{"id":302,"date":"2026-10-17T03:29:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T03:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/veraofosuaa\/?p=302"},"modified":"2026-10-17T03:29:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T03:29:49","slug":"career-paper-risk-management-analyst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/veraofosuaa\/2026\/10\/17\/career-paper-risk-management-analyst\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Paper: Risk Management Analyst"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The career I am interested in pursuing is becoming a cybersecurity risk management analyst. A risk management analyst helps an organization identify cybersecurity risks, understand how serious they are, and find ways to reduce them. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, cybersecurity risk management includes identifying risks, looking at the possible impact of threats, and using that information to decide how an organization should respond (Quinn et al., 2025). This shows how important risk management is when it comes to helping organizations make better security decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am interested in this career because I want to work in cybersecurity, but I also like looking at the bigger picture instead of only focusing on the technical side. Risk management is not just about technology. People and their behaviors can also create risks for an organization. Social science can help us understand those behaviors and why people make certain decisions. I think understanding both sides would help me become a better risk management analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Science and Cybersecurity Risk Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Social science is important in cybersecurity because people are involved in almost every part of security. An organization can have strong security systems, but one mistake can still create a problem. For example, an employee could click on a phishing email, use a weak password, or accidentally share sensitive information. Schaltegger et al. (2025) explain how human behavior can play a role in serious cybersecurity incidents. This shows why cybersecurity professionals should focus on both technology and the people using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important for a risk management analyst because their job is to identify risks that could affect an organization. If employees continue falling for phishing attempts, an analyst should not only identify phishing as a risk. They should also try to understand why employees are falling for it. Maybe employees need more training or the organization needs stronger security policies. Looking at the human side of the problem could help the analyst find a better solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application of Social Science Concepts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One concept from class that connects to risk management is human factors. Human factors focus on how people interact with technology and how their actions can affect cybersecurity. Employees may make mistakes because they are distracted, rushing, confused, or do not fully understand a security threat. A risk management analyst has to consider these behaviors when looking at how likely a security incident is to happen. Understanding human factors can also help analysts recommend solutions that are realistic for employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another concept is psychology and victimization. Psychology can help us understand why people make certain decisions and why someone may become a victim of cybercrime. Cybercriminals can take advantage of emotions such as fear, trust, curiosity, or urgency. For example, a phishing email could tell someone that their account is going to be deleted if they do not click a link immediately. A person may panic and click the link without thinking about whether the email is real. Understanding why people respond this way can help a risk management analyst recognize these risks and recommend better ways to prevent them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another concept that connects to this career is sociological paradigms and social systems. Cybersecurity does not exist by itself. Technology is connected to businesses, schools, healthcare, government, and many other parts of society. When technology changes, these areas can change too. This can also create new cybersecurity risks. A risk management analyst has to understand how a cybersecurity problem could affect different people and different parts of an organization instead of only looking at the technical problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last concept is social science research methods. In class, we learned about surveys, experiments, field studies, archival research, and using more than one research method. These methods can also be useful in risk management. For example, an organization could survey employees about what they know about cybersecurity and compare those answers to the results of a phishing test. Analysts could also look at previous security incidents to see if there are any patterns. This gives them actual information they can use when deciding what risks need more attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marginalized Groups in Cybersecurity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marginalization is another social issue that connects to cybersecurity careers. Not everyone has had the same opportunities to enter or advance in technology fields. Withanaarachchi and Vithana (2022) studied the underrepresentation of women in cybersecurity. Their research looked at different factors that can affect women’s decisions to enter cybersecurity, including self confidence, family, workplace culture, mentors, and role models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several challenges that marginalized groups can face in cybersecurity. One challenge is lack of representation. When someone does not see many people from a similar background working in cybersecurity, it can be harder for them to imagine themselves succeeding in that career. Another challenge is stereotypes and workplace culture. Some people may feel like they have to prove that they belong in a technical career more than other people do. A third challenge is unequal workplace experiences and opportunities. Borzoo, Banerjee, and Mashatan (2026) studied foreign born workers of color in cybersecurity and found that race, nationality, gender, and immigration can affect their experiences in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think these issues are important in risk management because people from different backgrounds can bring different perspectives to cybersecurity. If everyone involved in making security decisions has the same experiences, there may be risks or concerns they do not think about. Having different perspectives can help organizations look at problems in different ways and make better decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection Between Risk Management and Society<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cybersecurity risk management and society can affect each other in many ways. One concept we learned about in class is relativism, which can help explain how changes in one area can cause changes in another. Technology has changed the way people work, communicate, go to school, receive healthcare, manage their money, and complete everyday activities. As people become more dependent on technology, cybersecurity risks can become more serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if a hospital experiences a cyberattack, it could affect patients and their ability to receive care. If a bank experiences an attack, people’s financial information could be exposed. A cyberattack against a university could affect students’ personal information or their ability to access school systems. These examples show that cybersecurity risks do not only affect people who work in technology. They can affect almost anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Society also affects the work that risk management analysts do. As new technology is created and more people begin using it, new security risks can appear. Organizations may need to create new policies, security controls, and training to keep up with those changes. Risk management analysts have to continue learning about new risks so they can help organizations decide which ones need the most attention. NIST also explains the importance of connecting cybersecurity risks to the larger risks an organization faces (Quinn et al., 2025). This is another reason why risk management analysts have to look at more than just technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I want to become a cybersecurity risk management analyst because this career combines technology, problem solving, decision making, and working with people. Learning about social science has helped me understand that cybersecurity problems cannot always be solved by technology alone. Human factors, psychology and victimization, social systems, and research methods can all be used to better understand cybersecurity risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also think it is important to understand marginalization because people can have different experiences with technology and within the cybersecurity field. As technology continues to become a bigger part of everyday life, risk management analysts will have an important job in helping organizations understand their risks, make safer decisions, and protect the people who depend on their systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction The career I am interested in pursuing is becoming a cybersecurity risk management analyst. A risk management analyst helps an organization identify cybersecurity risks, understand how serious they are, and find ways to reduce them. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, cybersecurity risk management includes identifying risks, looking at the possible… <\/p>\n

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