Security engineer Kabir loves security comps and working with others to keep ahead in his field
Growing up with a desire to “break technology”, Kabir was ready-made for a career in cyber security.
He loved maths and music in high school but by Year 11 and 12 his fave subject was Software Design and Development.
“Once I found out Macquarie University was introducing a Bachelor of Cyber Security in 2020, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do,” Kabir says. “I knew I wanted to work in offensive security, which is very hands on, and all about breaking things.”
Kabir now works as a security engineer at Australian software giant Atlassian, and despite cyber security being his day job, he clocks up the hours outside of work to stay in the loop.
“It’s important to constantly keep your knowledge base updated in the security industry,” Kabir says.
“I also participate in security competitions, called CTFs (Capture the Flags) on the world stage. I started doing this in my first year of university, and it significantly helped my career prospects, by proving passion and skills to employers.” Kabir’s current CTF team, TheHackersCrew, is currently ranked second in the world!
“These contests constantly allow you to learn new technical skills whilst providing a financial incentive,” Kabir adds.
He says the coolest thing about his job is the open and collaborative aspect of it, and the chance to find novel vulnerabilities in security systems.
“Security is a very wide net to cast in an organisation, so to be able to work with other software and security engineers to achieve similar goals, share knowledge with people and learn from others is very helpful and brings a social aspect into work,” Kabir says.
His top tip to students considering a similar path is not to worry about your ATAR. “I can say with confidence that my ATAR did not contribute to me landing my job,” Kabir says.
“I think this can be generalised to any field that isn’t hinged on a perfect ATAR. Don’t skimp on more enjoyable extracurricular research and work that aligns with your interests.”
Kabir’s study and career pathway to becoming a security engineer
- Summer Camp, National Computer Science School
- Bachelor of Cyber Security, Macquarie University
- Cyber security intern, Macquarie University
- Security engineering intern, Atlassian
- Security engineer, Atlassian
This profile was produced in partnership with Macquarie University and a version of it appeared in Careers with STEM: Technology 2024.
