In the Information Security ecosystem, stereotypes for practitioners persist, and they’re not always the most flattering. If we approached these stereotypes like we do our technical work, perhaps we could do better for ourselves and others. What can we do to help dispel the stereotypes and can we use them to our advantage?

For those of us who have been in the industry for years, we may be used to how things are or how ‘they used to be’, but we sometimes miss how what we do affects those looking in from the outside wanting to break in. I share how I was affected when I first moved into the information security world, lessons I’ve learned in my time within the industry, and ways to make small improvements to pave a better path for those to come after us.