How I Got Into Tech: Senior Security Engineer Jen Burns

On our careers site, we encourage candidates to tell imposter syndrome to take the day off — in other words, don't let a confidence gap, or a lack of a traditional tech resume, get in the way of applying to HubSpot. (Ready to take the leap right now? Check out our open positions.)

One of the best ways to reinforce this idea is to tell the stories of how current HubSpotters got into tech, especially if it was through an unexpected or nontraditional path.

Here, Senior Security Engineer Jen Burns (she/they) shares her story. (Full transcript of Jen's response below.)

Transcript:

"I'm Jen Burns, a Senior Security Engineer here at HubSpot.

I went back to school for computer science, then eventually cybersecurity, after a ten or so year career as a musician and high school percussion teacher.

One of my student's parents actually helped me get my first internship at Intel while I was living out in Oregon. She just so happened to be a director there, which was pretty convenient for me. She referred me and I think trusted that I do a good job because she saw and understood the work ethic and the skills it took to be a successful teacher.

I definitely tried my best in tech interviews and with recruiters to help them get to know the full me: Jen as a cybersecurity professional and software engineer, but also a teacher, musician, and somebody who has leadership experience and time in the workforce, and overall just a second career human.

Those first few interviews can be pretty daunting. I know, and I've had my fair share of being disappointed or feeling like I didn't belong, but for every one of those experiences, I've had another one that really helped boost my self confidence and make me feel proud of my accomplishments.

If you're looking to break into tech, I'd recommend really understanding that your previous experience, whether it's in the liberal arts or whatever other field, is important and valuable. It may take a bit of time to piece everything together, but I'd recommend being patient with yourself and just taking that first step. Whether it's going back to school, signing up for a coding bootcamp or just applying for your first tech job, taking that first step is probably the hardest part, but it's one that I think will be super rewarding.

And once you do break into tech, just keep doing you and guaranteed that good things will follow."

Want to work for a team that tells imposter syndrome to take the day off? Check out our open positions and apply.