Working in Cyber Security: “You need to be open-minded and willing to learn”
What is it like to work in cyber security? We ask some of the members of the team in Symantec. Today, we hear from Mélissa Chouikrat-Marcinkowski, Sales Engineering Manager.
How long have you been in this role?
I have been in this particular role for three months.
How did you come to work in the field of cyber security?
Through pure coincidence. After having worked in the digital TV and payments industry as a presales engineer, I was looking for something new. My flatmate at the time was working in Symantec. He was quite passionate about the industry and mentioned that his presales team was hiring. I read about the role and it seemed cool. I did my bit of investigation about information security and I kind of wondered why this industry had never crossed my mind before. I applied, got the job, and that’s how the adventure began.
What advice would you give to someone who wants a job like yours?
Be open to change! The threat landscape is super versatile, which means that every day you have to be prepared to learn about new types of attacks, new social engineering techniques, and new vulnerabilities. You need to embrace change and uncertainty, otherwise you may not have as much fun as you’d like. Also, do not assume that you wouldn’t be “technical enough” to be a sales engineer, as there’s a lot more to the role. To work and be successful within a sales engineering practice, you do not necessarily need to be a superstar networking engineer; it would help for sure but, more importantly, you’ll need the interpersonal skills to establish an active dialogue with your customers, understand their pain, and provide them with valuable recommendations in relation to their overall security. You need to be open-minded and willing to learn.
Is the course you studied at university relevant to the job you have now?
I studied Project Management for the Multimedia and Localization industry, so while it wouldn’t be typical it proved quite relevant to any role where a technical mindset is a must. The course did include a bit of programming, a bit of technical writing, and a LOT of project and people management. The master’s was semi-professional, which means that throughout the year all students were working as teams as if in a company. We were handling actual projects for actual clients with actual deadlines and funding. This gave me a lot of exposure and confidence prior to integrating into the workplace.
What do you think are three qualities someone who wants to work in a role like yours needs to have?
1. Resilience
2. Passion
3. Openness to change
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