So, why cybersecurity?
I guess it all started a few years ago when I was still working in my old company back in Latvia. It was one of the country’s biggest telecom, broadband, and TV providers, so it was quite a technical environment. We also had data centres and all that, so security was always a big deal - even back then.
Although I wasn’t working directly in that field, our team often dealt with client data. The company ran security awareness courses for employees at least once a year, including short tests about things like creating good passwords and handling sensitive data. We also had a few lectures about security, and I always found those really interesting.
At that point, I wasn’t thinking about changing my career to cybersecurity, but I knew I wanted something new - something more technical. In my last two years there, I was a team lead manager. Honestly, I didn’t like being a manager at all. I could do it, and I think I was a decent one - my team liked me - but it wasn’t what I truly enjoyed.
So, in 2024, I finally left that job. I’d been there for 12 years. Before that, I worked in retail shops here and there, but this company was a big part of my life, so leaving wasn’t easy. I quit because I was planning to get married and move to the UK - my husband’s country.
So yeah, I left my job, gave up my flat, packed my cats, and brought my pet python too! It was the first time in my life I moved countries - actually, even the first time I moved cities. Growing up, we never moved. My family lived in the same flat my whole childhood. So, moving to another country at 35, leaving everything behind, was a huge step. But I did it.
When I arrived in the UK, I couldn’t work right away because I didn’t have a visa yet. For several months, I was just getting to know the city and figuring things out. Meanwhile, since I had officially left my job in Latvia, I registered with the unemployment office there, which allowed me to access free courses.
That’s when I started looking at what they offered - basically online courses, many through Coursera. And from everything available, “Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate” immediately caught my eye. I thought, yeah, that sounds like something I’d enjoy.
I applied for the course, but it was exactly around the time I moved to the UK, so I didn’t start it right away. The courses had a time limit for completion, and at some point I realised it was actually quite intense and packed with a lot to learn. But I’ll tell you more about that course in another chapter.
So, that’s how I chose cybersecurity.
Thinking back, I’ve probably always been into computers. As a kid, we were one of the first families in my area to get a computer at home - my dad was really into them. I remember playing games long before Windows existed. There was Norton Commander - that blue screen with plain text - and I learned how to install games on it.
Just recently, I even found one of the games I used to play: Cartooners. During the early Windows days, I also spent all summer playing SimCity. I even remember finding cheat codes to get unlimited money so I could build whatever I wanted!
I liked figuring things out. Even later, when I was around 13 or 14, I spent a lot of time with Photoshop, following tutorials and trying to recreate cool effects. And actually, even earlier, when my mum used to take me and my sister to her office on Saturdays, I’d play on the work computers. There wasn’t much to do, so I’d open Paint or PowerPoint and make little “cartoons” by moving objects from one slide to another.
My sister never really did that - she liked games too, but I was definitely more into computers and creating things. Sadly, when I got older, I didn’t continue down that creative path. I didn’t study graphic design or anything like that, even though I really loved Photoshop at the time. But there’s no point in wondering what if.
Looking back, I think that curiosity was always there. And when I moved to the UK, I suddenly had the time and space to really think about what I wanted - and to finally start learning again.