CYBER SCAPE AFRICA | Q2
IN THE
C-SEAT
WITH JESSICA GOMEZ
Tell us about Jessica and her space in the
cybersecurity field.
I am Jessica from Benin Republic. Am an expert
and consultant in information security in
Switzerland. Since I was a little girl, I have loved to
help people, to come to their rescue. In this age
of information technologies, I asked myself,
where and how can I be of help to people? Then I
found information security, cybersecurity and
data privacy.
The head of the EMBA program got me enrolled,
because he was impressed with my master’s
degree thesis and wanted to encourage women
to get into information security. That‘s how I
landed in information security and cybersecurity
field, in that high level formation, with 20 other
people and only 2 women, me included. They
were all working in big companies, with at least 5
years experience, while I was not able to even get
my first job.
How long have you been in the tech industry
and how did you get into cybersecurity.
I have been in the tech industry for more than 10
years now. After my high school certificate, I was
designated to be an engineer or a doctor (it’s
every African parent's dreams). I was good in
mathematics and physics, so obviously, I decided
to be an electrical engineer because I wanted to
create electricity to my country. I choose
renewable energy systems as an option,so as to
know how to get electricity from the sun, wind
and water.
Looking back, what are some of the highs and
lows you have experienced being in the
industry. Anything hilariously interesting or
scary?
The only big high I ever have and always focus on,
is to get people to acknowledge and recognize
my worth and my skills, only. When I read on their
faces, satisfaction and respect for my work,
project or ideas - it’s my victory.
After my engineering degree, I couldn’t find a
good opportunity - job or investment capital to
launch a solar pales project. I pursued my studies
with a plan to be an atypical and polyvalent
professional, by adding management and
economical skills to my technicals ones. So I got a
master’s degree in information systems, from a
business school, and searched for a job, to no
avail. I got tired of having nothing to do, so I tried
my luck to enroll in an Executive MBA Program,
without any work experience.
The hilarious part was and will always be, the
reaction I get when I say to people, especially the
male professionals in the field, that am one of
them. I don’t think they expect to meet or to work
with a young, black, African woman in
cybersecurity. In general, it’s a good surprise for
them (I guess).
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