Sophia Paros is the Cyber Technical & Development Support Team Lead of the Cyber Security Workforce Technical Programs Branch supporting the Cyber Workforce Development Division of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). In this role, she provides oversight and guidance to both government civilian and contract personnel to manage to cost, schedule and performance of the Information Assurance Support Environment (IASE) ‐ DoD’s primary source for Information Assurance training, policy & guidance, and Cyber Defender ‐ DISA’s continual cybersecurity awareness program. Sophia earned a dual‐Bachelors in Business and Information Systems from the Notre Dame of Maryland University, and a Masters of Science in Engineering Management from George Washington University. She enjoys spending time with her Big Fat Greek Family, traveling, and crafting.
On sexism in the workplace:
I actually started off as a software engineer, so that’s really male dominated, and I was often the token female in the room or on the project or in the development phase, and it was hard to gain the same level of respect that my male counterparts did.
Sometimes it’s not even about being smarter, but it’s definitely about being better, whether that’s being a better briefer or a better presenter or correspondent. A lot of government work requires a paper trail, so if you can’t be clear in your written correspondence, which a lot of people aren’t no matter what their gender is, that sets you a level above. How clear and concise can you be in the shortest amount of time? I’m sometimes a bit wordy because I’m trying to be clear, especially because a lot of the time I’m not in the office to field questions.
On charting a path in IT:
I kind of fell into IT by accident and I learned a lot about myself and the way I learn in undergrad. I went in pre-law because I’m a great debater but it was too much reading and I learned that I don’t have great reading comprehension. And I’m fluent in Greek so I was also going to major in Spanish thinking I could work at an embassy or something. And then I took a computer class and just kind of fell in love with it. And I excelled at it because all of my work in undergrad was very project oriented, so in order for me to get a grade I had to do something. It wasn’t just reading and taking a test, I actually had to punch out code. I’m very detail-oriented and it was very practical so it was a natural fit for me. I wrote code for 13 years but gradually started to get out of it because once you’re good at it, it’s hard to grow, aside from team leader. I had to veer from development to do more project management. But without having the baseline knowledge of some of the IT systems, I don’t think I’d be as successful as a project manager because I can still guide my team and understand the technicalities. I often joke that I can translate “geek speak” to English. So to the non-tech person, I can translate requirements and analysis, and then back to the team of which piece of code or which tool.
On contracting versus government work first:
It’s definitely helpful to do contractor work first because you get to see a different side of the government. From a contractor’s point-of-view, you get assigned the work but you don’t have that much of a voice, depending on your government lead. But you’re so deep within what you have to do to accomplish the mission that you get that level of experience and you understand the contractor’s perspective. I transitioned directly into a project manager role when I moved to the government, so I had a very good understanding of how to manage the contract side, the FTEs, the hours and the labor – the billing aspect of it. But I actually had a voice being on the government side.
On advice to women graduating from college, what work to look for and what to do in those positions:
I still tell my family that I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. I have just always chosen opportunities for myself that I felt comfortable in, so I always liked what I was doing. So if your undergrad is in one area and you end up finding a job in another, fall into something you enjoy doing or enjoy learning from, because every experience should be a learning experience for your next position.
On problem-solving:
You can’t take things personally. And as you get higher up, your problems shift and a lot of the problems become communication in general. I always try to tell myself and my team that you have to listen with the intent to understand, not with the intent to reply. When you understand what’s going on and everyone feels heard, you can collaborate better.
What advice would you give to women graduating from college, what work to look for and what to do in those positions:
If you’re in technology, young women should stay as technical as possible for as long as possible. Look at the technology first, the technological opportunity, instead of the money. Do something that is going to enrich your career opportunities because women are still frequently attracted to non-technical roles. The more technical your chops are, the better you can understand things. Those building blocks are so important for later in your career.
How do you face problems in the workplace?
Don’t get emotional, that’s the first thing I’d say. Understand that everyone’s there to get a job done and no one wants to see you fail. Try to solve the problem yourself first and then turn to someone else for help. But there are some things that you may just have to figure out yourself, and the nice thing nowadays is that you can google almost anything, so even if you work in a one-person shop, you can search for a solution.
