The majority of my peers in the security industry evolved to leadership through a much different pathway than the future in store for those that follow. I was one of the few who dabbled with computers in high school and entrenched themselves in the science of computers in college. I was 10 years out of college before I began to apply security principles to computers. It has been a fun 25 years “in” security since.
The pathway to security is much different now. Our children are now Cyberpatriots, possessing certified security skills and competencies before leaving high school. Most colleges have or are developing a bachelor degree program in cybersecurity.
This dramatic evolution is certainly preparing greater masses of our population for a security profession, but how is this transformation building our future leaders?
I had a brief conversation last week with a few local graduate students who were pursuing their Masters of Information Assurance. All were seeking intern positions. Some were graduating by year’s end. The conversation was all too similar to what it was 10 years ago when I began mentoring student co-ops for their future security careers. It was then that I realized that we are failing our future security leaders.
Much like our children who need to mature to recognize and appreciate the responsibilities of becoming a parent, our security aware youth still need to be mentored to recognize and appreciate the responsibilities of leading our security programs. There are no shortcuts.
So I am calling out all of my peers to up their game. The baseline entry point to our profession is rising. How are we transforming to take advantage of a stronger base and developing stronger leaders for the years to come?
Leave a Reply