Digital Identities — a glimpse of your greatness
When it comes to smart career moves getting a digital identity and networking with professionals in your domain are the two most important things you can do apart from advancing your skills. Networking and socializing has its own benefits, as we all know how references and recommendations can give you an edge in the hiring process.
But lets talk about digital identities and why it is a must have and not just a smart career move. What digital identities can do to your career is much more than any amount of networking and socializing can do. Be it getting your own blog, or using any or all of the popular platforms such Twitter, Instagram, Medium or LinkedIn, putting yourself out there can get you the much needed career boost.
Beat the mediocrity
As we all know, Cyber security industry has seen an unprecedented amount growth in the past few years, which has caused a sea of new professionals joining this domain. Getting and maintaining a proper online profile is one the most effective ways to set yourself apart, as nowadays there are many out there who start calling themselves Cyber Security Consultants within a year of joining this domain. I will be writing about the Cyber security skills shortage in my next post to discuss how the sudden boom has caused the skills standard to be set very very low .
Medium
Most people use LinkedIn as a platform of choice, and of course it’s a must have for any professional, but just sharing current news events on LinkedIn or commenting on some one else’s certification achievements is just not enough in my opinion. What one needs is something more personal where you can chart out your thoughts and opinions and let other have a glimpse of your greatness (in more than 140 words).
That’s where blogging came into picture for me. I have been delaying this for really too long, but now I think the time is right to start one. This is not my first attempt at writing blogs. I had started blogging at the start of my career, but it just died down after only a few months. This time I hope to continue much longer than that.
The reason to choose Medium over other platforms is the simple interface that helps to get this blog running quickly without the hassle of hosting my own website, which is something I have thought about and might do eventually in future.
My Identity
Building an online identity takes time. It will be a slow process of branding myself in a certain way that can help make a meaningful impact on my career. And honestly I’m not looking for a job change right now or even in the near future. Alhumdulallah (with Gods grace), I have a good employer, and passionate about what I’m doing. But really, this is just part of doing every bit of effort to future proof myself.
There are multiple layers to creating a digital identity, such as being able to help and give back to the community and at the same time showcase your range and depth of skill set or sometimes just to maintain this as a diary of the important things that I have to note down. My focus on this blog, of course, is going to be all things cyber security. But as broad as a subject that cyber security is, I do want to write about as much diverse topics in it as possible. Forensics and incident response (DFIR) is going to get some special love, at least in the near future.
Motorcycles
A little unexpected in a cyber security blog, but riding motorcycles has been an integral part of my life and more than just a hobby. So, you will see the occasional post where I get into the really fun part of my life i.e. riding and racing motorbikes.
So that is pretty much the mindset that I currently have. I would like to return to this blog in a few years time with some sense of achievement and hopefully resulting in not needing any references/recommendations for my future endeavors.
