AWSN -amazing group of security professionals

Post by Guest writer Heide Young

Connecting

Supporting

Collaborating

Inspiring….

….these are the core values of AWSN and the standards of the members. That might sound a bit cheesy and like an opportunity to sell you on AWSN, but let me tell you my story…

A few years ago I started paying attention to news articles about how this company or that company was breached by hackers. It occurred to me that I am so dependant on technology, it’s pretty much attached to every aspect of my life and my home…even my home security is online and assessable from my mobile. And then it occurred to me that I have no idea how to keep all my and my family’s valuable information secure.

I wanted to learn how hackers hacked. My thought process was if I knew how they could ‘break in’ then I could secure it.

Now let’s back it up a minute…you should know I come from absolutely no technical background. Even my husband used to joke that I went from never backing up my tech gear to learning to hack haha ….so in my usual mindset to start with the end in mind, but I’m too impatient and tried to rush the process, which meant enrolling in CEH. I gave it a good go and it was eye opening all the tools and techs and how ‘easy’ it was to just download your hacking program of choice and voila off you go. Which scared the crap out of me even more!

I joined AWSN and started getting more involved in the Cyber Security community and was in awe of all the knowledge I was absorbing at every event and meetup. Now I have been to a ridiculous amount of full on technical, hacking, CTF meetups and I try, really try, but they are on another level. But everyone is so welcoming and excited by the challenge to explain it in layman terms for me J I feel like a kid learning new tricks at the playground every time I learn a little more on cyber security.

For me it’s all about learning to keep myself and my family secure and making it relatable to everyday life.

Now going back to me not being technical, my career has been relationship management and business development focused. I was fortunate enough to combine my career skills with my cyber security passion, taking on growing Greythorn recruitment’s cyber security capabilities. I was even more fortunate to have one-ups and two-ups who were the kind of people every professional dreams of reporting to.

I’m a full-time working mom, and I think it’s important to share that I didn’t experience discrimination till I became a mom. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I fully understood the real meaning of feminism till I experienced discrimination. It was a very hard time and I cannot begin to explain how it affected my and my family’s life. Lucky for me I have an encouraging husband, who’s advice I finally listened to and left.

Since then, it has been my focus to assist others who are in difficult career situations by either advising or connecting them with other professional who can better advise.

AWSN membership base is incredibly diverse, both women and men, some parents, some not, experienced working professionals, and new grads. They span from technical to non-technical professions from entry level to CISO level. It is such an amazing way to connect with people.

For me, it has helped me personally and professionally by expanding my knowledge and growing my cyber security network. I have previously talked about from recruitment perspective women need a bit more encouragement and confidence to just go for it, even when don’t tick all the boxes – and I’m including myself in that statement. AWSN members have given me opportunities to have more confidence and just go for it, even when I didn’t have it in myself. I still remember a particular pep talk from a female member, and anytime I hesitate I remember her words of encouragement, empowering me to believe in myself and go for it. Because I listened to this wise woman and went for it, what it has done for my career has been phenomenal.

I recently relocated to Dubai, which was quite daunting at first, as I didn’t have many contacts here. However, as soon as I told AWSN members, nearly everyone had helpful advice and even referred me to people in their networks in Dubai as well as cyber security groups in the area. I was overwhelmed with the amount of support from AWSN members.

This wonderful amazing group of cyber security professionals is an incredible platform for empowering women through connecting, supporting, collaborating and inspiring. 

(c) AWSN 2018

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, organisation or association.

Announcing our new Article Series - Support through Sharing

 

The Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) aims to connect, support, collaborate and inspire. This official blog of the AWSN is a vehicle to further those aims. To that end we are proud to announce a new interview article series Support through Sharing. The articles feature profiles of a variety of people, men and women, in security or in the peripherals of the industry, sharing their stories and exploring the human experience, to support others.

These articles, based on interviews with a variety of people, will be published over the next few months. When you read the articles you may relate to what the person has said in the interview or the responses may cause you to stop and think and refocus on what matters most to you. You may have a laugh, feel inspired or feel motivated.

Feel free to comment on any of the interviews, and as always please do so in a respectful spirit of collaboration and support.

 This post has been created by A Turner on behalf of AWSN. 

(c) AWSN 2017

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, organisation or association.

What Motivates you to volunteer?

[This post appeared on Linkedin on 18 October 2016]

A post by Mandy Turner, an Australian Public Servant, fulltime student, volunteer at a variety of associations, and advocate of diversity and inclusion.

Do you volunteer your time, skills, and resources to assist others either in an informal ad hoc way or via a more formalised group or association? Have you stopped to think what motivates you to do so? I volunteer in both informal ad hoc capacities as well as in a more formal framework in associations. I have reflected on why I volunteer and found I do so for several reasons. As part of my reflection I decided to read research journal articles to find out more about volunteering motivators.

According to an article, written over 38 years ago, people volunteer for a psychological pay off. The person expects to receive something in return for contributing as a volunteer (Anderson and Moore, 1978). They may for example expect to develop skills, meet new people, obtain a career advantage, or to feel a sense of self-worth as they have done something to help others.  

Cary and Snyder (1999) found six main functions served by volunteering which equate with the findings of Anderson and Moore (1978). The six functions were listed as values, understanding, enhancement, career, social and protective. A person may volunteer because they feel it is important to help others or to participate in their community. Some volunteers may be motivated to understand more about their community or learn through hands-on experience. Others may volunteer as they feel the work will develop or enhance them as a person and help them to feel better about themselves.  Some people may volunteer as it they feel it will assist them to gain the career or promotion they desire. People may volunteer for social reasons, they may wish to network with people who share common goals or gain new friends. Lastly people may volunteer to help protect themselves by reducing their own negative feelings or to have temporary escape from their own problems (Cary and Snyder, 1999).

More recent research groups these motivations into two main areas, whereby people volunteer because of a symbolic sociological reason and/or a functional psychological reason (Wilson, 2000). A sociologic motivation may inspire people with strong values and beliefs to give their time and resources free to assist others, whereas a functional psychological motivation relates to a person’s psychological needs being met by volunteering.

A study by Thoits and Hewitt (2001) found that volunteering contributes to improved well-being including better self-esteem, psychological health, and happiness. Given the assertions of Anderson and Moore (1978) that people volunteer for a psychological pay off are these factors discussed by Thoits and Hewitt (2001) also motivators to volunteer or are they serendipitous byproducts of volunteering and not part of the initiating motivators?

I volunteer in a variety of areas in an informal manner and also in more formalised positions. I volunteer in areas that I firmly believe in; in associations and for causes that I feel give value to the community. I am motivated by a desire to give back to the community, to use my skills, to meet with like-minded people, and to have fun in doing so! The serendipitous byproduct of volunteering for me is that I have met people who have become friends, I have developed as a person, improved my by default low self esteem and learned new skills. I also have had some amazing opportunities because of being a volunteer that I would not normally have had.

Do your motivations for volunteering equate to any or all of these? Do you have different views on what motivates you to volunteer? What are your experiences with volunteering?

References

Anderson, J. C., & Moore, L. F. (1978). The motivation to volunteer.Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 7(3), 120-129.

Clary, E. G., & Snyder, M. (1999). The motivations to volunteer theoretical and practical considerations. Current directions in psychological science,8(5), 156-159.

Thoits, P. A., & Hewitt, L. N. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. Journal of health and social behavior, 115-131.

Wilson, J. (2000). Volunteering. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 215-40.

 This post has been created by Amanda-Jane Turner on behalf of AWSN. 

(c) AWSN 2016