know and work for. Of course, most people already know how this ends. They send emails and if a person falls for it believing it’s from a trusted source then their device ends up getting compromised. The Human centered cyber security framework is created solely to prevent that specific occurrence from happening. Also listed in our course is the Social Forces theory on the media which proposes that the media tends to make things bigger than they are in order to get more ratings and more viewings in their broadcasting. This is relevant in this field because like I said earlier one of the very first things that cyber security analysts do when they wake up is check what new technologies have been altered and how this affects their jobs. As technology is constantly evolving it is important to be aware of the weaknesses and shortcomings of whatever it is you’re trying to protect. This Social Forces theory can also on the other side affect our clients. Not saying that it’s a positive thing but if our client’s are on the more fearful side that their device is going to be breached or at risk, then they’d be more likely to implore our services in order to get it protected. On the topic of people more at risk, it’s important to talk about Social Forces and Geography. Geography plays a big role in the cybersecurity process, as a person that has only lived in the US, I have to realize that there are many, many more places out there that are more fortunate and less fortunate than the US. Many places overseas have different cyber security from us, not in the sense that the machines and systems that they use are different but more so because of the area and culture they live in technology or crime might not be as severe. Of course, the reverse can also be true where technology is used much more and as a result, crime is committed much more in these areas. It’s something to look out for since because of the nature of the job it’s possible to travel around a lot. Traveling around a lot can also lead to specific clientele that maybe you might not have seen or let alone have dealt with when you were in your original location. This leads into my final section which is about marginalized groups. Firstly, if you go into specific locations you’re more likely to see minorities then in you’re own location depending on where you are. Through this you’re more likely to experience clients that are in the minority. It’s important to treat these kinds of people with the same amount of respect and understanding that you would give anyone else. It doesn’t matter what their orientation, race, culture or beliefs are, they are still normal people that came to you with help on their security. It’s important to stay relatively up to date on societal norms and how to deal with them so as not to offend anyone or lose a potential client. It is through these various interactions and gaining experience that one can not only do their job well but grow as a person in this ever changing and ever growing market.

Rubio, E. (2017, November 29). How to use a human-centered design process for cybersecurity. Capterra. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-to-use-a-human-centered-design-process-for-cybersecurity/

InmarsatGlobal. (2019, January 11). What does a cyber security analyst do? YouTube. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAFqgmpRJ-g 

YouTube. (2019, January 18). What does a security analyst do? YouTube. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw3MCKHQWIs