Java Printz,LLC

“I’m Not a Tech Person”

You don’t need to be “good with technology” to stay safe online.

Most online scams don’t rely on technology at all.
They rely on human behavior — urgency, trust, distraction.

Simple habit:
Question urgency, not yourself.
If something rushes you, pause.

This is explained in my book Cyber Safe, Not Cyber Scared. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GK1FLHHC

5 cybersecurity mistakes that are costing your career:
I've spent 20+ years watching talented professionals stall in their careers.
Here's why it happens:

1. Focusing solely on technical skills
The technical part will come, but "communication is 90% of everything" in cybersecurity. Master that first.

2. Rigid presentation of findings
I used to be very rigid in my findings presentation. Now I know better - calmness creates receptiveness.

3. Overwhelming stakeholders with jargon
When you present complex technical details without translation, you lose your audience immediately.

4. Ignoring the business context
Security doesn't exist in a vacuum. Understanding the business group you're auditing is essential for effective solutions.

5. Setting unrealistic remediation plans
Work collaboratively to create timelines that businesses can actually implement. Unrealistic demands get ignored.

The biggest career accelerator?
Learning to be "buttoned up and covered up in what you present" while maintaining a calm, helpful approach.
Are you making any of these mistakes?

The dark side of cybersecurity certifications for new professionals:
I spoke to a new cybersecurity analyst last week.
And I was shocked at what I heard;

He'd done a 'certification bootcamp' (5k+ investment)

Where they'd set him up with a stack of certifications:
• CompTIA Security+
• CISSP
• CEH
• CISA
and trained him to pass the exams

Now while there is nothing inherently wrong with these certifications
And in fact, they are great, I recommend 3 of them now

The problem is that they are useless without something in place
Think of it like this
You learn all the firewall configurations, encryption protocols, compliance frameworks

And then you can't apply any of them because you forgot to learn how to communicate effectively

That's EXACTLY the problem with these certifications and these programs pushing them

They are not a complete system
They are limited if you don't have strong communication skills, practical experience, and stakeholder management abilities

Don't believe me?
• Look at who's getting promoted in cybersecurity
• Look at who's effectively implementing security changes
• Look at who stakeholders actually listen to
The general rule here is to master communication first, then build your technical expertise