Below is the Global Talent Visa UK Personal Statement Example
I am Kamal Ali Hussain, a seasoned IT professional with more than 5 years of experience in the domain of digital security engineering in the Indian Fintech Industry. I am currently employed with an Indian Fintech Startup – Cashify Ltd., which is revolutionising the payment gateway systems in India. As a Senior Systems Security Engineer here, I am responsible for ensuring product security and improvement of the Infrastructure and Ecosystem, which includes Web, Mobile Apps, APIs, Cloud, and DevOps etc. Coming from a small town in India – Udala, Mayurbhanj district (Odisha), I have worked hard to achieve the positions I have had so far, and my family has been a constant source of motivation and support in this journey. Now, in the quest for knowledge and growth in the digital/cyber security domain, I am planning to move to the United Kingdom through the UK Global Talent Visa Program and present my case to the concerned authorities through this personal statement.
I was a curious child in my early childhood days, and I was fortunate enough to be growing up in the Web 2.0 Era when the interactive web was taking shape globally. I still reminisce about the way I was astonished to explore social media and instant messengers while I had limited access to mobile phones. I got so fascinated with the world of computer science back then, that I compelled my parents to get me enrolled in a 6-month Computer and Software Development Training Course, while I was in the 11th standard. I used to buy ‘Info Computare’, a local Computer Magazine, every month from my pocket money, which played a significant role in shaping my career interests. After High School (2010), I chose the Science Stream with computers and then enrolled in a Bachelor’s in Engineering Program in 2011, after completing my secondary school education.
This graduate program in Computer Science & Engineering allowed me to delve deeper into computer science, programming, software development, and hardware. As I progressed through education, the world witnessed a rapid evolution of digital technology and transformed the web into a dynamic turf for user-generated content, collaboration, and creativity. The four years of my graduation have been a great learning experience altogether, where we all have witnessed the profound impact of information technology on modern life. Each of the new developments further fueled my passion to explore programming, digital security, and cutting-edge technologies. As part of my project during my graduate program, I built an Ultra Nix-based infrastructure for the application to provide high availability, load balancing, and clustering to run applications.
After my Bachelor’s, I got placed in a Software Development Firm, named Futura Vision Pvt. Ltd., as a Junior Systems Engineer, where my role was to monitor Linux Server Security and server hardening. This led me to explore virtualization technologies, firewalls, vulnerability scanning, and assessment of security, along with monitoring and ensuring application performance and security. Soon after 1.3 years, I joined an application security company, We45 Solutions Limited, as a Security Analyst, where I was responsible for planning, managing, and delivering application security. During this job, I also worked on a personal project, ‘Chromax,’ after hours, which is a chrome-based security scanner tool scripted in Python. Chromax tool is an open-source contribution, and PortUniqux is also an open-source port checking tool.
After this, I got a job offer from India’s leading fintech for digital payments – Cashify Ltd., as a Systems Security Engineer, which I couldn’t resist. I entered into Fintech Security, which was my core area of interest, and for more than four years now, I have been working in the same industry. Cashify Ltd. is a Digital Payment Application where I was responsible for penetration testing, vulnerability research, reverse engineering, and security architecture review. My role at Futura Vision Pvt. Ltd. remained aligned with Cashify Ltd., with some additional responsibilities like meeting security license compliance and management. Then, I joined Money Vision Ltd. as a Senior Product Security Engineer, where I am responsible for bigger roles which include training engineers, implementing the entire security process from SDLC to SSDLC, and standardising the Bug Bounty Programs, along with other activities I performed in the previous two fintechs.
My work experience so far has been quite instrumental in honing my skills, and I was exposed to working with international organizations and teams from the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, and India on different technology stacks. My exposure to fintech has been phenomenal while working in product-based start-ups like Futura Vision, Cashify, and Money Vision Ltd., where I spearheaded security. To leverage my experience in the Fintech Industry, I am driven to explore the endless opportunities to learn and grow in the United Kingdom’s thriving tech landscape through the UK Talent Visa Program. I am eager to utilize my experience in Fintech and contribute towards the growth of the UK’s Fintech Ecosystem while also navigating the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the post-Brexit environment. The UK is determined to rebuild its role as a global technology leader, and despite the uncertainties of Brexit, I am very optimistic about the prospect of immense growth and innovation in the UK’s Fintech Industry. Being one of the most advanced countries globally, the UK fintech industry has evolved in terms of technology and its users, thus it will offer a whole new set of challenges and opportunities in this sector for me if I compare that with India or other Asian countries.
I am very enthusiastic about the amazing UK Global Talent Visa Program launched by the UK to invite global talent in academia, art, and digital technology. By applying for the digital technology domain, I aim to play a meaningful role in contributing to the security infrastructure of UK Fintech Firms. I would also have access to the global talent pool and opportunities to collaborate and work with them to gain a deeper understanding of the advanced fintech ecosystem of the UK. I am confident that I would be able to make a significant contribution and meaningful impact not only on professional fronts but also otherwise.
I am very active in community services and social volunteering, and participated in various events during cyclones in Odisha and the COVID-19 pandemic. I publish regular blogs on technology where I share the latest updates and learnings. I participate in different online competitions related to digital security, among which the major one is the Digital Vision Competition. I am also a core member of the “DigiFuture” security community, where we conduct conferences and workshops, and I have taken sessions on Fintech security for security folks. I was also invited to impart training on mobile security and pen-testing for Evangel Hackers.
My long-term goal is to build the world’s best security research organization and develop various open-source tools for security. I profoundly believe that my move to the UK would be instrumental in meeting my goals and career aspirations.
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