Gabrielle Raymundo grew up in the Greater Western Sydney area, in Blacktown, and is nearing the end of a Certified Cyber Security Professional course at the Australian Institute of ICT under the Australian Women in Security Network’s Security Pathway Program. GABRIELLE RAYMUNDO Certified Cyber Security Professional course, at the Australian Institute of ICT
Suppose you met an old friend from your last year at school who, knowing nothing about cybersecurity or what you do, asks you what you are doing. How do you answer them to ‘sell’ them on the idea of a career in cybersecurity?
What do you see has having been the most memorable and/or significant event in your cybersecurity journey to date, and why?
Cybersecurity is a fast-paced and ever-evolving
Group’s Stay Smart Online Day. I was intrigued by
science that is intertwined with every piece of
the creativity and communication skills displayed
technology, every organisation, and every person.
and found I was not only making an impact on the
It is the gateway into understanding how technology
awareness of my team members to different cyber
is embedded in our daily lives and, like technology,
threats, but able to educate them on ways they could
is ubiquitous in modern society.
keep themselves and their families safe online. After
What initially sparked my interest in cyber security was my experience in the security awareness team. I helped organise the marketing for Woolworths
that project, I realised roles in cyber security were not Working in cyber security is a challenging and
reserved for technical specialists but were available to
rewarding career that makes a tangible difference
those with many other skills.
to peoples’ lives. You will never get bored as there is always a new and exciting thing to learn!
In addition to your studies, what employment experience do you have in cybersecurity?
What was the reaction from parents, peers or career advisors to your decision to get into cyber? Did you face any opposition, if so, how did you feel about this?
Before starting my cyber security studies I completed
Most of the people from my inner circle were
graduating I returned to Woolworths under its cyber
surprised about my decision to jump into cyber
security graduate program, which prompted me
security, let alone pursue a technical role as a security
to undertake additional study. During the two-year
operations centre (SOC) analyst. My strengths were
program I was exposed to a number of cyber security
mainly in creativity and analysis, so most of my peers
teams and took on roles in cyber awareness, identity
assumed I would take a job in interaction design or
and access management, cyber data and analytics
user experience.
and the security operations centre.
After completing a rotation across four different
problem-solving and suggesting new ways to improve
The cybersecurity industry abounds with certifications from multiple organisations. Have you gained, or do you plan to gain any of these, if so which ones, and why?
our workflows, and I honed my love for learning as
As part of the Australian Women in Security Network’s
I delved into incident analysis. When they realised I
Certified Cyber Security Professional’s course with
could use my strengths in an exciting and fulfilling
the Australian Institute of ICT (AIICT) my current
way, my parents and peers got onboard with the idea
focus is to complete the CompTIA A+, Security+ and
of me pursuing a role in the SOC.
Network+ certifications. Gaining these certifications
security teams I found myself enjoying the role of a SOC analyst. I was able to use my creativity in
an internship in the Woolworths Group Identity and Access Management team as part of my Bachelor of Information Technology degree at UTS. After
would solidify my knowledge of the critical IT and security concepts needed to piece together the
128
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
N O V E M B E R • D E C E M B E R 2022
