Real Life Career Stories: Ekow Oduro - Information Security Analyst
Ekow Oduro is a great example of how following your interests can lead to a career that you love. Always intrigued by technology, he is currently working as an Information Security Analyst for a global modern luxury fashion brand offering designer clothing for men and women, with a wide selection of stylish accessories, shoes, and home goods.
We asked Ekow a few questions about his role, how he got to where he is now, and what advice he has to share for those considering a career in information security or looking to climb the infosec career ladder.
What would a typical day or week at work involve for you?
I’m sure most security professionals would side with me in saying there are no 'typical' days or weeks in information security. The role and work is fluid, and you have to be able to adapt to the ever-changing landscape. Some days you are monitoring logs and incidents, other days you’re checking for vulnerabilities on your network and server environments.
How did you get into your current role? What attracted you to want to work in this area?
I have always been intrigued and interested in technology. After Secondary School (College), I got a job as a data entry clerk while studying professional IT courses. After passing a number of Microsoft certifications I moved on to become a Network Administrator. I continued studying and completing a number of certifications in the field of networking and server administration. After a number of years, I moved on to the role of Infrastructure Engineer. Some of my work was centred around securing the IT and network systems. During this time, I switched to study some more security-based certifications. I would say it was more of the next step forward for me.
I was attracted to pursue information security as I have always been curious about new things in IT. It is constantly evolving, and you will never feel like any two days are ever the same. This was important to me as I get bored with mundane and repetitive work. In recent years information security has also become very lucrative and having experience and knowledge does pay well.
Did you always want to work in the role or specialism you are in now? How did you get started in information security?
I’ve always wanted to work in IT. Even though I studied business management and accounting in school, I was almost always at the computer lab learning new things about computers.
After working as an Infrastructure Engineer for a while, moving to information security was a natural next step for me. I completed comptia security+ certification and applied to join the security team of the business. It was really helpful being in the job and studying for further certifications. This helped me grow my understanding and experience.
Do you have any advice for someone else looking to work as an Information Security Analyst or begin a career in information security?
Working in this sector is ever changing and varied. Interest is probably the biggest thing you need as you’ll be learning new things day to day. The job will have a lot of growth opportunities as there many areas security is needed. Also, as interesting as the infosec job sounds it’s not always as glamorous and crazy as depicted in most movies!
Is there anything else you would like to share that you feel our readers should know?
Information security has become a very lucrative sector in the last few years and does pay well, but this comes with years of experience and knowledge. Most people get the wrong idea about this.
Finally, if you don’t have a Degree, masters or postgraduate, you can still become a very good cybersecurity professional and still be able to rise in the ranks. You can study for various security certifications and gain experience on the job.
Do you have a real life career story to share? Get in touch and let us know you'd like to share your views on working in cyber security in your own article.