Today, Derek Harp interviews Charlie Givens, the Project Manager at Bechtel. 

Charlie is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in Information Technology, Engineering Automation, and Cybersecurity. He is a Certified Software Quality Assurance Engineer, Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional, and Control System Cyber Security Association International Fellow. He has invested his career in database design, data analysis, software engineering, system management, software quality assurance, process improvement, procedure development, work process enhancement, digital transformation, and software and system integration. He has also focused on cybersecurity as it relates to industrial control systems. 

Charlie hails from a small town in Georgia. As well as being an engineer, he is also a veteran, father, husband, fishing enthusiast, photographer, and a lifetime learner. 

In this episode, he tells his backstory, discusses his career trajectory, and offers some valuable nuggets of advice for anyone looking to get into cybersecurity.

This episode is a must if you are considering a career in cybersecurity or the control systems space. Stay tuned to hear how Charlie got to where he is today and benefit from his insights and many years of experience in the field.

Show highlights:

• Charlie talks about the time he spent in the Navy.
• What Charlie studied after leaving the Navy.
• How he encountered cybersecurity when he joined Bechtel as a software engineer.
• What he learned over time from his perspective as a computer scientist in the engineering field.
• Charlie’s recommendations for the first steps to get into the cybersecurity domain.
• The process used for the ICS center program Charlie helped create.
• The role mentorship has played in Charlie’s journey.
• Some advice for people coming out of school or the military looking to break into cybersecurity.
• Some of the challenges Charlie has faced in his career.

Links and resources:

(CS)²AI

Bechtel

Charlie Givens on LinkedIn