From Software Developer to Ethical Hacker

Like the title is saying, I'm switching from Software Development to Ethical Hacking! I got an opportunity to learn this new career through paid training in F-Secure (or WithSecure, as they just rebranded themselves) Academy. So the next six months I will be learning more about Cyber Security and then start a new career as a Security Consultant!

Why did I decide to do a career switch?

I've been mostly working as an Android developer the past three years. It's been fun and something I've found interesting, but I ended up doing that "by accident". What I mean is I was working with XR (Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality) but there weren't that many projects around those topics, so I decided to also learn native Android, because some Virtual Reality systems are using Android as their operating system.

So developing mobile applications was never something I was that enthusiastic about, but rather something I found logical to learn. I never saw myself as becoming a Senior Android Developer. Sure, I have created value to clients by developing these applications, but I haven't been able to get rid of the feeling of unimportance in my work. I have been wanting to do something that feels more meaningful, but I never really knew what that would be.

So when I heard about a possibility to get a paid training in Information Security, I didn't even give it much thought but instantly asked more about the position and eventually ended up applying to the academy.

I have become more and more interested in Cyber Security in the past few years but I never really knew how I could start a career doing that. So now I'm going to spend the next 6 months learning more about Cyber Security and I finally feel I'm going to be doing something that is important and meaningful! It is scary to do a career switch at this point where I already had quite a lot of experience as a developer, but I don't think that the time has been wasted. I'm sure my background as a software developer will also help me with my new career.

What is Ethical Hacking?

So what does it mean to be an Ethical Hacker? I guess most of us have the basic idea of what a hacker is from watching movies or tv shows. They are someone who tries to gain unauthorized access to a service or data and cause harm by doing that. Ethical hackers are also trying to get access to a service, but they are authorized to do that. They are trying to find vulnerabilities that criminal hackers might try to use and report them so the services affected can be fixed and their security can be enhanced.

Of course there's different paths to choose in Cyber Security, like there are in Software Development, but I chose Ethical Hacking to the title because I think it might be easier to understand for someone who isn't that familiar with different Cyber Security career options. I don't even know what I'm eventually going to be focusing on, but I'm sure I'll find the path I'm most interested in after I get started and learn more about the different options!

What will I start writing about in my blog?

My career switch will of course also affect my blog. To be honest, I'm not completely sure what I will write in the future. Probably less coding tutorials and more Cyber Security tips. I'm interested in educating people about security online that everyone should be aware of, and helping people to be more safe on the internet! Writing something like this will also help me to understand the topics better myself, when I try to explain it in a simple way to others.

I will keep writing about my experiences in tech and women in tech in general. It's still important for me to encourage and help minorities to start a career in tech.

I'm also going to keep a journal on Instagram about my journey into Cyber Security. So give me a follow (@whatminjahacks) there if you want to see (almost) daily updates on what it is like to become a Security Consultant!