War, inflation, layoffs – if we let it, reading the news can often consume us and drag us down. For a change of perspective, we at Profian thought it would be timely to counter the negative headlines by reflecting on some reasons IT security professionals have to be thankful during the North American season of Thanksgiving.
We’re grateful the “hallway track” is back
After nearly two years of shutdowns and mandatory work from home, we can honestly say we once again enjoy business travel (we never thought we’d say this!) to attend in-person conferences. Specifically, what we call the “hallway track” at conferences. In fact, we are becoming more and more convinced that this is often the most fruitful reason for attending a conference.
Many conferences have various “tracks” to help attendees decide what’s most relevant to them. You know the sort of thing: “DevOps,” “Strategy,” “Tropical Fish,” “Poisonous Fungi.” Well, the hallway track isn’t really a track. It’s just what goes on in hallways. You meet someone – maybe at the coffee stand, maybe at a vendor’s booth – and you start talking. We used to feel guilty when this sort of conversation led us to miss a session that we’d flagged as “possibly of some vague interest” but now we realize how much meeting new people is a blessing and we are grateful for the opportunities we’ve been granted as a result.
There’s always something interesting to learn
Can you imagine coming in to do the same, repetitive task year after year, decade after decade, with no opportunity to grow? Just stop for a second and think how many thousands, no millions, of jobs out there are like this.
We are grateful that our business is always challenging and requires continuous learning. Our jobs today will not be the same in a year, let alone in a decade. (Case in point: Profian’s business of Confidential Computing is based on technology that is only a few years old. Had we been asked five years ago, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” none of us could have predicted this).
While some of us at Profian love to read, the good news for all of us is there are so many ways to learn (podcasts, blogs, conferences, certification classes, mentorship). Learning and growing are two of life’s greatest joys, and our career choice ensures we’ll always have opportunities for development.
Our work is meaningful
Cyber security is not just a way to make a living, it’s a public service! Think about it. We protect businesses, IP, physical assets, national security even. There is a thrilling, intrinsic reward obtained through making the world a safer place. Some days we even feel like superheroes.
Our work is in demand, from anywhere
Now more than ever, job security is top-of-mind in every industry, including technology. The global, chronic shortage of skilled IT security folks out there means if you are already on this career path, you have a lot to be grateful for in terms of higher-than-average job security and pay, and the ability to work remotely for added flexibility to boot.
If you are just getting started or want to make a career switch, an added bonus is you don’t even need to get a full degree! There are plenty of self-taught specialists or certification programs you can use to enter or advance in the field. How great is that?
From Profian, we wish you all joy, prosperity and health this season.