Early Life
When I was a kid, I had a passion for math and science, always curious about how things worked. I also enjoyed arts and drama, which made my school life fun and exciting. Although my parents didn’t come from a STEM background, they were eager to learn about computers and saw me living the dream they couldn’t pursue themselves. They were incredibly supportive and open-minded about the subjects I chose, encouraging me to follow my interests. Ultimately, I decided to pick math, science, and computers as electives and later went on to specialise in information technology.
School Experience
In my early school years, I was a top student and loved studying. But as I grew older, I faced some challenges, and my grades dropped. I went from being a confident kid to feeling unsure of myself. Despite this, somehow, I managed to pass my 10th and 12th grades and got into an engineering college.
Education and how my education helped
I went to university to study engineering, specialising in information technology. Initially, I felt quite underconfident because my previous scores weren’t great. However, things began to change when I started making friends and getting involved in various extracurricular activities. Joining clubs, participating in events, and working on projects outside of regular classes helped me build my confidence. These activities allowed me to meet new people, develop new skills, and discover my strengths. As my confidence grew, so did my academic performance. I started excelling in my courses and continued to do well for the rest of my college years.
From my experience, I can confidently say that you should never underestimate the impact of extracurricular activities on your life. They not only make your college experience more enjoyable but also prepare you for professional success by making you a well-rounded individual. These activities help you develop essential soft skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communication, which are highly valued in the workplace. They also teach you time management and organization, as you learn to balance multiple responsibilities. Additionally, they boost your confidence and allow you to build a network of friends and mentors.
While my technical education helped me get my first job, it was the soft skills I developed that truly made a difference. Even if you don’t have a strong background in a subject, you can learn and grow with the right attitude. Never hesitate to ask for help and always believe in yourself.
What I’m Doing Now
Today, I work as the Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) lead in the Information security team. My job is like being a superhero protecting a city. I fly around (check systems) to find any dangers (security threats) and stop them to keep everyone safe. I use special gadgets (tools and software) to help me find and fix problems.
However, I started my career as a Java coder, which had always been my dream. After overcoming many struggles and putting in a lot of effort, I finally achieved this goal. But to my surprise, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had expected. This realisation was hard to accept.
After nearly four years, I took a step back and gave it serious thought. I realised that there were many other areas I could explore if I was open to new opportunities. I decided to pursue another certification and change my field. I wanted a role that combined both technical and business knowledge. With the guidance of some wonderful mentors, I chose to specialise in the technology risk arena.
You can understand a technology risk job role as being like a detective, but instead of solving mysteries about people, you solve mysteries about computers and technology. You look for problems that could happen with computers, like if someone tries to break into them or if they stop working. When you find a problem, you figure out how to fix it, so everything works smoothly and safely. Just like a detective keeps important secrets safe, you make sure that important information on computers stays safe and doesn’t get stolen.
I started learning about it, earned a certification, and prepared for interviews. Despite a lot of waiting, I finally landed the role I was aiming for. The key was to stay persistent and never get discouraged. Even after securing the job, I continued to ask questions and seek help whenever needed.
After a few years of enjoying the role, I got an opportunity to move into a digital and technology risk professional role. Imagine it as doing detective work to solve computer mysteries, but now also for the internet. I am always on the lookout for problems and making sure everything stays safe and sound in both computers and on the internet. From there, I landed my current role, which I absolutely enjoy.
