Francisco, Security Engineer at Microsoft
Published 02 Mar 2020
Tags: engineer, securityWhy did you choose to pursue thits career? What made you certain this was the right path?
I didn’t really choose this career, it chose me. I was going to study aerospace engineering, but this was a logical choice since it can be applied to aerospace topics.
What events, prior employment, or educational experiences led you to your current job?
I was a part of a co-op program, where I had the opportunity to go through different roles. It was during electrical engineering that I learned I liked coding better, so I switched into a computer science tour, then went to a security defense type of team. Everyone said security was a more interesting role. I got free training for it which was cool.
How did you make the best use of your time in both your education and career?
Doing internships and co-ops, doing stuff instead of just talking and learning about theory
What advice would you give to a high school or college student interested in pursuing this field of work?
Have a growing mindset (Carol Dweck called mindset). The key is to learn and that you can always grow and get better. To be successful in security, you need to have this mindset because things are constantly changing. There are a lot of programs (like certificates SANS is the most recognized (and expensive) but most thorough). They have programs for high school students and changing careers. Their programs that you can apply for can save a lot of money. Show your work, so if you have projects (like your own lab, online capture the flags, etc), and being able to talk about it (which can sometimes be worth more than a degree.
What do you wish you had done differently with regards to your career/education?
Being more willing to try out things. Finding a mentor early on, being able to learn from someone in the field who knows about that area.
What does a typical day at your job look like?
I respond to security incidents, perform security investigations, analyze data, and automate processes (detection and response processes).
What qualities are necessary to be successful in your field of work, and why?
Growing mindset again. Anything technical you can learn if you have the confidence you can learn it. Need to be able to learn new things. Having program skills makes you valuable in security. Also good to know the fundamentals of programming along with data analysis to make connections and see patterns.
Do you have any additional advice?
Don’t be afraid to disconnect. Also have a linkedin profile.