Encore: Graham Cluley: Have to be able to communicate to everybody. [Media] [Career Notes]
Feb 11, 2024
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Graham Cluley, computer security writer, talks about his journey from self-taught programming to presenting and writing. He shares his experiences showcasing software on stage and becoming the public face of a company. The discussion also includes his transition to independent work and the challenges of being a one-person company in cyber security.
Graham Cluley learned programming by typing basic commands from magazine articles and eventually transitioned from programming to becoming the public face of the antivirus company Dr. Solomon's.
Cluley's career transitioned from programming to writing articles, podcasting, and public presentations, catering to a wider audience by explaining cybersecurity threats in simple language.
Deep dives
Transition from programming to antivirus development
The speaker recounts how they initially learned programming by typing in basic commands from magazine articles and eventually developed text adventure games. They began selling these games and received a life-changing package from a man named Alan Solomon, who offered them a job as the first Windows programmer for Dr. Solomon's antivirus toolkit. Over time, the speaker transitioned from programming to becoming the public face of the company.
The creation of Naked Security blog and current career
After leaving Dr. Solomon's, the speaker joined Sophos for more job satisfaction. Although not involved in programming, they contributed to social media activities and co-hosted a podcast called Smashing Security. In addition, they, along with a colleague, launched a blog called Naked Security. This blog aimed to explain cybersecurity threats in simple language, avoiding jargon and catering to a wider audience. The speaker's current career involves writing articles, podcasting, and public presentations, and they are grateful that people continue to show interest in their work, despite their initial hesitations about going independent.
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From Programming to Showcasing: A Journey of a Computer Security Writer
Computer security writer, podcaster and public speaker Graham Cluley describes learning to program on his own from magazines, creating text adventure games for donations, and his journey from programming to presenting and writing with a bit of tap dancing on the side. Along the way, Graham collaborated with others and learned to communicate so that all could understand, not just techies. Our thanks to Graham for sharing his story with us.