We Talk to Security Enthusiast and YouTuber Pat (Aka InfoSec Pat)!

If you've been following our infosec stories for a while, then you know what we're about. For those that don't know, we like to interview people in the infosec and tech fields to highlight the varied experiences of people in the field. The Cybersecurity industry is in dire need of new professionals to help us fight the ever-growing number of hackers out there.

Aspiring ethical hackers and IT professionals are often confused about how to get their foot in the door, what a path to the industry looks like, or what the industry looks like from the inside. We hope to address these concerns with this series.

Today we're looking at Pat's story.

To be a security engineer you need a hybrid and knowledge and experience in several areas of IT. These areas include network engineering, system engineering, and security architecture, but other areas of IT may come into play as well.

Pat started his IT career in Help Desk and transitioned into System Administration and later as Network Engineer. His interest in IT Security grew and he got his Masters in Cyber Security.

What's your journey into cybersecurity?

I started out doing the Help Desk for Gateway computers. After I got my MCSE 2003, I moved from Help Desk to System Administrator. Did that for a few years. I got a Network Engineer role after that working on Cisco and other vendors. After working on the systems and networking side, I wanted to get into Cyber Security.

I worked on a few certifications. I got my Masters in Cyber Security. I hold a few InfoSec certs, I have the CompTIA Security+, SSCP, CISSP, CEH, CHFI, ECSA, LPT, and OSCP. I have other certs as well from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and others.

InfoSec Pat interview

What is it you like about hacking/security compared to other areas of IT?

I like it more because it is more outside the box thinking. A great cybersecurity professional realizes that the learning never stops. Also the ability to solve puzzles. The last thing I would say is fun and rewarding work.

What is like to run your own cybersecurity youtube channel?

Running a youtube channel is my way of giving back to the community. You can find my channel at the link below. Don't forget to tune in every Saturday for Cyber nerd Chat

InfoSec Pat

Do you think organizations are more focused on security now than they were in the past? What more do you think needs to be done?

Yes, I think so, cause of all the attacks and remote users now. They have to train users to be more aware of things like email spamming, security training. I also think having better security in place for the companies will help.