Women in IT: Christina

I am the Acting Director of Cyber and IT Security Transformation Planning. In a nutshell, I play a key role in my department to develop Shared Services Canada’s (SSC) strategic plan for cyber and IT security in the government of Canada. I work closely with my branch, other IT branches at SSC, and colleagues in the Government of Canada (GC) central security agencies to ensure our plans, our investments, and our projects reflect what the GC needs to do to best protect Canadians’ information and assure the continuity of government systems. Sounds boring right? Not really! 

We look at enterprise level investments in technologies to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of Canadian’s information, to securely manage and protect the GC’s IT infrastructure, and to assure the GC is able to prevent, detect, respond and recover from cyber-attacks.

My very first job in the federal public service was as a local area network administrator for the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Office at the Department of National Defence. I started in November 2001. 

I graduated from high school as an average student, not really sure what I wanted to be or particularly fond of math or science. I ended up with a diploma from a two year general arts and science program at Algonquin College and a BA in Law and Sociology with concentration in Criminology from Carleton University. After working at a law firm, I quickly realized that I wanted more and I knew I could do more. So I did.

I couldn’t afford to go back to university. So, instead I did a self-learning program and wrote various certification exams in Novell, Cisco and Microsoft. This was no easy feat. Working full time and studying a completely new field with no interpretation, no guidance took a lot of perseverance and self-direction. In subsequent years I did my Masters in Project Management, and some Intelligence Analysis courses.

I loved video games as a kid, bought the families very first multi-media computer in 1991 where I also explored (as a student of Carleton University) a lot on the “National Capital FreeNet”, one of the national capital regions only internet service providers at the time! While working on one of my very first contracts, I noticed a young male co-op student in Computer Science next to me working on far more interesting things - it was the end of Windows 3.1 and DOS and the beginning of the Windows 95 era!  I remember thinking “Wow. I wish I could be that student – such excitement about what he was learning and doing!” That was my first exposure to IT. 

Instead of sitting in envy of that co-op student’s IT career path - a young woman who didn’t have the math grades in high school to pursue that path (or so I was told) - I vowed to join him. And I did, it just took me some time to get there.

I would have to say the partnerships and horizontal engagement work we do with our federal cyber security partners and gaining insight into what our allies are doing in the cyber and IT security space. This is incredibly interesting stuff and to be able to review, assess and provide input into our own national cyber security strategy is very rewarding. One cannot forget that almost everything is underpinned by information technology today: our social benefits, science, research and innovation, our national security, the economy. Cyber and IT security has a big job to do.

Diversifying my experience in the various domains of IT and in broader departmental planning as a lead for NRCan’s Departmental Investment Plan has helped a great deal. This pushed me to better understand non-IT domains, like the scientific realm. 

Ultimately, your attitude is what will take you the farthest. IT knowledge is but one part of the product for success. If you are good at managing how you work with others, you will be very successful in advancing your career and become more than just a good leader - you will become a great leader. I’ve always had an optimistic perspective and am open to learning new and different things (it’s just how I am wired) - I think radiating this has helped my mobility and opened up opportunities.

I do! I feel like there is a shift with the new generation and the expectations of our citizens in general. They need simple, reliable, and factual information to make good decisions and have confidence in their government. I also think that as new generations of leaders are coming forward, we have the opportunity to perhaps challenge and really change the ways things were done in previous years… to simplify, to evolve, to innovate. Not just in terms of technology but also in terms of the underlying business processes that technology serves to automate. Change is good!

Kid’s brains are malleable and if we spark the interest in elementary grade levels, I think we might have a lot more success in longer term recruitment. At the high school level it would be the career counsellors that we need to actively engage. I think there is still the perception that if you aren’t good in math or sciences in grade school and high school you can’t go into these domains. Sadly I think a lot of young girls are swayed away from these fields by incorrect perceptions. 

Improved marketing! IT in the government involves everything from interfacing with the business to determine their needs, researching and testing new solutions to solve a problem, working with the vendor community, implementing the solution with a team of experts, managing and configuring IT hardware and software through its lifecycle, working in a fast paced, dynamic 24/7 operations centre, and so much more! I think we need to do a better job at showcasing IT careers as multi-faceted, dynamic, innovative, and social. These are all the things that make a career fulfilling and IT is no different. 

At a working level I’ve met some really fantastic individuals, one most memorable at my Aspiring Directors Training program. This woman is assertive, task driven, brief/concise and commands respect – but comes across shy and quiet! I have to say I was truly inspired by her leadership style.  I also once met a young woman, just starting her career, who would tell you straight-up what you needed to do but with such finesse it was incredible – before you even realized it she’d told the DG level what she needed to have done and how – and things were moving in her direction.  That’s pretty impressive. And it always impresses me to see my female colleagues enjoying what they do in science or technology positions.

Don’t sell yourself short just because you don’t think you are good enough in math, or science. You have the same opportunities as anyone else to enter into these fields. You are better than you think and can excel if you put your mind to it!  Choose to invest in yourself by trying – you might be surprised how much you like IT and how creative you can be – the field needs creativity and innovation and this is where girls are very strong.