Say hello to great people, opportunities, flexibility and a high-demand career with cyber security
In high school, Winiata Lambert wanted to be a pilot. Or have a career in music. Then he had dinner with a friend who was studying IT.
“He started talking about the things he was learning and I thought it sounded interesting.”
Already married with a baby and a full-time job, Winiata needed his studies to fit around his life. So, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Science (Cyber Security) at Edith Cowan University.
“That first semester changed everything,” he says. “I made friends with some people who were on that same buzz as me. They pushed me to continue. I surprised myself with how much I was able to learn.”
When ECU staff shared some outreach opportunities, Winiata gave them a go. He volunteered for high school science programs, joined the student association and even landed a paid role to lead peer-assisted study sessions.
“Because I was involved with the student association, I also got a summer internship working in a cyber security team,” he says. “Two months later, I got an actual job as a cyber security analyst while I was still studying.”
Winiata now works as a full-time cyber security consultant at Datacom.
“I’m growing professionally and in my cyber security knowledge, and also in how to work with a business, understanding its needs and solving problems. Out of all the careers I’ve come across, few are as cool as cyber security.”
Winiata’s top three tips
- Try new things: “At uni, at first I was just studying, nothing else. Then, eventually, I opened myself up to all these opportunities. It changed everything.”
- Work on your problem-solving: “If I were to sum up what I do daily in cyber security, it’s problem-solving.”
- Give yourself a go: “I had this idea that cyber security would be too technical and hard, but once I actually tried it, I did really well.”
Winiata’s career journey
- Bachelor of science (cyber security), Edith Cown University
- Cyber security analyst, Minderoo Foundation
- Cyber security analyst, Tattarang
- Cyber security operations advisor, Datacom
- Cyber security consultant, Datacom
This originally appeared in Careers with STEM: Technology 2025, and was produced in partnership with Edith Cowan University.
