Boost Your Career: Get Practical InfoSec Experience in Your Community

Ashley Cihak, president of a Northern Nevada Lions Club chapter, makes the case that volunteer work can build real security and technical skills. The club's computers-for-kids program gives low-income students from kindergarten through twelfth grade refurbished laptops and desktops, and a monthly two-hour lab walks them through account setup, strong passphrases, Linux and open-source tools, and basic online safety. Parental controls are included for families. The club also trains its own volunteers, including lawyers, accountants and people new to the field, to load and standardize Linux systems.

The middle of the talk covers what volunteers gain beyond technical work. Running labs and donation drives builds project management, inventory tracking, troubleshooting, leadership and people-handling skills, and volunteer hours can count toward continuing professional education. The speaker cited survey figures on skills-based hiring and on volunteering strengthening professional skill sets. The club also partnered with the Center for Internet Security to test a CIS-compliant desktop image with its students, giving volunteers exposure to hardening work.

The closing section shares outcomes: a former foster student who later ran a tech company and hired young people leaving foster care, a seven-year-old who began keeping her mother's bookkeeping in a spreadsheet, and a volunteer who gained command-line experience and was hired by a local data center. Listeners are encouraged to join a local Lions Club, start a similar program, or teach basic skills at libraries, YMCAs and community centers.