This month’s Aim Hire, dedicated to all things cyber, stands out for a lot of reasons but none more than the fact we were joined by the Department of the Air Force’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) J. “Aaron” Bishop, who oversees the security of the cyber operations of both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. He was joined by three civilian cyber professionals from across the Air Force, highlighting just how diverse and numerous the cyber opportunities are in the Air Force.
If you’re a cyber professional, you already know the value of quickly scanning a system and pinpointing key areas of interest. It’s also why you’ll appreciate these shortcuts to some of the key takeaways from this month’s live webinar:
- To learn more about the Department of the Air Force’s CISO, we encourage you to fast forward to the clip at 2:39, where J. “Aaron” Bishop describes his journey as a Navy veteran from private enterprise to the public sector and what motivated him to make that leap.
- At 7:38, CISO Bishop offers insight on staying current in cyber and why candidates with expertise in legacy systems are every bit as in demand as those versed in the latest cyber wizardry.
- At 10:58, CISO Bishop describes his vision and priorities for the Department of the Air Force and what that means for the cyber operations of Air Force and Space Force, and the importance of resilience in contested environments.
- At 14:01, Lorie Blount, an AFCS information security specialist at Joint Base San Antonio, describes her remarkable journey as a veteran’s spouse from computer programmer to stay-at-home mom to AFCS INFOSEC and cyber security professional. She offers some great advice on what you can do to follow in her footsteps.
- At 18:35, Tommy Garcia describes his transition from active duty, first as a government contractor and then as an AFCS computer security manager at Joint Base San Antonio, and how having a security clearance with the Navy really opened doors on his career path.
- At 22:12, Andrew Palanco details how he went from intrepid videogame programmer to AFCS mission manager with the U.S. Cyber Command as a Palace Acquire Intern, and how the two occupations aren’t that far apart. He describes his rapid career advancement since joining AFCS and the important role Direct Hiring Authority (DHA) has played in his meteoric rise.
- At 25:47, host Bob Hall explains that when applying for government jobs, sometimes it’s wise simply to ignore the job descriptions because they can be so overly descriptive and parsed in government-speak that they can become cryptic and hard to decipher what’s really being asked for.
- At 27:49, CISO Bishop offers some compelling contrasts between the private sector and civil service and why being mission-driven rather than money-driven has some tangible benefits you may not have considered.
- At 30:08, the panel discusses the rewards of public service, both monetary and personal bests.
- And, finally, you won’t want to miss Mr. Bishop’s deep dive into the future of the USAF cyber program at 46:59. Who knows, play your cards right, and it could be yours too.