Roller derby and what it taught me about Cybersecurity.

I've played and coached roller derby for over 15 years now. I've played against some of the best players in the world, I've gone to MRDA (Men's Roller Derby Association) championships multiple times throughout my career. Roller derby is not only a sport but a community with leagues all over the world.

I've been able to apply what I've learned from training, coaching, playing, and advocating for the sport to my career in cybersecurity. Here is what really stands out for me as things that helped me grow professionally:

1. Building community — connecting with my leaguemates, players from other teams, coaches, and officials helped to make sure we always had volunteers ready to help for games and tournaments. Many leagues are geographically close to each other but split off due to infighting, disagreements, and different goals between members. 1 league with 100 members has more opportunities than 10 leagues with 10 members. In the cybersecurity field we should be lifting up other professionals, coaching, suggesting opportunities and teaching each other. It isn't always a competition.
2. Advocate for the profession. Do you tell others about what you do? Anyone who plays roller derby is going to tell you all about it. Fans, players, officials are always talking about what a great sport it is. Do you provide information on how they can get started in cybersecurity? Have you suggested things like the ISC2 CC (Certified in Cybersecurity) certification? Helping others learn about the profession is vital to its growth. People may find that cybersecurity aligns more with their own career goals than they expected (I was an art student in high school!). It wasn't until I met a cybersecurity engineer that I even considered pursuing a career in the field.
3. Train and become an expert. Roller derby has many rules. How you can block an opposing player, how you can score points, defining "the pack" and the rules of engagement tell you how to create opportunities for your team and take them away from the other team. You have to learn the rules, the strategies, and how to be PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE. Know what the common and new vulnerabilities are. Read blogs and watch demonstrations. Understand more than just the basic concepts. Follow best practices and establish ways to review your current posture and future posture and communicate it to stakeholders.

Roller derby has been a part of my life almost as long as I've been working in tech. Nowadays I play a little less than I used to, but I coach a junior league and I love building confidence and teaching skills to young athletes. Remember that "teaching is learning twice" and cybersecurity is much more than just a profession.