Alex Osuch
MSIM student
Q: Please share any additional academic plans (dual degree, research focus, minor, specialization, etc.) you’re pursuing.
A: None currently.
Q: What about the information field do you find exciting and how do you hope to make an impact?
A: Not that I knew this before enrolling in the program, but it’s a very exciting time for information security. Systems, threats, regulations, and popular awareness are all increasing in prevalence and complexity. Security spending is also supposed to grow (in some cases double) over the next several years. Within this context, though, I actually find the narratives behind these challenges and opportunities to be the most fascinating part. Nation-state actors, international crime rings, and massive corporate data gathering are driving the way our society functions, and my hope is to foster systemic change that makes an impact on the well being of individuals, especially in the privacy space.
Q: What inspired you to pursue your degree/career plan?
A: I just needed a change. I’d been in arts for years, and I wanted to plug into something closer to the material state of the world. After winnowing down my options, only the the iSchool felt like the organic choice. Watching the underwhelming Zuckerberg Cambridge Analytica congressional hearings convinced me that the law is just too far behind the tech sector, and a vanilla MBA didn’t seem to focus enough on the innovations driving the economy, not that I want to disparage anybody’s field of study. Seeing the world through the lens of information systems just seemed to make the most sense.
Q: Tell us about an experience you’ve had at the iSchool that has informed or reshaped your career goals?
A: That would be my introductory course with Annie Searle. Our classes were free-wheeling, and through open discussion, I got to know my cohort and learn more about the information space without being force-fed anything. As a Mid-Career student, I have the pleasure of working alongside classmates with years of experience in fields like business intelligence and risk management. Between our discussions of current events and the group projects, I organically got the lay of the land, and I came to realize the importance and relatively underappreciated nature of information security.
Q: What’s been your favorite iSchool course or learning experience (i.e. directed fieldwork, research project, etc.)?
A: One of my most rewarding and useful experiences was my other fall quarter intro class, Management and Strategic Leadership, taught by Hala Annabi. The class set the bar for challenging coursework, since I regularly spent about four to five hours on Sundays completing single-page writing assignments. As someone who is changing over from the arts into enterprise information systems, and as someone who loves doing school, I don’t think there was a better way to dive in with both feet. Every minute of that class was carefully prepared, and I’ve been recognizing concepts I learned in that class everywhere I go.
Q: What about your educational journey thus far are you most proud of?
A: My experience in Annie’s first quarter class lead me to develop an independent study with her for the following quarter, writing a research paper on Internet of Things cybersecurity risk in the U.S. power grid. I hoovered up information from hundreds of academic and industry sources, since I had to learn cyber risk and the basics of the power grid itself in just a 10-week quarter. I was well-supported throughout the process, and it was during this time that I got my internship, passed a security exam that led to winning a scholarship, and received an offer to publish my paper.
Q: What is next on the horizon for you?
A: I’ll be engaging in a 10-week internship at Coalfire, working with a team of consultants who audit security in cloud payment environments. Compliance plays to a lot of my strengths and interests, and I’ll be working alongside some MSIM alumni as well, so I’m very excited. Otherwise, I’ll be continuing to study information security and databases during my second year as a student.
Q: What is the best advice you have received?
A: I’ve made time to network within the department and with professionals in the security field, and what I hear emphasized the most is that while technical skills can be taught, the ability to understand organizations and work with people to create change is what’s needed most. Luckily, that’s a lot of what we discuss in our program. As far as MSIM itself is concerned, I would say the best advice has been to keep an open mind and then go for what you’re passionate about. Lack of industry experience or technical skill doesn’t matter as long as you can dive in with a smile.