Meet Sophie Powell: Cyber PATH Student.
Sophie is a final-year Cyber Security undergraduate student at Warwick University. In addition to her studies, Sophie enrolled on the Cyber PATH programme and joined forces with the West Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre. Their shared goal is to educate SMEs about the dangers of increasing cyber-attacks and provide training tailored to protect businesses and their customers best.
We spoke with Sophie about her Cyber PATH journey and how the experience has benefited her personal work as well as her studies.
First, tell us how you first heard about the Cyber PATH programme.
One of my university lecturers recommended the Cyber PATH programme, who saw the advertisement and believed it to be an incredible opportunity for me to gain more experience in the Cyber field outside my degree.
Before Cyber PATH, what experience did you have?
At the time, I was extremely new to Cyber, especially surrounding the more technical concepts and the only real experience I had that could be related to the job was some public speaking. Despite this, I was accepted for the position, and I can safely say the knowledge and expertise I have gained have been reflected in my work and degree work.
Since joining, what services have you been trained in?
I have been trained in First-Step Web assessments and SAT training, with my main focus currently being on delivering SATs to a range of clients both online and in-person. It has been incredible for my self-confidence and presenting skills, as I have been able to modify these presentations to suit my newly founded presenting style.
How has the support been from your supervisors?
One of the program’s key benefits is the supervisors, and I cannot sing their praises enough. They are consistently looking to further our experiences by encouraging new jobs and opportunities and being there to speak to about personal on-goings, which I have been especially grateful for through the ‘finding a job’ and dissertation processes! They have our best interests at heart, which has made this process what it is. Not only this, but meeting a whole community of students with similar interests has been inspirational, as they provide several opportunities to learn from each other via presentations and group meetups.
Lastly, what are your plans for after graduation?
I will be moving into a Cyber-based job when I leave, specifically focusing on blue-teaming. I feel very lucky to be part of this community, and I strongly believe my time as a student in the Cyber PATH programme will continue to benefit me in later prospects.