Tshering Wangmo was born and grew up in Bhutan. She has lived in Perth since 2016 where she is studying for a master’s in cybersecurity at Edith Cowan University’s Joondalup Campus. She has completed the third semester of her final year and is looking for internship opportunities to enable her to meet course requirements. TSHERING WANGMO Master in Cybersecurity Student at Edith Cowan University
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?
ourselves safer online with technologies like
Whenever I get asked by my friends and other people
recent news on data breaches become interested and
around me about what I am studying I respond
ask me more about my course.
multifactor authentication. The bottom line is: people need to be cautious and maintain privacy online, just as they do in real life. People who understand the logic of this and see the
with: “I am studying for a master’s in cybersecurity.”
technology (IT).” I often tell them “Firstly, I am not that
How does the reality of cybersecurity as you experience it today fit with your understanding when you first thought about studying it?
tech savvy and, yes, it is tough and challenging, but it
I applied for the course because there was no
is doable, if you are interested to learn it.”
requirement to have an IT background. I obtained
The comment I most often get is, “Wow! That sounds heavy, but you must be good at information
a bachelor’s degree in computer applications a Often, I get asked how a non-IT person can learn
long time ago, but my work experience for the past
cybersecurity because you need to know how to hack
six years has been in projects and administration.
a computer. My usual response is that cybersecurity
I enrolled in my course knowing it would
is not only about hacking, in fact hacking is the reason
be challenging.
why there is the need to learn cybersecurity, and it all begins with yourself. If you are using your phone,
The course started well but became increasingly
computer, WiFi at home for yourself, or for children to
challenging with each semester, because there
play online games, you will need to know the basics of
were so many aspects of cybersecurity to learn,
being safe online.
from networks to communication skills, coding to data science, project management to ethical
It is not difficult to make people understand why
hacking. By the time I was in my third semester I
it is important to be safe online. In my personal
felt somewhat lost having many career options in
experience with my own family, if I explain about the
cybersecurity and not knowing where my skills could
need to have strong passwords and update software
take me.
regularly, they do not take me seriously.
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I notice there are others who do not bother about
What cybersecurity role would most like to be hired into when you graduate, and why?
being safe online. To make them understand
When I graduate, I would most like to be hired as a
why they need to bother, I explain that, just as
red team ethical hacker, because in 2020 when the
we would secure our house to protect our family
pandemic started, I knew I needed to get into a career
from thieves or intruders, we build walls or fences
where I could leverage my current skills. After two
to protect ourselves in the online world. Further,
semesters I was on pregnancy leave, during which
we use strong doors with locks and keys which
I realised how important our time is and how we as
are analogous to strong passwords in the online
woman always have to make compromises between
world. And, just as people’s houses can be made
personal life and career. This realisation gave me
safer with digital smart products, we can make
the opportunity to take the leap into a career where I
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
J A N U A RY • F E B R U A RY 2023
