Ep 71 - Electronic Engineering and Cybersecurity

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What we’re talking about:

In this episode, I’m chatting with Bo who initially worked as an electronic engineer in China and Australia before pivoting into cybersecurity. She discusses the similarities and differences between the two industries, the skills that she believes will hold you in good stead working in cybersecurity, the courses she completed at Holmesglen and RMIT to expand her knowledge and network, and what her day-to-day work looks like.

0:51 Introduction to Bo

Listen to the summary of the episode so you know what to expect before we start.

2:23 Beginning of the interview with Bo

Bo shares great insights into her own childhood and education in China, and she explains the pressure that she was under to do well enough to access further study at an elite university. She explains that she didn’t really get a chance to explore her interests or strengths with her focus completely on performing well in exams. She did like solving problems though, and found that she could use those skills best in maths and physics.

8:20 Bo’s pathway to electronic engineering

Bo chose her course simply based on the fact the score needed to get into electronic engineering was higher than what was needed to get into medicine, and she had achieved the necessary score. She shares a range of tips for high school students that she would now give to her younger self, including looking after your physical and mental health, learning more about yourself through study, investigating strengths and passions and learning about different options before choosing a career, and finding other resources to help you see how you can apply your skills and interests across a range of industries beyond your own imagination.

14:08 Electronic engineering

Bo explains that engineering is essentially about finding solutions to problems, whether that’s about finding the most cost effective way to do something or developing new systems. She sees the type of engineering you do as just dictating the type of tools that you’ll use to solve the problem that you’re looking at.

18:03 Certificate IV in Cybersecurity at Holmesglen

After 5 years working as an electronic engineer, Bo was looking for something different to look into and learn more about, however she wasn’t looking at switching careers just yet. She liked the idea of cybersecurity because it sounded interesting, and the course is also free because it’s a growing industry in Australia. Bo explains that this course gave her the fundamental knowledge she needed to understand cybersecurity. She also shares that graduates of this course could enter roles such as Level 1 incident responder or junior security analyst.

22:49 Master of Cybersecurity at RMIT

After completing the Certificate IV and at the beginning of the pandemic, Bo had decided that she wanted to pivot her career. She had seen a lot about cyber attacks in the news and felt that she could make a difference in the field. She explains what she learnt in this course, and the opportunities that she got to investigate more about cybersecurity, increase her network in the area and gain work experience to get a better understanding of what her day-to-day work might look like. Bo highlights the benefits of studying through university as a way to get better insights into what the industry is actually like.

28:42 Bo’s work as an associate defensive security consultant and penetration tester

Bo shares what it’s like to work as a defensive security consultant and penetration tester, which is also known as being an ethical hacker. As a consultant, she works with different clients with their unique challenges and systems. This also allows her to work in different fields with different underlying technologies, which leans into her love of problem solving.

33:45 Bo’s advice to students who are considering cybersecurity as a career

Bo explains what type of students she thinks would thrive in cybersecurity, and she has a special message for girls who are considering pursuing a career in this industry.