Security Balance

I agree with Andrew Hay here:

Should the Helpdesk be a Mandatory Start for an IT Career?

For
anyone who has worked in a “front line” customer facing telephone
support role, the answer is almost always am emphatic “YES”. I tend to
agree with my colleagues for one simple reason – embitterment helps you succeed.

Why do I think IT folks need to have a sprinkle of bitterness be in
this field? The fact is that IT, like roadkill removal, is truly a
thankless job. Sure, guidance counselors, parents, and the media will
all tell you that “Computers are the way to go” for a good salary,
benefits, and career advancement. The problem with that mentality is
that it’s not the mid-1980’s anymore. More and more jobs are being
moved to parts of the world where wages are lower and, to be perfectly
frank, people are willing to do the crappy jobs that North Americans
think are beneath them.

To be clear, I’m not saying that working in IT is the hardest, or
worst, job around. IT workers are taken for granted, much like the
aforementioned roadkill removal worker. Most people enjoy driving to
work on a road free from dead animals. When an animal gets run over and
left for dead, the roadkill removal person is dispatched to “dispose”
of the remains. When was the last time you sent a “thank you” card to
your roadkill removal person? To that end, when was the last time you
sent a “thank you” card to a member of your IT department? Show of
hands?

Now let’s jump back to my original topic with a metaphor: an IT
career is like a human body and, in order for your career to live a
long and healthy life, you need a nice thick layer of skin to protect
you from infection. The “infection” in this metaphor referrers to the
emotional challenges that every IT professional experiences during
their career. In order for IT personnel to adequately quote with the
critical thinking required to overcome most IT related challenges, a
“thick skin” is a requirement — one that I believe should show up on
most job postings.

Working on the front lines of an IT organization let’s you
experience what it’s like to sympathize, and empathize, with those who
are having the problems. It lets you develop valuable customer service
and communications skills while you work towards making the customer
happy. Along the way you’ll have numerous bad experiences which will
serve as lessons that you can use to make yourself a better person.

No matter what role you hold within an organization, you have
customers to answer to. This is something that working the front lines
forces you to remember. Good or bad, working in the trenches teaches
you valuable life lessons that will only help you grow as an IT
professional.

The help desk is the best place to see how those incredibly nice projects fail, cause problems or are twisted to be used for different purposes (and bringing different risks). Working there for some time will help to create that “wait a minute, this will cause issues” mindset that is so valuable for the security professional.