How Motherhood Became Her Greatest Motivation to Succeed in Cybersecurity

Main Topics:

• The journey of a self-taught woman in a male-dominated tech industry
• The impact of motherhood on career motivation and resilience
• Strategies for encouraging women and girls into STEM fields

Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Jeanine's inspiring story and expertise 01:22 - Jeanine shares her background as a mom and tech professional 02:45 - The emotional significance of motherhood and meaningful memories 04:22 - How Jeanine transitioned from student to teacher in cybersecurity 05:53 - Mentorship and its role in navigating a tech career 07:29 - Challenges faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry 09:06 - The motivating force of family to persist in tech 10:36 - Self-education and formal training in technology 11:23 - The importance of diverse perspectives in problem-solving 12:02 - Women's approach to problem contemplation versus men 13:30 - Addressing barriers and stereotypes in women’s tech participation 15:52 - Jeanine’s legacy message for future women in technology 16:48 - Resources for women to learn tech skills for free 17:33 - Key lessons on resilience, persistence, and creative problem-solving 18:09 - Internet safety advice for parents and children 19:47 - Tips for moms starting to learn about technology 20:24 - Encouragement for girls feeling intimidated by STEM careers 22:03 - Why technology careers are lucrative and accessible 23:55 - Basic coding principles for beginners 24:39 - Skills young people should develop for cybersecurity success 26:08 - Passing on a love for tech to the next generation 27:15 - Advice for new moms managing exhaustion and overwhelm 29:01 - The importance of perseverance and community supportResources & Links:

• Learn Microsoft
• Coursera
• Udemy
• Galaxy Quest - Never Give Up, Never Surrender (Quote Inspiration)

Remember, this episode demonstrates that barriers are often self-imposed. With perseverance, continuous learning, and a supportive mindset, women can thrive in technology and beyond. Never give up, never surrender—your journey is possible.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:04

Hello, beautiful. Welcome to MontLife, where we talk about everything from family planning to menopause.

SPEAKER_04 0:22

Most women believe breaking into tech requires a college degree or years of formal training. Janine's story proves otherwise. Starting in the late 80s, as a self-taught coder, she rose to lead roles, mentoring others along the way, all while raising her son from age 15. Her journey reveals a powerful truth. Perseverance, curiosity, and smart resourcefulness can open doors in technology regardless of where you start. In this episode, you'll discover how Janine transitioned from a curious parent to a cybersecurity expert, emphasizing the importance of following your instincts and leveraging free, accessible training resources like learn.microsoft.com. We break down her strategies for overcoming industry biases like being mistaken for administrative staff or facing gender-based challenges, and how she thrived despite a male-dominated field. Her insights on building resilience and mastering troubleshooting and navigating internet safety are invaluable for parents and aspiring tech professionals alike. You'll also learn why expanding diversity in tech matters profoundly, bringing different perspectives that lead to better solutions, and how women can harness unique approaches like thoughtful contemplation to excel in problem-solving roles. Plus, her inspiring message for young girls and moms: there are no real barriers, only beliefs we choose to challenge. Whether you're considering a career switch or empowering your daughter to pursue STEP, this episode offers actionable advice grounded in experience and passion. The stakes are clear. Without diverse voices, innovation stalls. But with the right mindset and accessible tools, you can defy expectations and forge a rewarding, impactful career in technology. Janine's story isn't just inspiring. It's a blueprint for overcoming obstacles and transforming challenges into opportunities. Perfect for moms, women, or anyone feeling held back by self-doubt or industry stereotypes. This episode is your call to action. Join us to see how perseverance and curiosity can turn dreams into reality. No matter your starting point, never give up, never surrender.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

I am so excited to have you on today. Thank you for joining us and taking time out of your day. Could you tell us a little about yourself, who you are, what you do, and about your family?

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Hi. My name's Janine and I am similar, you know, like you. I'm a wife, a mom. We are super women when you're doing the whole mom, wife, working thing. So I'm doing all of the above. I wear many hats. I love working, but I I love my family, and I'm doing that whole balance thing that is so difficult. But, you know, it's very rewarding.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Yes, it is very rewarding. What's been your favorite part of motherhood?

