Could you switch careers into cyber-security?
How do galaxies form? What happens when they collide? These are the kinds of questions Dr Leila Powell grappled with in her previous life as an astrophysicist.
But in 2015 she put those galactic-sized questions to one side and moved into cyber-security.
“The pursuit of understanding the universe is really important, but I got to a point where I felt like I wanted to do something that impacted people’s daily lives more,” she says.
And like many jobseekers, Ms Powell was looking for better pay and conditions.
“There are various challenges in the academic career path that can dissuade people from sticking at it, including job security and pay in comparison with industry,” she says.
Dr Powell is lead security data scientist at Panaseer, a company that helps organisations to understand where they might have gaps in their cyber-security controls.
She’s one of many people who have brought their skills from other careers into cyber-security.
Cyber-security includes a range of roles that all aim to protect organisations and their technology from cyber-attacks. Some people help to prevent incidents by analysing or improving the security of applications, networks and devices. Others help organisations to continue operating or to recover when they are attacked.
Source: BBC News