When you begin a new role or join a new employer, specific existing skills and experience secured the opportunity for you. There is also a vast spread of knowledge, skills and aptitudes you must learn in order to succeed. In the ever-evolving world of IT that supports ever-evolving business models, that gap never closes entirely. One of the aspects of the IT profession I love is its dynamic nature that drives the ongoing opportunity to learn more.
When I started down the career path of information security, there weren’t many trail markers, let alone any obvious trail head. This was, and still is, a young profession with many entry points and pathways. In a “traditional” sense, my academic degrees were all wrong. Who enters this field with higher degrees in humanities, let alone Germanic languages and adult learning? I had no relevant industry or technical certifications. Frankly, even if I had completed a degree in computer science or engineering, or had passed some technical exam, that alone would not ensure my ability to succeed and thrive in this career. What I did have – and still do – is a desire and aptitude to learn and add value. My hiring managers recognized this trait, along with valuable business and communications skills I brought from my prior work and education.
With the confidence and support of my first managers, I completed classes in telecommunications and networking, learned the OSI model, wrote technical and business-rule security test cases for QA, achieved my first industry certification, and helped implement a disaster recovery site using thin-client technology. I visited Silicon Valley companies to vet the security of their “hosted services” and provided reports of required improvements to warranty within contracting. That foundational knowledge and those skills endure, although specific technology names, details and uses have changed.
If someone told me when I first entered IT that I would eventually work with machine learning, artificial intelligence, big/broad data analysis, and digital transformation, I would have responded that they watched too much “Star Trek.” Yet here I am, speaking into my TV remote control, albeit wondering about the security and privacy implications. Although I’m now a few decades into my career, I continue to learn about new technologies and business applications.
The continuous cadence of ongoing learning within our profession can lead to self-esteem imbalances if considered out of context. Some may suffer imposter syndrome from a repeated and reinforced belief they don’t know enough, and others may demonstrate the Dunning-Kruger effect as they overestimate their capabilities based on completed training. The regulating effect with restoring force in this pendulum swing comes from the realization that there’s always something new to learn or revisit, and your achieved knowledge and skills provide a solid foundation to build upon.
There are so many areas newcomers to the IT field – and even established professionals – can explore to supplement their academic backgrounds. What will keep you engaged, developing, and contributing value to your team and organization?
Editor’s note: For more resources for rising professionals, visit ISACA’s Rising Professionals page. For information on ISACA® Information Technology Certified Associate (ITCA™) credential, visit https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/itca.