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Oh my gosh, from the time I knew that I was having my son, I immediately felt, I always felt I was carrying my best friend. And that was incredible because I I had never felt so close to someone that I hadn't met yet. And I felt so close. This was my precious cargo, my best friend, my lifelong friend, my unconditional love. And I knew I had all of this building, you know. Of course, by the time he was born, he was already my BFF. I didn't even have to know it yet. Um, and that's always been the case. I've always felt like I I created my best friend.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

I mean, he that's that doesn't go away. That's so beautiful. What is one memory from raising your son that still makes you smile today?

SPEAKER_00 4:45

That he in, I guess it was in junior high school, or one of his teachers told me once that he told them I was doing a good job. And it wasn't, he was not a little little boy at this time. I think he was a young teenager. I remember being surprised to hear from his teacher that he told them I was doing a good job. I thought.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Yes, you've had such an interesting career as well, especially working in technology and computer security. What inspired you to pursue a career in computer security or technology?

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Well, I I kind of fell into it, but I realized that many moons ago, I saw that folks younger than I was, such as my son, they were starting to use technology. And I thought, wow, this this is cool stuff, cool beans. I wanted to learn about it and and help my son learn about it because I noticed that schools were starting to do this. I actually went to his grammar school to take some classes. They were giving free classes for parents, and I would go with another mom and we would take some classes there. And then I just kept going from there, kept trying to get my hands on a machine anywhere I could, including at the Boys and Girls Club. They have them, they have computers as well. So eventually I started teaching classes at the Boys and Girls Club. I was helping them, you know, voluntarily. I was teaching classes to the young members. So we would get folks that would come in and they would do their homework assignments and their essays, and I would help them. So that kind of got me started, and I realized how important it was.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

So you went from being the student to being the teacher? Yes. Oh yeah. No, I it was it was that important. It was I always felt it was very important.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Did you have any mentors who helped guide you along the way?

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Yes. Yes. I had both men and women would encourage me. And what they encouraged me to do most was to follow my instincts. Because if with computers, yes, it's all science and technology and math, but if you let that overwhelm you, you won't get too far when in the field. You have to follow your instincts because a lot of it is just common sense and logic. So I would have, you know, I would go to my mentors and they would lead me, but they would let me figure out a lot of stuff on my own. And I made some mistakes. But with this one woman, for example, that I met at Columbia Pictures, she was incredibly talented on computers. So I would follow her around like a puppy dog and just soak up anything I could. And then at another place that I worked at, there was a man, Mike, that I would ask him questions and he would help me find the answers. He wouldn't tell me the answer, even though he knew it. But he would ask me leading questions until I figured out the answer.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Those are excellent strategies on learning anything just to help people, helping guide people to the answer and not just giving them the answer. Did you face any challenges working in a male-dominated industry?

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Oh boy, yes. Yes, absolutely. It is has always been and unfortunately still is a male-dominated field. It's it's improving. So the challenges, you know, there are many challenges. Oftentimes I was mistaken for the secretary, not that there's anything wrong with that. I've been a secretary and I love that job. But I mean, I would have a different role, but the assumption was that I would have maybe a more administrative role and not a the technical role. And that happened a lot. I would get confused with, you know, or or maybe if I was out with my husband or something, maybe they thought I was the girlfriend. I I wasn't the one that was had the cool job. It was so annoying. But at work, yes, I've had to fight and struggle for respect and recognition. Well, I had to learn to be tough.

SPEAKER_02 9:08

So, what's kept you motivated to stay in the field in spite of all of these challenges?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

That's a great question because a lot of women just give up on it because it is very frustrating. So, one big motivator was my son. When I discovered that my son was having his own son, I felt like I had to step up my game. And I said, okay, now I'm going full on. I am not stopping because I know motherhood and I know he's going to need help. You know, he's a father and he will need help. So I need to be in a position where I can help as much as possible in in many different ways. So I went full on into the field and I said, and not nothing and no one is gonna stop me. You know, I have a mission, and my mission is to go as far as I can, as fast as I can with this, because I know this is the future.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Looking back, what are you most proud of in your career?

