CyberWire Daily cover image

CyberWire Daily

Billy Wilson: Translating language skills to technical skills. [HPC] [Career Notes]

Oct 13, 2024
Billy Wilson, a High Performance Computing Systems Administrator at Brigham Young University, shares his unique journey from language proficiency to technical skills in cybersecurity. He discusses how his passion for writing and experiences in South Korea shaped his career. Billy emphasizes the importance of adaptability in cybersecurity, highlighting his transition from general hacking interests to becoming a penetration tester. He illustrates that pursuing diverse interests can lead to career satisfaction, proving that career paths can be non-linear and multifaceted.
07:07

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Billy Wilson highlights the importance of translating language skills into technical expertise, showcasing how diverse talents can lead to cybersecurity opportunities.
  • He emphasizes the value of finding satisfaction in various job roles rather than pursuing a singular passion, encouraging fulfillment through diverse interests in one's career.

Deep dives

Journey into High-Performance Computing

The speaker, a high-performance computing systems administrator, reflects on his journey into the tech field, beginning with a passion for writing and linguistics. After serving a mission in South Korea and studying at BYU, he transitioned into the cybersecurity industry by leveraging his language skills to work with Korean clients. This role sparked his interest in penetration testing, which he found appealing due to the intrigue surrounding hacking as depicted in popular culture. As he advanced in his career, he pursued a master's degree in Information Engineering, focusing on securing research data against potential threats while managing a large cluster of Linux servers.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode