What a Senior Director of Information Security at CarParts.com Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Information Security Industry
Phillip, a Senior Director of Information Security, learned that "titles don't necessarily mean a whole lot," discovering many roles were attainable earlier in their career than initially perceived; this realization encourages more ambitious pursuit of roles beyond perceived qualifications.
Career Development, Job Search, Overcoming Challenges, Industry Realities, Executive/Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Phillip Chang
Senior Director - Information Security
CarParts.com
Michigan State University - 2007
UCLA Anderson MBA
Communications
Automotive & Auto Parts
Cyber Security and IT
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Don't let job titles intimidate you; focus on the work and your qualifications.
2. Many roles are attainable earlier than you might think; be ambitious in pursuing roles.
3. Your career progression isn't always linear; explore various roles based on your skills and interests.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
Maybe in general, titles don't necessarily mean a whole lot. I think when you're younger in your career, you might think a senior level title must be super important, or that a manager role seems really difficult. Or perhaps you'd see a director title and think you're not qualified.
Then, when you actually get there and start doing the work, you often realize the title wasn't suited to the workload. You probably could have done the job years ago, but you just didn't know.
You were intimidated by the titles and the job descriptions. I think if I had known that a little bit earlier, I would have been more ambitious about the types of roles I was pursuing.
For example, when you're an analyst, you might think you can only become a senior analyst next. But that's not really true; you can do a variety of roles as long as you believe you're qualified.
Advizer Personal Links
phillipchang.com