Pursuing an online course might seem a little risky, but with the right guidance and mindset to work hard, no one can stop you from achieving your goals. Here’s Digambar’s experience with Cyber Security Course at Great Learning.
Can you tell us about your background and work experience?
For the past 13 years, I have been on ground zero specializing in areas of Pre-Connect Security and Deep Packet Inspection. The deep dive definition, Pre-Connect security mainly focuses on user authentication and role-based policies whereas Deep Packet Inspection or DPI performs traffic analysis against pre-loaded signatures and policy enforcement based on the verdict provided by the DPI engine. I was part of the SD team that developed and delivered all the related modules for these areas.
Why did you decide to upskill and why Great Learning?
As is with the current workforce and personal growth, there is always a chance to learn something new. This primarily I believe was enforced when I found a few gaps in my knowledge of Cybersecurity as a vertical. It was around this time that I happened to connect with a Learning Consultant from Great Learning who had a program to fill in the holes in my knowledge pool.
The Stanford Advanced Computer Security Program that was delivered and supported by Great Learning was the perfect chance for me to build my foundations on the critical pillars of Cybersecurity. The curriculum has a perfect learning curve such as starting from fundamentals such as physical security and proceeding to advanced topics such as Emerging Threats and Network Security.
What do you think of the mentorship provided?
The recorded content from Dan Boneh and the live session examples via the Mentored Learning Sessions – facilitated by Industry experts were extremely useful and to the point. The real fun according to me was in the latter where the experts mentored us on real-life case studies and breaches that were hot topics during the past couple of years.
What are your views on the program curriculum, did it make you industry ready?
The structure was such that I could commit to 5 hours a week without compromising my work schedule in any form. My dedicated program manager – Gauthami was always working on the sidelines to ensure that I meet deadlines and utilize my time effectively. A key takeaway for me was as a software designer or an architect, one should think about possible attacks and add sufficient checks in the software to mitigate such situations. To think about threat-modeling and try to map it while designing the modules. Now as a software developer, I can provide better feedback in code reviews. Also, I can write better code and design software blocks with security at the forefront.
Do you have any advice for future DSE aspirants?
For other working professionals out in the industry, I would sincerely recommend this program as it has a wide range of topics and examples. It is time that we understand the security domain in depth so that we are future-ready.
