(Guest blogger: Samantha Jackson, Year Up Bay Area Class 13 Student)
Earlier this month, students at the Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3) pilot site at Year Up Bay Area welcomed Jonathan Omansky, director of security response at Symantec, as part of the program’s Friday Guest Speaker Series. Jonathan began his presentation by walking us through his background and how he got started in cybersecurity. He credits his earliest interest in the field to his role as an intelligence analyst while he was in the US Air Force. He later pursued a degree in Computer Science and is now, after 15 years in the cybersecurity industry, managing a large team of analysts who monitor the global threat environment 24/7. Jonathan also shared with us several important cybersecurity tips, including how to create strong and secure passwords for applications and online accounts. He also gave a sneak peek into the world of cybersecurity with overviews about the Heartbleed virus, open source software, and internet security protocols.
One piece of advice from Jonathan that resonated in particular with the SC3 students was the importance of stepping out of one’s social comfort zone in order to not only build rapport with contacts, but also to strengthen one’s professional network.
On behalf of Year Up Bay Area, thanks for visiting, Jonathan!
