Women and Nonbinary People in Information Security: Yaz

Women and Nonbinary People in Information Security: Yaz
Last time, I spoke with technology marketing communicator Stacey Holleran. Our work is similar but different. Plus, she warned me about what I might expect from the tech industry in a few years when I turn 40!For my last interview until fall/autumn, I had the pleasure of speaking with Yaz. She went from the military to a civilian career as a Principal Threat Researcher for Blackberry/Cylance, a company I also work for. We discussed hiring managers being detrimentally obsessed with certs, Islamophobia and… Area 51?Kim Crawley: Please tell me a bit about yourself and what you do.Yaz: I’m a recently separated vet. Joined in 2003, got out last year. I was a signals intelligence analyst. I’ve always enjoyed being in a world most people don’t see. And knowing things that not everyone might know. I’m currently a Principal Threat Researcher for Blackberry/Cylance.KC: Were you interested in computing before you enlisted in the military?Y: Yes – my adopted father is a software engineer, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.KC: Were you into computing as a little girl?Y: I did enjoy taking computer classes growing up. We had some real basic programming classes back then. (Late 90s.)KC: The first PC I ever interacted with was a Commodore 64 in the late 1980s. Your curiosity led you to take those classes?Y: School was making everyone take them. I just enjoyed it. And I would add things to the code to see what happened. I’ve always been doing things just to see what happens.KC: That’s the hacker mindset! Do you think you’d be where you are now, working for such an innovative company, if you ha ..

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