Arctic Wolf is proud to celebrate Native American Heritage Month throughout our offices this November, showcasing the traditions, culture, art, and food of the Indigenous peoples our Pack members represent. Today, we’re sharing the perspective of Jonathan Feddema, a technical trainer and a fantastic leader and organizer within Arctic Wolf’s Indigenous community.
Tell us about yourself and your role at Arctic Wolf. What inspired you to pursue this industry?
I’ve been a trainer and presenter for nearly a decade now, both in the tech industry and through a variety of personal endeavors. I’ve been a technical trainer here at Arctic Wolf for the last two years and serve as a lead trainer when it comes to onboarding new hires in our product organization (including product managers and developers). I can honestly say that before joining Arctic Wolf I knew next to nothing about the cybersecurity industry; I learned about the company through a friend who was working as a technical trainer here. But after researching Arctic Wolf I was immediately inspired to join both by our mission of ending cyber risk for everyone and the overwhelmingly positive culture that was on display.
What does it mean to you to be an ally?
To me, being an ally means doing the work to understand the systems that exist and how they marginalize people and communities that are different from yourself. It’s also about using your voice, presence, and personal privileges to support and uplift those who are affected by these systemic problems. For me personally, one of the most important parts of being an ally is using my skills, resources, and connections to support and uplift the voices of those that haven’t been afforded the same privileges and advantages as myself.
How can the cybersecurity industry support Indigenous peoples more effectively?
This is a very interesting question, and I don’t know that there’s a single, catchall answer. A great place to start would be providing more opportunities for Indigenous peoples to start working in the cybersecurity industry. Using funds to provide scholarships or grants for Indigenous youth to study software development and cybersecurity in post-secondary education could be a great way to both support Indigenous peoples while increasing awareness of career possibilities within the ever-growing cybersecurity landscape.
Jonathan Feddema
How have you grown personally and professionally at Arctic Wolf?
Professionally, my understanding of cybersecurity has grown immensely, and I enjoy continuing to learn more about it to this day. I’ve also been lucky enough to make a number of new friends within the Pack, many of whom live all over the world. But I think the biggest personal growth I’ve experienced at Arctic Wolf has come from my involvement with Indigious Peoples Wolves and Arctic Wolf’s wider Pack Unity initiatives. Being a part of that has unlocked new passions for me, namely around lifting up others and supporting causes that are dear to my heart.
What advice would you have for folks looking to break into the cybersecurity industry?
Keep learning about cybersecurity and the industry at large, because it is constantly evolving. This learning also doesn’t have to come from a formal education platform or a university degree; even things as simple as YouTube videos can be a great place to start building your understanding of cybersecurity. When you take a step back, cybersecurity is still a relatively young industry, so there’s still plenty of opportunities to break in without having a the most directly applicable resume; however, the more you can confidently say you understand about cybersecurity, networking, the internet landscape, etc., the more desirable you’re going to be as a future hire.
What’s one thing your coworkers may not know about you?
I was an incredibly introverted kid in high school; I didn’t speak up in class, and I didn’t participate in any sort of extracurricular activity that would require me to be in front of an audience or crowd. I’m sure that’s something that will shock most people who have interacted with me here at Arctic Wolf.
What’s your motto or mantra?
One of my favorite mantras, both in my role as a technical trainer at Arctic Wolf and in my day-to-day life, is “assume that nobody knows anything.” While this may sound a bit negative out of context, I have found time and again that keeping this in mind helps when explaining a complex idea – or even just when you’re having a conversation about something that you are already familiar with. It never hurts to take the extra moment to provide an explanation for something, especially if it means people understand that thing better in the long run.