SPEAKER_00 10:10

I'm proud. Oh my gosh, that I was mostly self-taught. When I started doing this in the late 80s, there were no I could not go to college and get this. You know, I you couldn't go to school and get the training that I needed. You couldn't find it anywhere. They didn't teach a lot of this stuff. There were some, you could take some math classes and uh but the technology was still growing and evolving so fast, faster than any classes could be created and offered in schools. So I was primarily self-taught and self-taught to a level where I eventually became the teacher. I got a state certification to teach at at you know local colleges, which I did. I taught at Glendale Community College and various colleges, and I would teach at many schools and all based on being self-taught. So I I was able to do that on my own. And eventually I did go back to school when they offered these courses and got my bachelor's and a couple of master's degrees, but that was much later in life.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Why do you think it's important to have more women in technology today?

SPEAKER_00 11:26

We need to to balance the scales and have a different perspective. Women approach things differently, and I'm not saying one is better or worse. Men and women both have their strengths and talents. And but they're not always the same. We might approach a problem from different directions. And when you're troubleshooting, you need open minds and you need all the support and viewpoints that you can get, especially since sometimes we're actually creating the solutions and technology as we go forward to answer the questions and troubleshoot the problems. So you need, you know, the men might might see things one way, the women might see things another way, or but we all come together with the best solution based on all of this knowledge that's gathered.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Could you give us an example of a perspective a woman may take on a situation versus a man and how important that it is to have that woman's perspective?

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Well, that's a great question.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Let's see. I think as a woman, I I can't speak for every woman. I can I can only tell you what I've experienced. I often have a bad habit of perhaps staying, I might stay in the background contemplating the issue before I speak. You know, while perhaps the men might be more vocal about their thoughts, I might be more quiet in my thoughts. Maybe it's a learned behavior to just sit back or stay in the background and stay quiet. But it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it. But when I do say something, over the 30 plus years in my career, folks have realized that when I do speak up, it's because I've come to, you know, I have something to say that I've thought a lot about. And that perspective of first thinking, you know, really thinking about something and not giving up, and maybe even researching and and testing my theory and then speaking up, that is a talent that I'm not saying men don't have, but a lot of times maybe it's the competition between them. They might be more eager to step in and do something. Whereas I might I might be more afraid to do that because I want to really think about it because what I do, I'm gonna be judged more harshly on. So I want to make sure I get it right the first time.

SPEAKER_02 14:01

More of taking a proactive approach and looking at the macro and not the micro or being reactive.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

What progress still needs to happen for women in technology?

SPEAKER_00 14:21

I think the fact that we are still minorities in the field has to be recognized because oftentimes when I have brought the issue up, I might be in a meeting with all men and I might mention something, and they might say, Well, but we have a the woman leading the contract is, you know, the person leading the thing is a woman. Okay, so we have one. That's not even in the playing field. Right. Not everyone understands that we are intimidated. You know, we are sometimes we do it to ourselves, but not always. You know, it is very scary to throw yourself into a field that's completely male dominated when they have a, you know, maybe a learned habit of seeing you as maybe you're not gonna be as smart. Or actually, one thing I have run into is, for example, it was a contract where I had to move up north for three months. And we were all offered this opportunity, everyone that I worked with. And uh, the last thing anyone expected was for me to jump up and raise my hand and volunteer. I'll go, I'll go move up north for three months. Yeah. One of the men said, What? What about your husband? And I thought to myself, wait, what? I don't remember any of them worrying about their wives, kids, or figuring out drop-offs and pickups and yeah, the first go-to that this one particular person had was that I should be more concerned about my family than than the opportunity. But he didn't I don't remember him saying that or even thinking that with anyone else. And so my boss sent me because I think he just as a ha ha ha, he sent me and it w it worked out very well. So I've had very good leaders that have helped me along the way, including now. My current boss is incredible.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

What legacy do you hope to leave for women entering the tech field?

