Welcome to the latest installment of our "Life at Fortinet" blog series. Here, we spotlight Fortinet team members from around the globe to showcase our unique culture, which thrives on teamwork, innovation, and openness. In these stories, our colleagues share insights into their career journeys, highlighting the diverse opportunities available for building long and fulfilling careers at Fortinet and within the cybersecurity industry.

Recently, we had a Q&A session with Urvashi Vaid Chhibber, a regional sales leader for Fortinet in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Read the responses to our questions to get a clear picture of why Fortinet has been an excellent workplace for Urvashi.

What led you to a career in cybersecurity at Fortinet?

My career in cybersecurity started as a matter of chance and became a profession of choice. After working multiple roles in software development, advertising, and tourism, my journey in cybersecurity started as any other job, but very soon I started enjoying the impact I was making in helping secure organizations.

What do you like about working in the cybersecurity industry?

Cybersecurity offers a broad range of opportunities across business, technical, marketing, alliances, analysis, policy making, and more. It's never too late to start a career in cybersecurity.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

The impact we create in securing the society we operate in is much more than just a paycheck. It aligns with a larger purpose to give back to the community. While, like any business, we work for revenue, the relationship between generating income and creating impact is highly proportional.

What are the skills you draw on most in your role?

Creating experiences, problem solving, driving outcomes, design thinking, and collaboration.

Can you share about a recent Fortinet project or initiative you're particularly proud of?

I worked on the first-ever customer advisory council in India, in which we created an environment to hear from our customers on what matters to them and how we can align better. We did our launch, and the feedback was quite motivating. It's still in its nascent stage, and we are working to achieve scale and structure for this initiative.

What do you like about the culture at Fortinet?

Author Ken Blanchard said, "No one of us is as smart as all of us." I strongly believe in it. We are as good as the team. I've had many experiences where I've shamelessly asked for help and support, and no one has ever turned me down.

What role has training and mentoring played in your career?

Learning can never stop. Training is crucial to shorten the learning curve on concepts, processes, and market trends. As for mentoring-it is one of the most underrated concepts in today's professional world.

We don't realize the power of short mentoring sessions, which, if integrated into a culture, can help individuals grow and learn at a much faster pace. It also creates a sense of belonging, motivating people to strive for mutual growth.

When you learn from someone's experiences, its relevance to real-world situations is much clearer. I've been fortunate to have many mentors in my career, and I believe there's something you can learn from everyone you meet, whether it's what to do or what not to do.

How have you grown professionally while at Fortinet?

I've always believed that there's nothing better than learning on the job. Raise your hand for opportunities. You can't learn everything about anything unless you jump right into it. Everything you know about it beforehand is superficial. I've taken on opportunities that were unfamiliar to me and learned from those experiences. And while doing that, never shy away from asking for help.

After working in cybersecurity, what advice would you give to your younger self?

Just follow this three-step process to achieve your goals:

1. Experiment to experience
2. Experience to empower
3. Empower to excel

Ready to join a world leader in cybersecurity? Explore exciting career opportunities with Fortinet and become part of a team that's shaping the future of digital security. Discover open roles and apply today!