About Me

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Personal Narrative

Noah Salafranca

IDS 493

Dr. Tucker

October 3, 2024

Introduction: My Path to Cybersecurity

When recounting my journey through life and school, it was challenging to organize the web of events and my experiences into a clear path to cybersecurity. Fortunately, reading “The Psychology of Life Stories” by Dan McAdams was vital in helping me convey my personal narrative, a series of events that all played significant roles in my becoming a cybersecurity major. After learning about McAdams’s ideas of coherence, I realized that my decision to pursue cybersecurity wasn’t solely based on one decision or event. I could map out the periods and experiences of my life through causal coherence in which “one event caused, led to, transformed, or in some other way is meaningfully related to other events in one’s life” (McAdams, p. 105). It was a series of experiences, beginning with my early love for video games and progressively developing through multiple years of technical education and personal growth. 

Early Influences: Video Games & Childhood

If I could pinpoint the events that started the domino effect and led to my choice to major in cybersecurity, it would have to be playing video games as a young kid. Although playing video games seems irrelevant to cybersecurity, my affinity for technology began in the diverse digital environments of video games. Much more was happening underneath the surface when I played video games; I learned how to problem-solve, complete tricky challenges, and, most importantly, develop a technical aptitude. Little technical tasks were exciting, like learning how to install updates or figuring out HDMI and AV cables to connect the gaming console to the television. Little did I know that these early experiences would influence me so much.

In hindsight, video games were more than an entertaining hobby; they taught me that technology could be fun and a helpful tool for so much more. Technology was understandable and controllable. Although I was a little kid and these realizations were subtle, they set me on a technological path that brought out my interests and curiosity in more technical aspects.

Middle School: Gravitating Towards Technology

When it came time to choose electives in middle school, I naturally gravitated toward technology-focused classes. I took computer solutions classes that familiarized me with computer systems. I also took technology education classes that allowed me to get hands-on experience in technical classwork. I excelled in these classes, not necessarily because they were easy, but because they helped me develop problem-solving skills through the appeal of robots, flight simulators, paper rockets, CO2-powered pinewood derby cars, and more that would interest a middle school boy.  These early classes taught me how to spot fundamental computer issues, work in  Microsoft Office programs, typing skills, block coding, STEM modules, and engineering design. I didn’t realize it then, but these classes broadened my understanding of technology, giving me fundamental knowledge that would later be necessary for cybersecurity. If gaming had introduced me to technology, middle school electives would have allowed me to utilize it more. By the end of middle school, I was certain that technology would play some part in my future career. 

High School: The Governor’s STEM Academy

My involvement in technology underwent a significant shift in high school. I attended a specialized school, the Governor’s STEM and Technology Academy of my district’s high schools, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math. This school provided a variety of technical classes that allowed students to progress further into particular fields. I entered the academy’s engineering strand, concentrating on technical drawing, engineering design, geospatial, game design, and modeling & simulation.

These classes were the perfect combination of technical concepts and creative expression. For instance, in modeling & simulation, I got the opportunity to apply math and physics concepts to design digital models; I often would get to 3D print or build them into actual structures. Game design allowed me to channel my enjoyment of video games into designing, programming, and developing my own video games. These were full-circle moments that connected my early interests to more academic purposes. One of the most significant things I learned from high school was that understanding systems was just as important to technology as solving technical problems. I had to consider how each part connected with the others, whether I was writing code for a game or designing a 3D-printed object. Later on, this systems-oriented approach would be useful in cybersecurity, where protecting various technologies requires a knowledge of how they interact.

College: The Search for the Right Major

I was excited to be at Old Dominion University, ODU, but I was also overwhelmed by all the different paths to take. I first enrolled as an engineering major since I had some experience with engineering in high school. However, I quickly realized that many engineering courses didn’t align with my interests. In high school, I enjoyed the creative aspects of engineering, and I didn’t see that creativity in my path if I stuck with engineering. Although the courses were required for an engineering degree, I didn’t have the same excitement as in high school.

Consequently, I decided to change my major two days into my first semester to study information security and technology. The information security and technology major seemed to be a better combination of technical work without focusing too much on subjects that didn’t interest me. Information security and technology, a Strome College of Business major, introduced me to various IT coursework. Still, I became more and more frustrated with the business side of the program as the year went on. Although they are valuable classes, courses like accounting and macro and microeconomics felt disconnected from what I wanted to do. 

At this point, I felt stuck. I now spent my sophomore year completing work in a major I wasn’t pleased with. During this period, a couple of friends suggested I switch to cybersecurity. The major matched my interests in technology and problem-solving. I further confided in my mom about switching to cybersecurity. As a human resources professional, she said cybersecurity is an up-and-coming field where many employers need specialists, especially in this digital age. After learning more about ODU’s cybersecurity program, I switched my major for the last time. Cybersecurity felt like a natural fit, offering technical coursework without business classes. 

Cybersecurity & Struggles

Finally, as a cybersecurity major, I can reflect on how each stage of my life guided me to today. Every stage was an element, from playing video games as a kid to exploratory technology classes in middle school to learning STEM subjects in high school. According to McAdams’s idea of causal coherence, every choice and experience of technology and education led me to my present as a cybersecurity major on a clear path.

Despite the clear, linear path to cybersecurity from childhood to young adulthood, my story was challenging. I went through a contamination and redemption arc during my sophomore year and the summer before my junior year at ODU. In her article on McAdam’s concept of narrative identity, Emily Esfahani Smith explains contamination arcs as interpretations of “lives going good to bad” and explains redemption arcs as interpretations of “lives going bad to good” (Smith, 2017). 

My contamination arc starts in my sophomore year. I had already spent my first year in a major I wasn’t thrilled with, but I at least remained in good academic standing. However, this wouldn’t last; I became a lousy student. I was frustrated with my classes, I procrastinated, I was lazy, I wasn’t productive with my time, and I got terrible grades. I eventually switched to cybersecurity halfway through sophomore year, but that didn’t solve my problems. Unfortunately, I carried the difficulties of being a lousy student into my first semester as a cybersecurity major, a major I was finally happy with, and performed terribly. At the end of my sophomore year, I reached a new low when the ODU scholarship committee revoked my scholarship. 

I was floored at what I had done. I lost what helped me the most in paying for college. After losing my scholarship, I knew I needed to make some major changes in my life. My redemption arc began in the summer before my junior year. I wrote an appeal to the scholarship committee expressing my regret and promising to earn back a good academic standing. To keep my promise, I enrolled in a summer class I failed in the spring semester. Going into this class, I was determined to earn my scholarship back, so I became focused and did the work I needed to do. Before summer was over, I had built up my GPA to ODU scholarship requirements and earned my scholarship back. Along with the events that led me to cybersecurity, losing and earning my scholarship helped me become a better student.

Conclusion: My Story

Writing this personal narrative has been valuable in helping me understand my past experiences in a way that influenced my academic career. Looking back, I can see the path that led me to cybersecurity, a start in video games that turned into something more. Recalling my journey through an understanding of “causal coherence” helped me connect the dots in a meaningful way. I now get to take lessons from every stage of my journey as I finish my last year at ODU and pursue a career in cybersecurity.

References

McAdams, D. P. (2001). The Psychology of Life Stories. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 100–122. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.5.2.100

Smith, E. E. (2017, January 12). The two kinds of stories we tell about ourselves. ideas.ted.com. https://ideas.ted.com/the-two-kinds-of-stories-we-tell-about-ourselves/