AFTER almost 15 years of working for a talent agency, the last thing Lisa Ventura imagined was ending up as a hacker in cyber security.
But roll forward another 15 years and the 49-year old, a proud dog mama to her German Shepherd-Husky-cross Poppy, has just nabbed herself an MBE for services to cyber security, diversity and inclusion.
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And she did it all without going to university.
“I got offered places to study journalism at Cardiff, Sheffield and Bournemouth Universities,” she told The Sun.
“But realised I’d have to move to London if I wanted to be a reporter and I really didn’t want to do that.”
Instead Lisa went straight into the world of work.
At 18 she took an entry-level job with a Worcester-based talent agency representing the likes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire presenter Chris Tarrant.
But after more than a decade rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, Liz decided to change career completely.
“My ex worked in cyber security and I got interested,” she said.
She took some courses “to get to grips with the terminology and types of cyber-attacks” and found out about the different jobs in cyber security.
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“My first job was being an ethical hacker and pen tester working with the government and the Ministry of Defence,” she said.
“I learned on the job and worked my way up from my first salary of £25,000 to earning £60k a year now.”
Liz said the best way to get into cyber security is by getting a job and starting from scratch.
But there are free “bootcamps” funded by the government which adults can sign up for to learn the skills needs to switch into cyber security and coding.
Upskill in Cyber is a pilot course run by the government specifically to train more people to get into the sector.
Lisa said: “There is a cyber skills gap in the industry and we are crying out for people to consider cyber security as a career choice.
“If you have the right aptitude and an interest in cyber security, there is likely to be a role for you.”
The UK Cyber Security Council has mapped out the specialisms in cyber security in the careers section on their website to help newbies find the area of the industry that could suit them.
“I am extremely passionate about cyber security now and some of the areas I particularly love raising awareness of the growing cyber threat,” Lisa said.
She has also spent a lot of time supporting women and those from diverse backgrounds into careers in cyber security.
As someone who is neurodivergent, Lisa said it’s been a perfect fit for her.
“Research has shown that those who are neurodivergent are well suited to careers in cyber security due to often having high-level problem-solving, creative “out-the-box” thinking, hyper-focusing, and pattern spotting,” she said.
“These are much-needed attributes and skills in cyber security.”
And Lisa said anyone can get into it.
“Cyber security is one of the rare fields that you can break into without a degree from a college or university,” she said.
“There are various entry-level jobs that only require a certification – and there are some that only require a bit of relevant experience.”
She said anyone thinking about a career change should “start learning and doing”.
“Try getting involved in meet-ups, attending conferences, and asking current security professionals you meet there for advice over coffee,” she added.
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