Sorry to have neglected you this past while. Big changes have happened. But that’s a good thing. A really good thing. And something I hope to carry forward.

You may have heard about the lack of talent in cyber security. And the lack of women in tech. And the resulting lack of women in cyber security. I am thrilled to tell you that I have now changed that statistic by one.

Yes Virginia, dreams really do come true. Because  I was offered the role of my life. My dream job.

I now do Threat Intel with the cyber security team at KPMG. As a cyber security consultant.

Repeat after me:

OMG! OMG! OMG!  Now breathe. (that really was fun, wasn’t it!)

Now I can stay up all night, every night, looking for cyber boogeymen and playing what-if til I can’t keep my eyes open. And people actually want to know about what I find. Oh, holy cow – it is amazing!

I have to learn more about all. the. things. Which is fantastic because I like all the things. Networks. SCADA ICS. Mainframes. Web Application Firewalls. And of course my 3 favourite letters: APT or Advanced Persistent Threat. Because the biggie of all those, Stuxnet, is what led me here in the first place.  I get to work with amazing people whose knowledge and skill just inspires me every day to do more.  We plan and build and evaluate things most people have no idea about, but that will actually make the world a better and safer place for everyone. And that is the realization of one of many childhood dreams. I still haven’t walked onto a Starfleet Enterprise class ship yet, but believe me, this is what it would feel like.

And this is where I tell you the really good stuff. That you have it in you to make your version of this happen. I stopped listening when people told me “you can’t do that” or “you  got that all wrong” or “maybe you’d be better at’.  I listened to that voice inside me, that passion pushing me further even when it seemed impossible. Even when I couldn’t understand it the first time, or someone said no, and said no again.  Because something inside of me wouldn’t let it go. I loved it too much.  Listen to that piece of you that won’t let go.  Find that thing you love enough to fight for it – and fight.  You deserve the sweetness of this victory. And oh, if it can happen for someone like me without all the proper degrees and traditional routes, then it can happen for you. Believe.

So come along and join me for my next incredible, amazing adventure. I’m only just getting started!

(Necessary Disclaimer bit that all these posts are my own and not my employer’s)