Compromising Positions - A Technology Podcast · Compromising Positions

Tips On How To Be A Top-Class Cybersecurity Student And Get Your First Cybersecurity Job!

·42 min·3 clips

Talita says she won a lecturer interview by demoing SQL injection against a sandboxed system.

Leanne Potter and Geoff Watkins open with a light, playful back-and-forth before introducing Dr. Talita Fajilio. Talita comes across as a passionate technologist and cybersecurity expert committed to making complex ideas easier to grasp. The episode centers on a simple question: how does a cybersecurity student move toward a first job in cyber? Talita points to resilience as the common thread in the students who do well. That idea carries through the rest of the conversation. The hosts keep things brisk and conversational, while staying focused on what actually prepares people for industry. Talita argues that teaching has to stay grounded if graduates are meant to be ready for work. One module she describes, team project, is built around a realistic security scenario. Students are given a set of virtual machines that represent a business. The environment uses a secure, virtualized activity platform built on Linux servers and Proxmox. Teams then perform a security audit of the scenario. They also use Kali Linux machines as part of the exercise. At the end, they write a penetration testing report and an expert witness report. The assignment then moves into a mock trial at the Leeds legal school. A solicitor acts as judge. A real barrister cross-examines the students. The result is a project that asks students to defend their conclusions under pressure and present work to a professional standard. The conversation treats that kind of assessment as a way to build confidence, judgment, and credibility before anyone enters the job market. It closes on the wider idea that cyber education works best when it prepares people for the practical and legal demands of the work they want to do.

As heard by us

Cyber career advice that centers resilience, realism, and a practical path into the field.

This episode treats cybersecurity as a test of resilience as much as technical skill, and Dr. Talita Fajilio lays out a clear path from cybersecurity student to first job in cyber.

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Need a clearer path from cyber student to first job?

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