“How CyberGirls helped Chinaza Anidebe transition from a classic IT role in one of Africa’s biggest banks, to join the information security team, in less than a year. This is her story, in her words.”
Chinaza Anidebe
“I was an entry-level Information Technology professional looking to make a career switch to cybersecurity. I started studying on my own thinking that at least I could garner some knowledge that way. There was an overwhelming amount of information on the internet. I did not know where to start from or what to start with. I even tried to reach out to people and they will say, ‘just read, keep studying’. A very loud question in my head was, read what, study what?
I applied to the Cybergirls 2.0 program in high spirits. I remember having a network timeout during the assessment, but I prayed and did my best. Boom, I got to the interview stage. During the interview, I explained how I really wanted to learn in a structured manner and access mentorship.
I got into the Fellowship and began a journey of a lifetime. I remember doing pending assignments in the dream and waking up to remember that I have not actually done it. Combining it with my Job which I sometimes work on during weekends was a herculean task, but I was determined to push through.
I joined the Cloud security track and my trainer Omotolani Olowosule was patient and thorough. I got hands-on and practical experience on cloud security solutions. I also found my voice, contributing to team projects and presentations.
I cannot thank CyberSafe Foundation enough for exposing me to this vital structured knowledge, bringing cyber sisters my way and exposing me to amazing mentors in my field.
Thank you, Confidence Staveley. Not just for being a mother in every sense of it but also for holding such high moral standards. I am working so hard to make us proud, till we are too good to be ignored.”
Congratulations Chinaza, to say I’m proud of you would be an understatement.
Keep soaring !