SPEAKER_01 16:23

That there are no barriers.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

I don't see any. I never have, and I've always jumped in, eyes closed. Just jumped in and volunteered and thought, okay, I can do that. The legacy should be don't don't believe that there are any barriers. There are none. We we tend to put them in front of ourselves. And we really need more women. We need to show our daughters and sons that, hey, we are all, we are, and we are all intelligent. And you know, it doesn't matter what you are, who you are, what age you are, if you're young, if you're old. I mean, I'm not a young lady. I am officially in the uh senior category.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

But it doesn't matter whether you are, you know, 10 years old or or 70 years old, or it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

We are all capable and the resources are out there. Every single tech company that most of them anyway, everyone I've run it run into, they offer free training because they want you to use their tools. So they will offer free training. Even Microsoft, for example, at learn.microsoft.com, you can go to that website and see tons and tons of free training uh modules on all the different products they offer.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

I'm writing that down and making sure that we have that in the show notes. Learn.microsoft.com. Right. Yes. What lessons has working in technology taught you about resilience and growth?

SPEAKER_00 18:04

Never give up. The solution is out there to every problem. The problems are easy. The problems are easy to recognize. Oh, there's a problem. But solutions are not always easy to come by. But don't give up. Be creative, think outside of the box, just never give up, never surrender.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

As a mom and someone working in cybersecurity, you've probably seen things many parents don't realize about the internet. What are some common mistakes parents make when it comes to internet safety?

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Well, since we're saying parents, I assume that's for the kids. Both parents and kids are at risk. As a matter of fact, yeah, any age. At any age, we are all at risk. So common mistakes, I know we all want to trust our kids, and that's great. What we don't realize is that there are predators out there that are using networks and the internet as their playground. And they are much faster and smarter and further ahead than most of your average computer users. So we have to employ any security methods that we see, of course, antivirus. We want to update our security patches. There's a patch Tuesday that Microsoft offers us the second Tuesday of every month, which was this last Tuesday, for example, they offer security patches. And everyone should make sure that the second Tuesday of every month or within the next day or two that they install those patches and reboot. They usually will install themselves and say, we've patched, we're rebooting, let it happen. You need all those patches. On the other hand, be careful about clicking on any links. If you don't know what it is, don't click it. Especially email links, phone, any of that. It's a scary world out there. And I think that we have a larger volume of risk on the internet than we do even in person, of physical arm.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

What are some simple ways moms can start learning about technology today?

SPEAKER_00 20:16

All the free courses, some of them are as short as five minutes, as I said, learn.microsoft.com or go to Coursera or Udemy. There are tons and tons of free courses out there that can be as short as five minutes, 10, 15, 20. You know, you don't have to spend hours on end. You can just do little snippets and learn something maybe every day. Take a few minutes every day. And that would help. I mean, anything helps.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

What would you say to young girls who are curious about technology but feel intimidated?

SPEAKER_00 20:52

I wish I had them in a class because what I've been known to do is I'll take a classroom and I'll tell them, go crazy, because I know how to protect the classroom. And I asked them what their worst fear is, and whatever it is. One woman once told me, I'm afraid I'm gonna delete everything. I said, Great, let's do it. So we did. I had her delete everything. I said, look, hit that delete button. We're going crazy now. And then I showed her how easy it was to recover. So by the end of that, that fear was gone. Yeah. You have to, you know, figure what's the worst that can happen. If you're trying to learn, I mean, yes, on the internet, there is a lot of bad that can happen, especially with kids, because there are predators. But employ security measures, learn about security measures, restrictions. They're there for a reason. So we have to protect ourselves. And honestly, the only safe computer is a computer that is not on the network. If you're not on the network, no one can get to you. That's not very useful though. Right.

unknown 21:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

How can parents encourage their daughters to explore careers in STEM or technology?

