Extended Bio

My name is Thomas Catalano, and my current residence is Wesley Chapel, Florida. I was born in Lima, Ohio and spent my early childhood living on an alpaca farm. At 10 years old I moved to the Tampa Bay area and have lived here ever since. My areas of interest have always been just technology and computers, but as I have grown older and learned more about the field, my interests have shifted and become more specific. Information Security, Networking, and Cybersecurity have become my main interests. My program at the University of Florida is a Bachelor of Information Science with a concentration of Information Security. 

My program has covered a list of core concepts relating to the computer and information technology field. One core concept covered was Information Policy and Computer Security Policy giving me core knowledge and skills relating to laws and policies relating to fields concerning information and technology. Another core concept covered was the Operating Systems of Linux and Windows and covering concepts of their architecture, security, and ethical hacking. All three of these allow me to understand how they work, how to configure them for security measures, and how to exploit them if they don’t have defensive measures in place. Information Security and Information Architecture are core concepts also covered during the program and are important concepts that cover the ideas and concepts needed for formulation of structures and systems. Without these concepts, the actual ideation and creation of the systems would not work because these underlying principles are used in their formulation. 

Other core concepts covered in my program related to computer systems and programming. Three core concepts covered were networks, databases, and web design. All three of these concepts give me an understanding of connections of devices and systems in place, then they are connected and how databases, and web servers work, and how they are configured and created. Furthermore, programming languages I learned about and gained experience using include SQL, Python, Java, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These languages help me understand core concepts like web design and database design and how these languages and core concepts round them intersect for core parts of the internet and computer systems. 

My work experience has been at Starbucks for my college life. I have worked as a Barista at Starbucks for three years and a Barista Trainer for one year. This job has taught me how to stay calm and collected while in stressful situations and also handle unexpected situations such as confrontation with unhappy customers. Being a barista has helped me gain skills including effective communication, customer service, teamwork, and working in a fast-paced environment. Being a barista trainer has given me skills including experience training others and leading them while they are still learning. 

The profession I would like to pursue with my degree and experience is an Information Security Analyst. Needs in this field include creating innovative solutions to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or creating problems for computer networks. Information security analysts also need to secure and understand new technologies from outside threats and hacks. Diplomas commonly held for information security analyst positions are a bachelor’s degree in a computer and information technology related field. Certifications include CompTIA Security+ and CompTIA SecurityX. Knowledge needed for the profession includes knowledge about computers, network tools, and technologies to protect these systems. The median salary for this career is $130,000 and over the next decade, this career is expected to grow around 20%. Openings of this career have been caused by the continuous development and implementation of information technology and due to people leaving this career and/or retiring. 

References 

15-1212.00 – information security analysts. O*NET OnLine. (n.d.). https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1212.00  

Career Services University of South Florida. (n.d.). https://careers.usf.edu/  

Careers in information science. Association for Information Science and Technology | ASIS&T. (2023, August 15). https://www.asist.org/about/careers-in-information-science/  

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026, August 27). Information security analysts. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-1