Community Member Spotlight: Katie Underwood
Claudia Wong
Are you thinking about changing careers to tech? Or are you thinking about going back to school to learn the trade secrets of technology? As the tech industry continues to boom, it can be tempting to gravitate towards it, especially as certain other industries are on the decline due to technological innovation.
Let’s be honest, though. It can be daunting to return to to 8 a.m. lectures, midterms and being around 20-somethings in sweatpants. It might even be intimidating to learn alongside college students younger than you, but it is definitely doable. It’s a career move that frequent Chic Geek collaborator Katie Underwood made a few years ago. Chic Geek sat down with Katie this month to talk about her career and how it lead to working on the Advanced Malware Protection team at Cisco.
CG: Hi, Katie! So I saw that you did seismic imaging before. Why did you go back to school for computer science?
Katie: During my first degree, which was in physics, I did a lot of programming and always really enjoyed it. I got into seismic [imaging] after graduating because it was one of the few industries that looked specifically for physics majors. But, I realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing for the next 25 or 30 years. As I started to think about a career change, I realized that I always came back to programming strategies to solve problems at work. Going back to school for computer science was a natural fit.
CG: And why did you choose to do a bachelors degree in computer science versus getting a diploma, self study online or an intensive paid course?
Katie: That’s a really good question, and one that I went back and forth on myself. For me it came down to wanting to understand how computers work on a fundamental level — I like having that depth of knowledge. In university, you cover fewer specific technologies, but you go deep into why things work, from software design to algorithms and all the way down to the physical construction of the machine. Online courses tend to be more focussed on learning more specific technologies and frameworks.
CG: You were part of the Trustworthy Systems Group during your computer science degree. What was that like?
Katie: I was really fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Michael Locasto in the TSG, which was a research group that worked on experimental systems security research. My project focused on reverse-engineering Android apps to analyze how they handled user’s information. For anyone who’s in university or thinking of going — getting involved in research is a great way to enrich your school experience! Talk to your professors, see if they have a project you can help out on. You learn the most by doing hands-on work.
Want to see some security research in action? Take a look at Katie’s presentation from the 2016 LangSec workshop:
CG: And while we’re on the topic of cyber-security, do you have any quick tips?
Katie: A few simple precautions go a long way! Don’t use the same password everywhere — using a password manager makes it easy to create a different password for every service you use. Check the security and privacy settings on on your phone and apps. And beware of phishing — if you get an email or text with a sketchy looking link — don’t click it!
CG: What is it like studying and working in a field where women are the minority?
Katie: I’ve had almost exclusively positive experiences, but I recognize that’s not always the case for women in our industry. It’s always important for anyone who experiences sexism or discrimination to speak out! That said, I think it’s also critical for women like myself to share our positive experiences, both to encourage women getting into tech who might be hesitant, and to help denormalize sexism in the industry at large. Let’s stop viewing sexism as something that’s just par for the course.
CG: And any advice for people who are hesitant about changing their careers?
Katie: If you have an interest in something, jump in and explore it! It’s never too late.
Don’t feel that you need to ask permission to try something new. And don’t discount your soft skills — they’re valuable, and you take them with you into whatever new industry you enter.
CG: What do you do at Cisco and what does your day-to-day look like?
Katie: I’m a software engineer on the Advanced Malware Protection Private Cloud team. We make a security appliance that helps large organizations defend against malware, while keeping company data private. There’s a stereotype about software engineers that we spend most of our time sitting alone writing code, but my job is actually very collaborative. Discussing design decisions and working on problems with colleagues are big parts of a typical day (as well as writing lots of code, of course!).
What is Advanced Malware Protection?
CG: Do you find that as you work with bug fixes, it’s easier to find bugs in other software you use?
Katie: Being a developer definitely gives you a different perspective. You can often guess how different tools or applications work under the hood. When I do find a bug in other software, I tend to be more sympathetic because I understand the challenges involved in writing good code!
CG: How did you get involved with Chic Geek and end up presenting on the misconceptions about programming for Chic Geek’s TechStep?
Katie: A coworker has been involved with the mentorship program, so I found out about Chic Geek through him. I really wanted to share my enthusiasm for programming, and I hoped there would be a way for me to use my experience to help others who were thinking of changing careers. My coworker put me in touch with the team and we went from there!
Interested in being mentored by an industry professional or wanting to share your passion and knowledge with a younger person? Check out:
CG: Finally, how has your experience at Cisco been?
Katie: It’s the best place I’ve ever worked, hands down. One of the great things about Cisco is that they know the importance of providing professional development opportunities for their employes. The Calgary office has given all of the ladies on the team the opportunity to attend Chic Geek’s Geeky Summit, and Cisco is a Gold sponsor of the event as well. I love my job — I get to work with really smart people on interesting problems, and have a lot of fun while doing it. Doesn’t get much better than that!
*edited interview for clarity
