About me
Hi! I'm Joseph Stevens, a second-year cybersecurity undergrad student from York.
I have always been an inquisitive mind. From the time I first used the family computer, technology has fascinated me, from playing games on my sister's DS Lite to getting a Raspberry Pi B+ on my 11th birthday.I have developed from a young tinkerer to a keen student, developing deep interests in network security and embedded systems.
I have a strong sense of community, being a scout from the age of 6 and actively a part of the movement today. For me, being a cybersecurity professional is an extension of this. Being part of a community of professionals all working to keep the technology in the wider community secure is a great motivator.
My Projects
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Education
BSc Cybersecurity
I am studying my BSc in cybersecurity at York St John University.
The course covers: Programming, Maths, Problem Solving, Security Systems and Products, Programming
for the Web, Operating Systems, Software Engineering, Systems Programming, Database Systems,
Computer Networks, Digital Forensics, Information Security and Risk Management, as well as four
optional modules which I am yet to choose and a dissertation which I have not yet selected a subject
for
Extended Diploma in Computing (Level 3)
I have an Extended Diploma in computing (equivalent to 3 A-levels) from York College. This two-year course covered a range of modules in different areas of computing, from Human-Computer Interfaces, Project Management and Cyber Security.
Professional Background
McDonald's Shift Manager
I was hired as a McDonald's crew member while studying at college in the winter of 2022. While working as a crew member, I learnt a lot about how to work as part of a team and meet customer expectations. Shortly after, in the summer of 2023, I took a promotion to be a crew trainer, taking on a higher level of responsibility in my workplace and taking an opportunity to help new staff out. In the following spring, I was once again promoted to shift manager, where I learnt many valuable interpersonal skills, organisational skills, teamwork and leadership skills.
Away from the Screen
Scouts
I have been a Scout all of my life. Joining the movement as a Beaver at the age of six, scouting seriously enriched my childhood. The opportunities scouting gave me were vast, from weekends at the local scout camp to learning skills and about the world; it even took me to America for the 24th World Scout Jamboree. These opportunities were second only to the community which Scouting gave me. I was given mentorship, a diverse international community, and a set of core values which I will hold onto for the rest of my life.
When I became 14, I was offered a role in my Scout Group as a Young Leader, which began my volunteering journey. This has given me a chance to provide for the young people in my community the same opportunities I was able to access as a kid. And has given me the scope to continue pushing for the diversity and inclusion on which Scouting is built, and which it prides itself on.
I think the Scouting values I have taken with me can be succinctly expressed by a simple quote from Lord Robert Baden-Powell (Founder of Scouting): "Leave this world a little better than you found it".
Climbing
I am a keen climber. Starting bouldering at my local climbing gym when I was 15, I took to it like a fish to water. Since then, I have been a committed boulderer, as well as taking up other disciplines more casually, learning to lead and top rope climb a year or two later. When I joined university, I was keen to join the mountaineering society, and have since thoroughly embraced all aspects of this society, joining in socially, in training sessions, casual climbing sessions, and have been selected for and been a committed member of the team in both years that I have been studying at uni. Going forward, I would like to work towards welcoming new climbers to the sport, intending to join the committee to help the society help more people as I continue my studies.
Baking
More recently, around the time I started university, I have taken an interest in baking. Baking has given me a creative outlet which I have never experienced before. Additionally, it has given me a keen attention to detail, it's been a great way to relax, it gives me something to bring to a mountaineering society bake sale, and at the end of the day, who doesn't like cakes, pizza, bread or biscuits?