We sat down with Vojtech, to ask him about his career progression since joining NCIA as an intern two years ago.
What are the main differences between your previous intern role and your current role?
The main difference would be the change of Business Areas. During my internship I was working at NISC, but in my current role I’m supporting the NCSC. Naturally, this transition has transformed my scope of work and projects, incorporating different technologies and most importantly a different approach to supporting NATO’s mission.
Besides that, my colleagues and working environment also changed. I work with cyber defenders with very unique skills sets and backgrounds, which makes the NCSC a wonderful environment to learn and grow.
How did your internship at NCIA provide further career opportunities for you?
An NCIA internship provides a truly unique work experience, which cannot be compared with other programmes on offer. In terms of cybersecurity, I was exposed to incredibly complex systems and architectures, expanding my knowledge and understanding of the field. I cannot imagine learning as much in such a short time, anywhere else.
I would say that if you have NCIA written on your resume, a future employer will expect that even as an intern, you were expected to solve very challenging problems, which will give confidence to future employers.
What did you learn during your intern role that still helps you today?
My intern role helped me to establish an understanding of the internal processes and use of different technologies across NCIA as well as more widely across NATO. This knowledge continues to serve and help me greatly almost every day as my current role requires communication and cooperation across various NATO bodies and agencies.
During the early stage of my internship, my manager took the time to sit down and explain to me the organizational structure of NATO so that I could understand the situational context of our Business Area. He also explained to me the system of grades across NATO, the differences between military and civilian posts and a lot of other useful information. This might sound very trivial to an outsider but my understanding of the inner workings of these systems in the Alliance, accelerated my work productivity and efficiency.
Among other things, an important lesson I learned is that if I have a good idea, my colleagues at NCIA will support me in implementing that idea and turning it into reality. One day I had this crazy idea to run for 24 hours during a charity sports event which takes place every year at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. I received full support from my colleagues and to this day, I cherish this moment.
What advice would you give to people starting their internship at NCIA?
I would say – don’t be scared to bring new ideas to the table. As an intern here, you are expected to solve real world problems and to come up with creative and innovative solutions. Everyone here greatly welcomes new ideas and new outlooks from young people.
What made you decide to continue your career at NCIA?
I really believe in NCIA’s and NATO’s mission. For me, it’s always been important that my job has a positive impact, which is the case here at NCIA. The fact that I am working in cybersecurity, something I am both good at and passionate about, makes it the perfect job for me. So in my case, there was really no question or doubt about continuing my career at NCIA. I wake up with a smile every morning, knowing that my work contributes to the security of 32 Nations.
Applications to join the next cohort of interns at NCIA are now open until 16 March 2025 23:59 CET. Find out more about the opportunities and apply today here.