SPEAKER_00 22:09

They can start, you know, sometimes money is a good motivator. So a lot of times young folks just want the jobs where the money is. They want to follow the money. And in tech, I have to say the tech field is only growing. It's growing exponentially. It is not going to slow down. It's going to just keep exploding. We need more and more tech folks in the background, which is where I work. I'm in the background. Most people have no idea what I do, when I do it, how I do it. I work on thousands of machines at a time in the background where no one ever sees me. That's the way hackers work too, which is the scary part. But as far as young ladies, why would they get into it? The money's there. It's desperately needed. The courses, you can now go into school and you can get degrees in these different tech fields. And sometimes you can get scholarships for this technology to go into these fields. The money is waiting for you. You will have great jobs with great salaries in every area of life. Government, private, I've worked all of the above. I've worked, worked government contracts, private contracts. I've worked my own small little jobs. And, you know, I've done the teaching, I've done the learning. I've had a school, believe it or not, I had a school with students that would come in. And I've also taught at schools, you know, colleges and private schools. But if they're looking for a job where they can work from home, like I do, for example, and get paid a nice, nice salary. If they're looking for six figures, guess what? It's there. It's there. They'll get six figures. And these jobs, you might even start close to six figures. You know, that's that's how desperate people are getting. Don't be afraid of all this AI. Everybody says, oh my gosh, AI, AI. Here's the thing about that. That just means we need more people in the background writing code for this AI stuff. We need responsible, credible folks writing code. I write code. Any any young lady or young man can do it. If I can do it and I have no special talent, let me tell you, anyone can do it. Anyone can do it. It's common sense. It's think about things like if then. This is this is a little coding thing. If this, then what? That is so common in coding. You you write, if this, then what? Or you might even put else. If this, then what? Or else the other. This, that, and the other. If this, then that, else the other. All of that is stuff you'll get in your coding classes. You know, they'll use different terms and different products. But it's not hard, it's not impossible, and the money's there. And the great jobs are there. Those fantasy jobs, the work from home jobs, it's there.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

So go for it. What skills should young people start developing if they want to work cybersecurity?

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Troubleshooting skills, which not everyone has, they're not that easy. You know, a lot of places are gonna tell you math, and yes, math is is necessary, but don't let it intimidate you because in some cases in the tech field, you only need to count to one. And I know that sounds I'm serious. Zeros and ones count for a lot in the computer field. Zero and a one. So, for example, if you look at almost any on-off button, you're gonna see a little circle, a zero, and you're gonna see a one. That's it. Zero and one, on and off. Current, no current. Yes, no, true, false. If you can count to one, you're halfway there. Don't let math intimidate you.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

As we're approaching the end, we have a few questions to ask you. If your grandson listens to this episode someday, what message would you want him to hear?

SPEAKER_00 26:11

I love that question because my grandson, I do have a grandson, and he is a young man, and he watched his grandma do all of this stuff, and his father, you know, I I obviously I taught my son a lot, and my son has done technology. He's he has a master's degree in technology, my son. So my grandson would watch me. He lived here with me for a little while, and I told him, Don't let me, your grandma, kick your butt in this stuff. You're a lot smarter and faster than I am. So I need you to kick my butt. I need you to keep me on my toes. So watch me, here I go. And I went and got my bachelor's degree, and he turned around and got the very same bachelor's degree in IT. And then I said, Okay, now what about, you know, what about this? He says, I need a job. So he was gonna go just look for some quick whatever he could find in the mall. I said, No, no, no, no, that's not that's not good enough. You need one of these jobs with this technology that you know now. I helped him, I showed him how to get some certifications that he got. And then he went on to work. He now works in a tech job where he is the main guy managing the technology at a firm up north.

