Cyber Sentinel: From a Small Town to Global IT – The Journey of a Bank’s Social Media Guardian

My name is Alexey, and I have always been intrigued by the captivating world of technology. I grew up in a small town in the mid-90s, where the world of books was my sole companion. My mother was a librarian, and amidst the countless tomes of classic literature, I discovered my passion for science fiction.

From Asimov to Clarke, Dick to Herbert, their tales of distant planets, and fantastic machines made me dream of creating something new and remarkable.

At the age of 15, our school received its first computers. While most of my classmates used them for games and simple word processing, I saw more in those machines – a door into the future. The prospect excited me, and I started to learn computer science, initially on my own and then academically.

After high school, I enrolled at a technical university to study Software Engineering. I juggled my university studies with a deep dive into new technologies and programming languages. The early years of grinding, learning, and expanding my horizons opened the first doorway to the tech world. I managed to secure an internship as a software developer at a local IT company.

Fast forward to several years later, I found myself working as a lead developer in the company. My commitment to innovation and my work on challenging projects had not gone unnoticed, and I started to receive offers from global IT giants.

Ten years after my initial encounter with a computer, I found myself working as a Social Media Manager at one of the world’s leading banks. My primary responsibility is to manage and protect the bank’s online reputation. I analyze customer behavior, gather feedback, develop strategies to increase engagement, and work closely with the customer service department to ensure our customers are happy.

To do my job effectively, I use proxies, which play a significant role in monitoring our online presence. They allow me to access information about our reputation in different regions, unfiltered and unbiased. They help me mask the bank’s IP address, giving me the freedom to monitor social media chatter, reviews, and news stories about our bank without causing suspicion or alerting competitors to our strategies.

The tasks can be challenging, but I thrive in this dynamic environment. It allows me to make a meaningful contribution to society and brings me closer to the world I once envisioned in my favorite books.

Today, I’m not just a man behind a screen. I am part of a significant technological change, shaping the future of banking and technology, and my journey continues to inspire budding IT professionals around the world.

But the crux of it all is not success, recognition, or influence. It’s about innovation, contributing to society, and moving closer to the world that I once saw in the pages of my favorite books. The journey is still going on, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.