October is Cyber Security Awareness Month! To mark the occasion, we are putting the spotlight on leaders in CyberSec, to find out what it’s really like working in the industry and the advice they would give to anyone who wants to pursue a Cyber career.
In the first in the series, FR Cyber Recruiter Millie McNish reached out to Thomas Ballin - Co-Founder and Technical Lead at Cytix.
1. Describe your role/business
I’m co-founder and technical lead at Cytix, where we’re on a mission to eradicate vulnerability debt through a combination of sophisticated testing orchestration and validation, enrichment, and contextualisation, in what we call Vulnerability Operations (VulnOps).
2. Why did you decide to pursue a career in Cyber Security?
I've always found Cybersecurity interesting. When I was at school, I always struggled to engage with lessons, my mind was preoccupied with things wondering what happens when you put code into comments on websites, or whether you can bypass the network access controls by pretending to be a printer… So when I left and needed to find a job, it just seemed like the natural evolution of my curiosity.
3. What do you enjoy most about working in the industry?
I used to say the challenge, but these days I’d say the people. Producing creative solutions is far more fun when you’ve got an incredibly rich community of diverse and talented people behind you. I’m amazed every day by the sheer number of brilliant and humble people, willing to help at a moment’s notice and asking for nothing in return.
4. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to break into the Cyber industry?
Engage the community. When most people enter cyber they’re bad at this, and I don’t blame them; you know things most other people don’t, so you’ve probably gone through life up until this point feeling like the smartest person in the room… but believe me when I tell you that you’re about to enter a room full of equally (and probably some even more) intelligent people, and learning from those people is going to accelerate your career no end.
Millie McNish is a Recruitment Consultant in the Technology team at Forward Role, specialising in permanent Cyber Security roles. If you’re looking to hire the brightest talent on the market – get in touch!
If you are looking to take the next step in your career, check out our latest technology roles or upload your CV to start your job search journey with Forward Role.
