What I learned from speaking at SWIN-CRIDS — and why AI and cybersecurity education need to become more practical.
Recently, I was asked by Swinburne University Vietnam to serve as a keynote speaker at SWIN-CRIDS 2026! This is a conference that enables industry professionals to share their experiences and guidance to young professionals and students! I was asked to serve as ISC2 Vietnam's Vice President and share my experiences
Preparation
So I was given the topic by the dean to talk about proactive cyber defense in the ai era. This was new territory since i was mostly focused on malware analysis software development for most of my career. But I recently became an AI Engineer for a Law Firm, and I decided to draw from that experience. So I took my time to decide how to explain using AI agents in a defense-in-depth approach. This was cool because it was practical, it was real, not theoretical! I didn't want to talk about a product or something make-believe, but something real. I wanted to give students a perspective that isn't always talked about and thats the perspective of security from a career switcher! This was more valuable because the students who may have had doubts could feel reassured they could learn or be successful if they wanted to!
Day of the event
I went into the event not realizing I was the only non-doctor; most had some sort of PhD, and I was honestly a bit nervous because I felt maybe I wasn't educated enough, But one of the liaisons who have been working with me with different workshops and events assured me most students were excited to come to my chat because my last two workshops brough 20 students from Saigon and 20 students from Hanoi and apparently that was a big deal. So I told myself I was the expert, and that's why I was there. So I did a lot of mental preparation because I knew I was changing from a beginner to an expert, and that was a wild experience.
Aura Farming
So at the beginning, when I first walked in, the students wanted me to do a video interview about the current industry, and that was when my nervousness started to rise. I could speak one-on-one with students all day, but the thought of being recorded was a little scary. But I gave my best effort, and it turned out great. The students were impressed by how well-spoken and fluid I was in my speech, and they really motivated me, so that was wonderful! So I knew at that point I was ready!
Sitting among the professionals
I was super nervous to sit down next to everyone. But when I got there, they were all quite friendly and greeted me well. This was nice because, despite my educational deficiency, they looked at me with respect, like they would anyone else. From that point forward, I knew I was in the right place. I can sit amongst the Elite because I earned it through hard work and dedication.
The Speech
It was my time to speak, and honestly, I had some fun! I would follow my slides but would draw from my experiences and speak on a more personal level, and I noticed I had people's attention. I wasn't saying anything profound or revolutionary, but something real, and that changed the atmosphere of the entire room. It wasn't promoting a product but promoting experience, and that was powerful! So overall, I was very happy, felt comfortable speaking, and knew speaking on stage was my thing.
Only negative
I only have one complaint! My old ISC2 cards were outdated, and I left them at home! But luckily, Vcards are becoming more popular now, and I used one called Hi Hello to share my contacts! That's a small negative, but I did see why digital cards are more sustainable than physical cards, so it was definitely worth setting one up during coffee break!
Overall thoughts about the event
I was incredibly impressed by the event because it has been running for about 10 years, and it's mostly run by students. It was highly organized and well done; I could tell these students worked so hard to pull off this event! I also learned so much from the different speakers and products being promoted that I really gained a deeper insight into the world of AI and security and I realized this was the most important topics being spoken about and I got to gain deep knowledge from that! I am very thankful!
Last thought
I really wanted to take the time to thank Swinburne University Vietnam and the ISC2 Vietnam chapter for providing the opportunity to speak! I believe this conference changed the trajectory of my career and I'm eternally thankful!
Until next time...
