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nFrom the military to a pharmacist to cybersecurity, Brady McNulty, CC,nSSCP, has not had the usual pathway into his current role, but hisncareer route has been nonetheless highly beneficial for a move toncybersecurity.n

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nTo say that my route into cybersecurity has been outside of the norm is veryntrue. Even a bit of an understatement. After high school I joined the U.S.nNavy’s nuclear power program and operated nuclear reactors for a few years.nUninspired, I wanted to change career fields entirely at the end of mynenlistment – so, after an honorable discharge from the Navy, I attendednundergraduate and pharmacy school and earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degreenfrom Texas A&M University.n

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nI’d worked in the pharmacy sector for about 12 years when the globalnCOVID-19 pandemic started. By that time, community pharmacies had alreadynbecome unduly stressful, due to increasing demands upon pharmacists andntechnicians even as staff levels were falling. One local pharmacy shut downnovernight, throwing our community into turmoil. Tempers ran high and then,none day, I was physically threatened by a frustrated member of the public.n

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Time For a Change

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nBy this time, however, an alternative path was in sight. By virtue of itsnincreasing profile in the wider world, I had developed something of anninterest in cybersecurity. The very night of the incident, I decided that mynnascent interest in cybersecurity would now need to become my driving force,nand I’ve never looked back.n

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nI enrolled right away in Western Governors University’s Bachelor of Sciencenin Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program, which included severalncertifications. The timing was fortuitous: ISC2 was just rolling out a pilotnprogram for what is now called Certified in Cybersecurity (CC). So, by thentime I had graduated, I had obtained both CC and SSCP qualifications, alongnwith several other relevant certifications and training.n

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nOne of the curious things I noted about my career change was that I hadnattended exactly zero pharmacy conferences as a pharmacist. But in my firstnyear in my new adventure in information security, I attended the “InfosecnCampout,” a convention that took place at a campsite outside of Seattle. Inlearned an important lesson there: the talks themselves were valuable, butnthe networking was invaluable and genuinely interesting. After the campout,nI attended another enlightening conference called HOPE in New York Citynwhere I was able to jump right in as a volunteer.n

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Engaging at ISC2 Security Congress

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nOne of the highlights of my time as a student was attending the 2022 ISC2nSecurity Congress, whose theme was “Empower.” I listened to and met manyninteresting speakers in the industry, and even met ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso.n

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nI’d walked in slightly skeptical, wondering if I would truly feeln“empowered”. As I left, I did. The weekend confirmed to me that I’d made thenright decision in changing career to cybersecurity. I’ve stayed in frequentncontact with some of the attendees who hadn’t hesitated to talk to anstudent, at length, about career options. This event also made me believe innthe mission of ISC2.n

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nAs I neared the end of my degree work with WGU, I began applying fornpositions; I was nervous but ready to make the leap. I was fortunate enoughnto land a position that deals with investigations and digital forensics; Inbid a final farewell to life in the pharmacy and went right to work at whatnI consider my dream job. I enjoy it so much, I have returned to WGU tonobtain a Master’s degree in the same field, including a certification inndigital forensics.n

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nI’m sharing my story because I want people to know it’s okay to make bignchanges. I did it not just once but twice. I won’t lie, it’s not easy – butnthat’s because I work at it daily. I’ve never lost motivation or questionednmy decision, and I genuinely enjoy going to work. One of my favorite partsnof being a pharmacist was that every day was different, with unique puzzlesnto solve. Now, working as an information security engineer, I’m solvingnpuzzles again. Just with fewer phone calls.n

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• n Find out more aboutn n Certified in Cybersecurityn n , including ISC2’sn n One Million Certified in Cybersecurityn n program heren
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• n The SSCP certification is a globally recognized IT security administrationn and operations qualification.n n Learn more heren n
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• n ISC2 Security Congress 2024 takes place in Las Vegas on 14-16 October.n n Register heren n and look at the call for papers heren
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