2021 was a very particular year.

Mid Covid-19 pandemic, with mandatory isolation and quarantines, it was a harsh year I believe to us all. However, it is important to look back and also celebrate important accomplishments in our life. As such, I wanted to write this post to remind myself of the interesting achievements that happened at a professional level.

  • I joined the job market with a LinkedIn account.
  • I joined Portuguese Women in Tech mentorship program.
  • My research fellowship was renewed.
  • I installed and used for the first time Kali Linux (a staple in cyber security!).
  • I created my first CV to my liking. No more EuroPass!
  • I subscribed and finished Introduction to Networking online course by New York University (NYU).
  • I went to my very first interview in the cyber security field. It ended up being for a development position but I quite enjoyed meeting the company and the CEO.
  • I took a certification on ISO/IEC 27001.
  • I joined my first webinar in cybersecurity: Cyber Threat Intelligence & Forensics Analysis.
  • I launched my personal website (a previous version).
  • I had my first meeting with a client. (I was so nervous, but it went so well!)
  • I changed jobs to exactly what I wanted to do!
  • I went on my first ever work trip (to Paris).
  • I did my first forensics investigation.
  • And the year ended with very good news: my MSc thesis’ article was accepted to the Symposium on Applied Computing (SAP) conference, happening next year (2022).

Tip: There is an app called PepTalkHer that helps you save any event and celebrate your wins! Go check it out.