Comment by goialoq | Hacker News Reader

Comment by goialoq | Hacker News Reader

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/09/19...

Alice Goldfuss @alicegoldfuss Hi, I'm a Site Reliability Engineer at a large tech company.

I have a BFA in Film.

Steaknap Sleepchew @treelzebub Android Tech Lead here. Was a Religious Studies major, then a cook/chef for 12 years. #unqualifiedfortech

Richard Bejtlich @taosecurity Undergrad degrees in history, pol sci, French, German. Masters in public policy. Wrote 4 #cybersecurity books, was CISO. #unqualifiedfortech

Twitter Ads info and privacy (Bejtlich is the former chief information security officer at Mandiant, a cyber forensics firm that has investigated data breaches at many companies, including Equifax.)

Joe Uchill @JoeUchill Peter Thiel majored in 20th centrury philosophy. Now he harvests the blood of the young.#unqualifiedfortech

About 85 percent of Duo Security's hires do not have a formal background in information security,

Wendy Nather @wendynather I don't have a degree; if I'd gotten one, it would have been in liberal arts. But I've been in tech for 30 years, so their logic is flawed. https://twitter.com/alicegoldfuss/status/908430394529259520 … Follow Derek Robson @asinine_net_nz I know several people in infosec wth a music degree.

And a CISO is as much about risk management as CS and tech.

That's nice.

Do these people have any competence in the field before they're hired into an executive position?

> Steaknap Sleepchew @treelzebub Android Tech Lead here. Was a Religious Studies major, then a cook/chef for 12 years.

Not relevant.

> Richard Bejtlich @taosecurity Undergrad degrees in history, pol sci, French, German. Masters in public policy. Wrote 4 #cybersecurity books, was CISO.

Not relevant.

> Joe Uchill @JoeUchill Peter Thiel majored in 20th centrury philosophy. Now he harvests the blood of the young.

Not relevant.

> About 85 percent of Duo Security's hires do not have a formal background in information security,

Do they have experience in information security?

a) yes, therefore they have some qualifications, and the comparison is not relevant

b) no, therefore the employers are hiring people who are manifestly incompetent at their jobs

> Wendy Nather @wendynather I don't have a degree; if I'd gotten one, it would have been in liberal arts. But I've been in tech for 30 years, so their logic is flawed.

i.e. she has experience, and the comparison is not relevant.

> And a CISO is as much about risk management as CS and tech

So you're honestly saying that a widget company can hire a VP of widget manufacturing, who knows nothing about widgets or manufacturing? This is not just false, it's patently absurd.

The point isn't "OMFG she has a music degree". It's that there is no reason to believe she has any experience or competence in the field.

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