SPEAKER_02 27:30

Wow, how beautiful. If you could give new moms one piece of advice, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 27:40

Oh, new moms. There were so many things that come to mind. I can't I know I remember how exhausted I was all the time and how overwhelmed I was. I was very young. I I was 15 when I had my son. But at any age, I'm sure it's exhausting and overwhelming. And sometimes you lose sight of the good stuff because you get so tired and there's so much to do. And but it gets better. It does. I know some days it's like, oh, am I ever gonna get sleep again? Am I ever gonna, you know, yes, you will. It it gets better. Just hang in there and you can do anything. You can there's nothing you cannot do with or without help. I didn't always have help. You know, you just hang in there. You have your best friend by your side, and someday they'll be able to turn around and show you that. So um just just hang in there. And people, there are people out there that are waiting in the wings to help. Um, sometimes they just don't wanna, they're afraid to approach you, but there are people there as you well know them.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

So I'm always willing to. Yes, we appreciate you so much, so much. We feel so blessed to have you so close to us.

unknown 29:00

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 29:01

You know, your story is truly admirable. You had your son at 15, you're self-taught in technology, and you've grown into the very successful lucrative career that you're in now. And I am so glad that we were able to have you on and for you to share your story because it is inspirational to everyone. So even if there's a mom out there who may have a teen mom and may think, oh no, her life is over. No, your life is not over. You're a prime example of that. You are a prime example of that.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

That's right. That's exactly right. I was 15 when I had my son, and I had I had nothing to speak of at the time. And now, yes, you're right. I have a son and grandson. My son and I both have master's degrees in IT. My grandson has his bachelor's, he works in IT as well. I have a great job. I've been working in tech for over 30 years. It's just perseverance. Don't don't give up. Never give up, never surrender.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

If you could give moms one golden rule for internet safety, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00 30:26

I hate to say restrict your kids, but you need some security tools on your on their machines to protect them. Because most folks don't realize I do tech I do security every day. I realize that the threat that's out there. Your average person may not realize. So use the security tools and and explain to your kids. You're not trying to be mean or or restrictive. It's just it's the wild west out there, and everyone should be using some kind of security tools. Free ones that are good, anything you can get that's reputable. Microsoft has stuff. You know, use whatever you can find.

SPEAKER_02 31:06

Now we would like to close with your favorite quote.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

I guess it would be well.

SPEAKER_00 31:20

I I think it would be never give up, never surrender, because I think that's from Galaxy Quest, which is really silly. But um, I'm checking right now. I think it's uh let's see. Never give up, never surrender. And yep, Galaxy Quest, it's a movie. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 31:43

Never give up, never surrender. We will hold on to that quote. It's all about perseverance. We appreciate you so much. Thank you for taking time out of your super busy day to speak with us, to share your story, and to influence women in technology and all women, really. All women. Thank you so much, yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. We'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 32:23

What a powerful episode. There are five key takeaways. Number one, redefining barriers is within your control. Many women in male-dominated fields internalize barriers that seem external. Recognizing these as self-imposed limitations can shift the impossibility paradigm. Encouraging resilience and proactive behavior. Number two, critical thinking and patience are underestimated in skills and technology. Success in technology often hinges on thoughtful problem solving. Valuing patience and research over impulsivity leads to better decision making, especially for learners and underrepresented groups. Number three, self-directed learning is a potent catalyst for growth. Professional expertise often comes from self-teaching, curiosity, and persistence rather than formal education. This approach broadens access and accelerates innovation. Number four, diversity of perspective drives better solutions. Different viewpoints are essential for robust problem solving. Organizations that leverage diverse perspectives see innovation escalate, elevating teamwork and decision quality. Number five, resilience is learned by embracing failure and persistence. In tech, solutions often come after multiple failures. Adopting a growth mindset invites experimentation and reduces fear of failure, transforming obstacles into milestones. These insights from Janine's journey highlight the power of perseverance, curiosity, and diversity in tech. Remember, barriers are only in your mind. The path is open, and the resources are waiting. Subscribe now and start your journey with the decision to say. Never give up, never surrender.

SPEAKER_05 34:54

Please share with another beautiful mom and follow so you never miss an episode. Always remember, you are the perfect mom for your baby. You are worthy, and you are enough.