Any security engineers or security researchers on here? I'd love to hear your background and your TC

I'm currently an SRE working on a firewall product at Palo Alto Networks. I want to transition into a purely security engineering role, or researcher role either here, at another security company, or a big name where they also have security R&D. Not looking for an IT Info Sec type role (like manual work), looking at engineering or research for my next few years. I'd love to hear how you found yourself in your current trajectory, what drives you, and what the pay ladder looks like. :) I'm currently working on machine learning projects outside work for spyware, and participating in local CTFs YOE: 1 TC: 255k #security

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IGT 3byfive Feb 3, 2020

Bruh how are you making that kind of TC with with only 1 YOE

Palo Alto Networks AfWg61 OP Feb 3, 2020

It's 1 YOE full time experience but actually I have been programming since I was 10, and interned every summer since after high school for brand names 😅 I don't want to give away my anonymity here, but I'll say that my first year out of college was at a FAANG before I came here, and I had a second FAANG offer to counteroffer with for my current role at PANW, so that definitely helped

IEEE AC/VC Feb 3, 2020

1 year 255k? What was your major in college? What school did you attend?

Palo Alto Networks AfWg61 OP Feb 3, 2020

Computer science at a UC school! :)

Palo Alto Networks AfWg61 OP Feb 3, 2020

I'm also an edge case because I actually dropped out of my UC school, I didn't finish 😬 so the TC wasn't dependant on the college I went to

Starbucks zerdws Feb 3, 2020

How is the Security Research work @PaloAlto? Don’t they allow you to move within the org?

Palo Alto Networks AfWg61 OP Feb 3, 2020

It looks badass here which is why I'm interested :) I've said hi to some security researchers in my building, but I don't feel comfortable enough to ask them what their TC is, or they might feel like it's an invasion of privacy bc I don't know them that well. So I was hoping I could find some real numbers through Blind, through either my company or similar positions at other security companies

Palo Alto Networks AfWg61 OP Feb 3, 2020

Also I'm asking this question in hopes that somebody can give me some ideas for self-study, I'm trying to groom myself into a hardcore security researcher atm :0

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woruMw3 Feb 22, 2020

how do you like working at PANW?