Alum builds global career in cybersecurity
After more than 25 years in security engineering, cybersecurity leader and University College of the Cariboo (now TRU) alum Travis Standen (CADD Dip ’93; CTEC Dip ’97) has sound advice for anyone thinking of following a similar path.
“The world changes, and you’ll survive if you change with it,” he said. “If you want to thrive, learn to see what’s coming in the near future and embrace that.”
The attributes that helped define his career — curiosity, problem solving and adaptability — took root early on. Growing up in Kamloops as the youngest of three boys, Travis had the freedom to learn, explore and figure out what he was good at and what he enjoyed doing. That freedom led to a childhood filled with dabbling in a variety of activities, including sports, Scouts and lots of video games.
“I was definitely more an academic than a sports kid, and I loved video games, from Pong to Atari to Nintendo,” he said. “I also loved tinkering with technology. I suppose that shaped my aspirations more than anything.”
Despite his love of and aptitude for computers, Travis loved to draw and initially envisioned a future as an artist, not an engineer. In high school, he enrolled in drafting classes to improve his drawing skills, but as the curriculum delved into computer-aided drafting, he became the class troubleshooter, using his technical skills to fix many of the problems that arose with the drafting computers.
Following graduation, UCC was the natural next step. It was close to home, had plenty of programs to choose from and had been the school of choice for his older brothers.
“Going to university in town was very convenient,” he says, adding that convenience quickly gave way to discovery.
“The reality was that I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I graduated high school. I was quite good at just about anything I set my mind to and that caused some decision paralysis. If it wasn’t for me trying different things, I never would have honed into the career that I love so much.”
He earned a Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) diploma before finding his way to the Computer Systems Technician co-op program.
“This scratched my itch. It was a perfect mix of hands-on electronics, computer hardware, and programming,” he said, adding that the most valuable component of the program ended up being the time he spent off campus and out of Kamloops during his work terms.
Co-op terms provided learning opportunities
“I was exposed to business life while balancing what it takes to live on my own. I grew more in those two work terms than any other time in my life to that point.”
After graduating, he held several different roles, from being a software repackager to providing server support. By the time a friend convinced him he should make a move to Nike, where exciting growth was happening, he had such a breadth of technical knowledge that he felt prepared to take a leap. He has now been solving security crises there for over a decade and is currently the principal information security engineer.
“It’s an exciting field that allows me to tangibly see results,” he says. “You get a sense of accomplishment when you finally slam that open vulnerability shut.”
Based in Hillsboro, Oregon, Travis specializes in translating complex security challenges into scalable security programs across global infrastructure, cloud platforms and modern application ecosystems. Throughout his career at Nike and across large enterprise environments, he has led strategic initiatives that strengthened security posture while enabling business innovation.
Skills for success
Asked what skills have been most critical to his success, Travis notes three that are vital.
First, being a team player.
“Technology and security change so fast that you can’t keep up by yourself. You need to bring your strengths and share your knowledge and let the others in the room do the same,” he says.
Second, having a broad skill set.
“You’re going to be specialized in certain areas, but limiting yourself to that capability not only limits your career growth, but it also ties you to capabilities that may fade away. The greater benefit of learning as much as you can is that you expand your viewpoints, better understand the challenges others are facing, and present new and unique options to solve the problems that you face.”
Lastly, networking skills are a must.
“This is more than just knowing who does what and whom to ask questions. You need to build solid, real relationships with these people,” says Travis.
“If you are someone they can rely upon, they’ll be glad to partner up with you. Those cross-division friends can take extensive research time and turn it into a simple answer, simply because it’s in their wheelhouse. They can help expand your ideas and turn them into company-wide improvements.”
Looking ahead, Travis sees both opportunity and risk in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
“When a cybersecurity engineer or analyst gets excited it’s usually accompanied by some fear,” he says, underscoring the responsibility that comes with innovation and the importance of recognizing the value of teamwork.
“The most important thing I learned at TRU is that it’s okay to not know everything, it’s okay to be wrong, but it’s not okay to try and do everything on your own.”