get to know me

My full name is Morgan Daniel Andrade. I am 27 years old, and I am an only child. I grew up with my Mother, who was a contract engineer. As a result we were frequently on the road, moving from state to state, hotel to hotel. Some of my most distinct memories are going down the interstate, windows down, the wind in our hair and music loud in our ears (classic rock, if you please). I'm sure we both sounded like dying cats, but it was such a great experience. 

It was her that kindled my love of computers. I can't remember a time we didn't have a computer in the house, and if something went wrong her response was usually 'Well, fix it!'. As you can imagine, I learned quick to fix things before she found out I broke something with my fiddling. From there came an interest in how computers work, programming, and later security. Encryption and networking in particular, if you're curious. 

EDUCATION

I am enrolled in Pennysylvania State University as an undergraduate student in their Security and Risk Analysis program. I am in the tail end of my first semester, and so far it has been an exciting ride. Between meeting students and teachers, group projects, and going through some of the basics of information security and the way risk assessments are handled, I'm thrilled with my choice. Surprisingly, for all that it can be a bit dry the protocols and paperwork aspects are bizarrely intriguing. 

So far I am managing As in all of my courses, and have been offered internship credits with one of my Professors. I hope to take them up on that in the coming Summer. If everything works out as planned, I will graduate in somewhere between 2017 and 2019. It's been a number of years since I've been in a classroom, so I'm taking it cautiously and working my way up to full time. Two classes this semester, three the next, and if all continues well four the semester after. We'll see how it goes!

We Are, Penn State!

EXPERIENCE

Most of my experience has come from the volunteer work I've done. When I was younger I dropped out of school to take care of my Mother, who was in poor health. Once she passed on, I decided to go back to school. Unfortunately as a result of dedicating my time to her, there were few opprotunities for me to acquire work experience. 

I did however, spend three years doing volunteer customer service work for Sony Online Entertainment (Now Daybreak Games), in the form of a 'Senior Guide' in their online game EverQuest. My duties prmarily included answering complaints and petitions from the playerbase and assisting them as needed. Whether it be taking care of the issue myself, or forwarding it along up the channel. I also helped run and plan events to entertain and bring the community together, as well as resolve disputes between players. Other duties included training new 'Guides', as well as filling out performance reviews and deciding when they were ready to be promoted within the structure. 

PASSIONS

Well this is an easy one. For starters, gaming! I recall waking up at 3 AM and finding my Mom playing the original Zelda on the NES, and it wasn't long before I was hooked as well. Adventure games, platformers, FPS... Later, primarily RPGs. Come the late 90s, it was all about the MMORPGs. We both got heavily into EverQuest, and then switched from game to game as they came out. I'm still into the scene, for all that I'm not big on some of the changes that have been made since 2004. 

Beyond that? Music is a plus. I listen to most genres, and seem to go through phases of popularity. Right now, I'm into symphonic metal more than anything. But classic rock, post-rock, various other types of metal, country, pop, and others have all had their moments. 

Reading is another favorite, when I have the time. Urban Fantasy is probably my all time favorite, but fantasy in general can be fantastic. Same with mysteries, or crime dramas. I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files, the Laundry Files, and the Temperance Brennan novels if you want some names. 

I also do my best to keep up with emerging technology. It's something I'm enthusiastic about, and in general just utterly an utterly exciting field. VR/AR in particular is huge, and their potential uses are limitless. Especially in educations, gaming, and in commercial use. I could probably ramble on about that topic alone for hours, but I'll refrain for your sanity. 

Infosec wise? Networking and encryption, of course! PGP emails and U2F keys are what I'm intrigued by right now, and networking in gaming is always an interest. Particularly in regards to MMOs and the way their combat works. The closer they get to action combat the more they have to worry about networking, with dozens or hundreds of people in an area all doing complex motions. Having it client side is obviously not an option, but prediction and other options are unfortunately not all that viable, either. I look forward to seeing how they improve in the coming years. 

GOALS FOR THE FUTURE

Get my degree, for one. Learn as much as I can. Hopefully find a good internship or two. Get my CISSP and some of the other certs. After that? I wouldn't mind working for one of the alphabet agencies, or any of the producers of VR tech. There are so many fascinating options in the field, with careers that vary widely depending on which aspects you focus on. Right now I'm still not sure which I want to make a career out of. I want to inspire others, and hope to work closely with some of the greatest minds of the field. No pressure, right?

END NOTE

Well, if you made it this far thank you for giving me a look. If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or even just want to talk feel free to contact me. My name is Morgan Andrade, and I look forward to getting to know you, too.