Cybersecurity professionals share career advice with standing-room-only crowd

October 26, 2018

A standing-room-only crowd listened to cybersecurity professionals share advice and observed a demo from the UWF Center for Cybersecurity ambassadors on Tuesday night at the UWF Night of Cyber.

The UWF Center for Cybersecurity hosted the Night of Cyber in honor of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. About 100 students and professionals attended the free event on the University of West Florida campus.

“I love to leave being able to inspire people to come into the field. There’s a lot of different opportunities and different areas you can explore a career in,” said UWF alumna Shae Vernier, Emerging Threats Deputy for Tech Analysis Branch Department of Homeland Security NCCIC.

Fellow UWF alum Jacob Hebert, a Metova Cybercents software developer, Sean O’Brien, NETC ITSS Program Executive for General Dynamics Information Technology, and Stephen Sarty, RaytheonOperations Manager DHS DOMino Program, joined Vernier on the careers panel.

Hebert, a 2017 graduate, stressed the importance of being self-sustaining on the job.

“More likely than not they hired you to do something they don't know how to do or don't have the resources to do,” Hebert said.

O’Brien said technical skills only scratch the surface of what he searches for in a candidate.

“What I want to see is that you can solve problems for me,” said O’Brien, who cited effective communication as another important skill set.

Vernier cited similar skill sets when asked what she covets in a candidate. She said candidates capable of “deep-dive analytics” stand out in a crowded applicant pool.

“I don’t see that a lot,” Vernier said. “It seems to be hard to fill that area of expertise.”

Vernier, O’Brien and Sarty each directed those in attendance to visit their employers’ websites for numerous job openings and internship opportunities.

“We’re involved in all aspects of (cybersecurity),” Sarty said of Raytheon. “Whatever you do of a technical nature, we’re hiring somewhere for it.”

The Center for Cybersecurity Ambassadors presented and performed a demo before the careers panel discussion. Sophomore Michael Mitchell demoed audio steganography with the Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust.” Mitchell inserted “Night of Cyber! Attack at Dawn!” to be decoded in the music file.

“It’s decoded away from its original form to look like it’s just there to blend in,” Mitchell said. “… If you took this file and ran it through any decent quality audio player, you are never going to hear the encrypted data.”