In this episode, Kip will be sharing his experiences in facing the pandemic while having a masterclass. While staying at home, he listened to the news and looked at social media. He can truly say that it’s not easy to surpass each day’s challenges, but he just kept in mind that the pandemic would not last forever.
When did the seriousness of the pandemic hit you? For Kip, it was when the prime minister of India announced a countrywide lockdown of their 1.3 billion citizens. To lock down a country of that size meant that this was a very serious issue indeed. Amidst all of this, he was still able to launch his first version of the How to Get your First Cybersecurity Job Masterclass. Kip had been thinking about whether he should pull the plug, reschedule the masterclass, or keep going. Then he got an email from a member of the first cohort, and the message said, “This is the perfect time for starting this course.”
We have kept working on the masterclass, and just like everyone else, we’ve stumbled into these crazy circumstances. We are positive that we can get through this, that we are going to come out of this pandemic eventually, and that a lot of the world will be different than it was. However, we also expect the need for cybersecurity professionals will increase greatly as more and more companies are moving more of their work online. Why not use this time to sharpen our saws and get ready to do some work? After all, the cyber attackers aren’t taking a break are, they?
(Note: As of 2022, this masterclass has been updated and changed to the new Hired program that is available at https://ycpmembers.onpressidium.com/hired.)
Kip Boyle:
Hi everyone. Today is April 2, 2020. This is Kip Boyle. Here in the Seattle area my family and I have been in home quarantine going on four weeks now. Like all of you, I’m listening to the news, looking at social media and I’m checking on my friends and family and I’m grateful that no one in my family is showing any signs of sickness, but I know many people can’t say that, so many people have already lost family and friends and jobs and I know that my situation could change very suddenly, so I’m trying not to take what I have for granted. I do have one friend who’s in the hospital. He has COVID-19 and he was on a respirator for about a week. He’s recovering and I know his family can’t wait to see him again and that’s a big relief for all of us.
When did the seriousness of the pandemic really hit you? For me, it was when the prime minister of India announced a countrywide lockdown of their 1.3 billion citizens and as I was watching that I thought, where else, but in a science fiction movie, do you see an announcement like that? And in the midst of all of this we’re about to launch our first version of the How to Get your First Cybersecurity Job Masterclass? And I had been thinking about whether we should pull the plug and do a reschedule or keep going and when I got an email from a member of our first cohort and the message said, “This is the perfect time for starting the course. I can’t wait.”
You may not know it, but we’ve been working on the masterclass for three months now and just like everyone else we’ve stumbled into these crazy circumstances we never predicted. I know we’re going to come out of this pandemic eventually and a lot of the world will be different than it was, but I expect the need for cybersecurity professionals will be just as intense if not greater, so if we can, why not use this time to sharpen our saws and get ready to do some work? After all the cyber attackers aren’t taking a break are they? They’re happy to kick us when we’re down. You can see it in the news headlines, so we’re going to launch the masterclass as scheduled and if you’re already signed up, I’m looking forward to seeing you in our private Facebook group or just send us an email and tell us how you’re doing and remember, you’re just one path away from your dream cybersecurity job.
YOUR HOST:
Kip Boyle serves as virtual chief information security officer for many customers, including a professional sports team and fast-growing FinTech and AdTech companies. Over the years, Kip has built teams by interviewing hundreds of cybersecurity professionals. And now, he’s sharing his insider’s perspective with you!
YOUR CO-HOST:
Jason Dion is the lead instructor at Dion Training Solutions. Jason has been the Director of a Network and Security Operations Center and an Information Systems Officer for large organizations around the globe. He is an experienced hiring manager in the government and defense sectors.
Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly Mentor Notes so you can break into the cybersecurity industry faster!