GoogleCybersecurityCertificate
Early Experience
- Internship at an aquarium sparked interest in cybersecurity through handling network security issues and phishing attempts.
Career Choice Rationale
- Cybersecurity’s flexibility: Offers diverse career paths (blue team, red team, etc.).
Day-to-Day Tasks (Entry-Level Security Professional)
- Operations: Responding to security alerts and conducting investigations.
- Projects: Collaborating with other teams to build and improve security detections.
Analyst vs. Engineer (Entry-Level)
- Analyst: Primarily focuses on operations (responding to alerts).
- Engineer: Handles operations but also focuses on building and improving detections (project-oriented).
Nikki’s Favorite Task:
- Investigations: Analyzing suspicious activity to determine if it’s malicious or a false positive.
Significant Contribution:
- Creating and improving playbooks (step-by-step guides for investigating security incidents). These playbooks have been valuable resources for her team.
Advice for Aspiring Professionals:
- Cybersecurity is a great fit if you enjoy problem-solving, protecting user data, and working on the front lines of security threats.
Key takeaway: Nikki’s journey emphasizes the blend of operational and project-based work in entry-level cybersecurity roles, highlighting the value of contributing to team resources (like playbooks) and the importance of problem-solving skills.