Reflection

On this page (IDS 493), include a reflection in PDF or web page form that analyzes your skills and artifacts to assess your learning and discuss how your academic experiences contributed to your career readiness. The essay requirements are as follows:

• Have an introduction: Introduce the skills learned in your degree program and the interdisciplinary courses & disciplines from which they came.
• Include separate body paragraphs: Discuss each skill and artifact in an organized way using clear headings. What did you learn? How did you solve the problems or figure out the process as you completed the assignment? How did other courses or theories previously learned help you complete the assignment? Show how each skill is necessary for your career goals by connecting it back to what you’ve seen in job ads.
• Include a conclusion: Consider the skills, courses, and program as a whole. How were interdisciplinary methods and theories important to your understanding of your coursework? How did you learn to engage and act in your various courses in order to complete your assignments? How did courses like IDS 300W prepare you for your program coursework? Why is it important to be an interdisciplinary thinker in your field of study?
• Integrate at least 8 additional research sources pertaining to your major, your intended career, or to interdisciplinarity (revisit your IDS 300W class for relevant works you might use in addition to any class from which assignments were produced for your portfolio).

In December 2013, the Target Corporation experienced a massive data breach. The incident remain one of the biggest cyber breach globally. The breach affected approximately 110 million people because it occurred during the busy holiday shopping season. During the breach, a lot of customers’ personal information was stolen. This included credit and debit cards information. The incident awakened a lot of curiosity in me about the technology and the extent to which it exposed people to such threats as it happened to Target. I was concerned about the privacy of the data and how it could be protected. This incident contributed greatly to my career choice in cybersecurity.

However, although the data breach at Target might have contributed to my career choice, I would say that my interest in technology began a long time ago. Since I was young, I had always been intrigued by computers, phones and many other gadgets. Often, I would take a device apart and try to fix it back. My curiosity grew, to an extent that I was not only interested in the hardware, but also the software that made these gadgets run. My particular area of interest was on the family desktop computer. I always wanted to know how the computer made it possible to play games and how it was able to process a lot of information. I interacted with computers so much at such a young age, which made it easier to acquire certain technical skills. These skills have contributed significantly in shaping my career choice. 

The things we experience and the environments we are exposed to while growing up shapes our professional identities (Nguyen, 2019). I would say my career in technology was influenced by the environment where I grew up as well as the situations that I encountered. For instance, the desktop computer we used to play games on would develop problems every once in a while. This required us to troubleshoot the problem. The computer would then attempt to resolve it and my interaction with technology became a hobby. 

My passion for technology continued to grow when I joined high school. Besides the normal computer subjects, there was a computer science club in the school. The club introduced technology enthusiasts to basic coding skills, introduced various programming languages and network setups. It was during this time that I learnt that behind every piece of technology in the world, there are also many vulnerabilities that require cybersecurity professionals to prevent and mitigate. I soon became obsessed with the idea of being able to identify a security breach and neutralizing it to keep the world secure. Soon after, I started aligning my passion for technology with a potential career in cybersecurity.

After high school, I joined Old Dominion University (ODU). According to my grades, I knew I could begin my career by taking a course related to technology. Here, I delved more into cybersecurity. The course introduced various legal frameworks that governed cybersecurity practices. This broadened my perspective beyond the technical aspects of cybersecurity. I learnt that choosing a career path in cybersecurity does not only entail defending against cyber-attacks, but also doing so following the required ethical standards and regulations. This meant that to excel in this field I had to combine my technical skills with law, human behavior and privacy.

Previously, I had joined the Cybersecurity Studies program. This program prepared me for one of the most memorable academic moments in my life. It was a practical where we were asked to put to practice what we had learnt. We successfully staged a simulated cyberattack. This was done on a mock company where we identified several vulnerabilities and prepared a security plan accordingly. During the exercise, I learnt about problem solving because analyzed the security system of the mock company, identified the vulnerabilities and proposed viable solutions. The exercise taught us that in cybersecurity, a lot of effort should be channeled towards identifying and preventing security breaches instead of reacting when they happen. 

Learning at ODU has successfully equipped me with technical skills relevant in today’s dynamic world. I have learnt the principles of ethical hacking, and the implications of cybersecurity threats, especially in the business world. For instance, in the case of Target, the breach disrupted the security of the system and it cost the corporation $18.5 million in form of settlement after hackers stole more than 40 million credit and debit cards belonging to their customers. A breach of that magnitude would make customers lose trust in the company, worried about the safety of their data.

During the internship, I was required to put my previous academic work into practice. I gained a lot of valuable skills during my internship, which occurred at a private cybersecurity firm. Working in a team of eight, I was assigned to ensuring the company’s security systems were not penetrable. I did several vulnerability tests during my internship and one thing I realized was that system cannot entirely be secure. However, the adverse effects of cyber threats can be mitigated by always identifying the loopholes in the network systems and updating the security protocols in time to prevent attacks. Further, cyberattacks can also happen despite the security measures adopted. For instance, phishing is a major threat. This is caused by the human element as Montañez’s (2020) argues. The author advocates for education of safe practices because any security measure can be compromised when you factor in human input.

For me, cybersecurity is more than a career. I am able to solve real world problems and contribute to making the world a better place. Today, with the current technological advancement, data is very important and it should be handled as such. As I graduate, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in the field of cybersecurity. I plan to pursue a role where I can help organizations strengthen their defenses against cyber threats, whether in the private sector, government, or a non-profit. My journey through ODU and my internship experiences have provided me with the skills and knowledge I need to succeed, but I know that cybersecurity is a field that requires constant learning and adaptation. The field is always evolving, and new threats emerge every day. I look forward to continuing my education, gaining new certifications, and staying ahead of the curve in this dynamic industry. Ultimately, my goal is to not only secure systems but to inspire others to understand the importance of cybersecurity in our interconnected world. Cybersecurity is not just a job for me—it’s a mission to protect the digital future for all of us.

References

Montañez, J. (2020). Interdisciplinary approaches to cybersecurity. Cybersecurity Journal, 15(4), 23-38.
Nguyen, A. (2019). Building professional identity through experience: A case study. Journal of Career Development, 12(1), 45-58.
Smith, R. (2021). Ethics and problem-solving in the digital age. Technology and Society, 20(3), 101-115.