Hebichandra Sampang 

As a passionate and driven cybersecurity professional, my Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experience has been a pivotal point in shaping my future career aspirations. During my placement at Tesserent Cybersolution by Thales, I had the opportunity to work on real-world security gap analyses for non-profit organizations, using the Essential 8 framework to assess their security posture. This hands-on experience not only enhanced my technical skills but also gave me valuable insight into the importance of cybersecurity governance, risk management, and compliance in protecting sensitive information.

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What stood out to me during my WIL placement was how essential communication and stakeholder management are in the cybersecurity field. I learned that effectively translating complex security issues into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders is just as important as mastering the technical aspects. This realization has motivated me to pursue a career where I can combine my technical expertise with my ability to communicate and collaborate across diverse teams.

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The experience solidified my desire to work in Security Operations Centers (SOC) and continue developing my skills in threat detection, incident response, and cloud security. Seeing firsthand the impact that cybersecurity can have on protecting organizations and their clients has driven my passion for finding proactive solutions to emerging threats. I now have a clear vision for my career and aim to contribute to the security of businesses by specializing in SOC roles, with a focus on AI-driven threat detection and cloud infrastructure security.

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My WIL placement has not only equipped me with technical skills but has also strengthened my commitment to staying ahead in this rapidly evolving field, where I plan to make a meaningful impact in cybersecurity.