You're listening to the Cyberwire Network, powered by N2K.

I'm Dave Bittner with this Cyberwire special edition.

At a time when cybersecurity faces a growing talent gap,

conversations about who belongs in the industry and how people find their way into it have never been more important.

In this episode, recorded live at the Cyber Guild's Uniting Women in Cyber Event,

I sit down with Caitlin Sarian, better known to many as Cybersecurity Girl.

Caitlin has built a large following by making cybersecurity more approachable, more relatable, and more human.

We talk about her unconventional journey into the field, the power of storytelling, and why

authenticity and community matter when it comes to building a stronger cybersecurity workforce.

We also explore how breaking down technical barriers can create new opportunities for people

from non-traditional backgrounds who may not have seen a place for themselves in cybersecurity

before.

That's ahead on this Cyberwire special edition.

Thank you. edition. Well, thank you all for having us here today. I am super excited to be here, and most exciting of all is the opportunity to interview Caitlin. So welcome, and thank you for taking

the time for us today. Thanks for having me.

I'm so honored to be in the room with all of you guys. I can't even believe I'm here.

So thank you for having me. Yep, yeah. So let's start out by giving our audience an opportunity

to get to know more about you. Can you take us through your professional

career? Where did you get your start and what led you to where you are today? Yeah, so my career has

kind of taken crazy turns. And I started as an elementary education major in college 20 something

years ago. And I changed to aerospace engineering when I found out how cool it could be. And I got my master's in aerospace engineering. And when I was applying to jobs, I decided I'm going to do tech consulting because I wanted to try different things. And when I was applying to Ernst & Young, they were like, are you interested in cyber? And in my head, I said, absolutely not. I do not code. I am not a man, and I'm pretty social, so I don't think this is going to work. But really, like, in my head, but as, you know, during the interview, I'm like, yeah, sure, it sounds great. I'm doing anything to get the job, right? So I said, yeah, sure, I would be interested. I don't really know

that much about it, but I'll learn. I'm a fast learner. And I got different job opportunities at

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