In another fascinating Nomad Futurist Podcast, Tom Brennan, the Executive Director of CREST, a cybersecurity company, spoke with Phil and Nabeel about his life as a public interest technologist. Brennan has had a fascination with technology ever since he was a child. He lived as an island boy in his teens, repairing an old Tele video 802-H brought by his grandfather from its work. His first exposure to machine repair led him to work at a local computer store selling and installing used IBM computer equipment.  In addition to working in the digital field, he served in the Marine Corps, where he learned how to serve a greater cause than himself. Even though he left the army in 1991 after breaking his back in a recorded live fire shooting, this experience was the foundation for his burgeoning career in cybersecurity. From then on, he used technology as a method in forensics, investigation, and assisting in various startups. “I don’t necessarily think that schools need to change the mentality, but I do think that there should be a reward program as it’s been difficult for most of the cyber folks.” Brennan expressed that the least the companies could do is require the applicant to do a first-hand demonstration of essential incident response, security services, or penetration testing. He said that while there are many book smarts, the most qualified candidates for the job are passionate about convergence, the physical and electronic sides of security. He believes the most common misconception in cybersecurity is that people mistake it for convenience. People are unaware that the fundamentals will cause them to lose all their information and passwords.  “It serves the ethics side of the good guys and the ethics of the bad guys because the internet is a wonderful place. It allows everybody to operate. So, it’s in everyone’s interest to make it operational.” He emphasised that while the scope of their job is to keep an eye out for users who are prone to data breaches, people should also understand that the field is highly dynamic and that they should learn how to protect their accounts.  “You are your own bank. If you’re going to be your own bank, and you’re going to go ahead and have controls in place… you must determine what good looks like.” In his final message to the youth, he stated that to be successful in the field, one must be exposed to the right company and experiences. It will assist them in collaborating skills that will fruit their specialities.  “Security is not compliance. Compliance is compliance; security helps. But if you’re secure, you’re most likely going to be compliant because all the standards out there are the best practices.” Tom leads the Americas Council and collaborates with government and commercial organisations to maximise our value as a cybersecurity accreditation body and advocate for industry standards. His attention is drawn to the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency's 16 critical infrastructure sectors, which are essential to US security, the national economy, and public health and safety. He directs strategic plans for our organisation's expansion while serving as an industry evangelist and educator on the importance of using accredited cybersecurity products and professionals to improve consumer privacy, security, and protections globally. Tom is a former US Marine who has been involved with CREST since 2016. He currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for the national law firm Mandelbaum Salsburg, overseeing critical infrastructure, privacy, and security operations. He is also a member of the Gerson Lehrman Group's Advisory Board, a member of the County College of Morris' Information Technology Advisory Committee, a Senior Advisor and Industry Advisory Board Member of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a member of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering's Cyber Fellows Advisory Council. Working with OWASP was also a previous...