Introduction about Myself and Personal Analysis - Admission/Application Essay Example

Short Introduction About Myself I am strongly determined to pursue a PhD degree in Information Security at ____ (insert the of . I have chosen at ____ (insert the name of university) over any other universities in this country because of the school’s reputation when it comes to information technology. Even before I have completed my Master degree in Information Security, I managed to work for Lewis University in Romeovile, Illinois not only as a teaching assistant for the College of Business but also a Network Security Administrator. Because of my academic background, part of my duty and responsibility includes maintaining the school’s network architecture for the Virtual Computer Lab. Within our school premises, I am directly in-charge of managing the school’s internet connectivity, router configuration, building and deploying of virtual machines and templates, and firewall security. On top of my duties and responsibilities while working for Lewis University, I spend a little time doing some volunteer work like conducting a risk analysis for some non-profit organizations. I also take time to teach some 3-5 graders at the School District on how to surf the internet safely. As a charity work, I do some volunteer work for “Feed My Starving Children”. Whenever needed, I do computer recovery services for the students for free. Aside from being a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), I was also appointed as the chair and founder for Lewis university ACM student chapter. As a young professional who has a lot of goals in life, I intend to pursue a PhD degree in Information Security. I believe that pursuing a higher degree in Information Security will further enhance my knowledge and skills in protecting information system from unauthorized users. By constantly upgrading my knowledge and skills in Information Security, I will become well-rounded and highly competent when it comes to protecting information systems from the local and international hackers. In fact, having a PhD degree in Information Security will allow me to have the opportunity to implement whatever I will be learning in school into my future career or business. Educational Qualifications My educational background is very much focused on information technology and security. Last July 2009, I have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Computing at the Arab Open University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Back then, I managed to have a GPA of 3.18/4.0. As soon as I have completed my Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Computing, I decided to pursue a Master degree in Information Security at the Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. I am expecting to complete my Master degree on December 2012. As a Master student, I managed to gain a GPA score of 3.85/4.0. Personal Strengths and Weaknesses As a sign of my eagerness to learn new things, I have gained certifications in CCNA (CSCO#11814289), AccesData Certified Examiner (ACE), CompTIA Security+ (COMP001020335319), CompTIA Cloud Essentials, and Executive Leadership and Project Management at Lewis University. I also have strong technical skills in AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE), software applications like C++, Java, Oracle, PHP & MySQL, Forensics Toolkit, Registry Viewer, Password Recover Toolkit, Forensic Toolkit Imager Encase, Snort, Wireshark, Nmap, Nessus, Practical Threat Analysis, hardware such as Cisco switches, routers, and Netasq Firewall, operating systems like Windows 9X, XP, Vista, and Server 2008, and other relevant skills such as risk management and security consultation. During the process of completing my studies, part of my future goal is to be able to publish at least two major papers. Even though I have gained some research and writing experiences from my previous studies, I have not literally tried publishing any of my written works in the past. For this reason, I consider doing research studies as part of my personal weaknesses. To overcome my personal weakness, I intend to write research topics related to Information Security and Risk Management, Information Management Problems, Computer Forensics, and/or Computer Networking. Basically, information security is pertaining to all activities that will the information manager able to protect all information from being lost, misuse or disclose highly confidential information to unauthorized person. Therefore, Information Security Management is all about properly managing the risks which may arise out of losing sensitive information. By doing a research study in this topic, I can benefit from expanding my acquired knowledge on how I can effectively avoid sensitive data to a third party. In most cases, Information Management Problems can arise given that the information manager failed to satisfy or meet the information needs of the system. Therefore, by undergoing a research study on this topic, I can gain more insights, knowledge and special skills needed to resolve situations wherein future information management problems would arise. Computer Forensics Science is referring to the legal evidences that are applicable to digital storage media and computers. Basically, expanding my knowledge and skills on Computer Forensics Science will give me a competitive advantage in my chosen career as compared to other information technology experts who do not have concrete knowledge about this topic. In fact, learning more about Computer Forensic Science will make me able to solve situations wherein the element of computer crime is present. Aside from strengthening my knowledge and skills on data recovery, pursuing a research study on this topic will definitely empower me in terms of being able to closely examine how to identify, recover, preserve, analyze, and present general facts behind the use of computers and digital media. Computer Networking is all about being able to interconnect several computers and hardware to allow the sharing of information from one unit to another. Since people are heavily dependent over the use of computers, the expected demand for computer networks will always be high. Because of my previous work experiences as the Plants Network & System Security Administrator of a private company, I have gained intensive knowledge with regards to Computer Networking. However, technology rapidly changes over time. Therefore, I take it as a challenge to continuously upgrade my knowledge with regards to managing computer networks. Read More