RRC Polytech Inspire 2027

Date

January 27, 2027

Location

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The cybersecurity industry students are preparing to enter is already changing. Artificial intelligence, automation, cloud platforms, autonomous systems, and new approaches to risk are changing what organizations need from cybersecurity professionals and what those professionals will actually do. In his keynote, The Cybersecurity Career You’re Preparing For Doesn’t Exist Yet, Patrick M. Hayes draws on more than three decades in cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, operations, and executive leadership to explore what this shift means for students preparing to enter the industry. The skills that created successful cybersecurity careers over the past twenty years will remain important, but they will increasingly become the foundation rather than the destination. Patrick will explore how AI is changing security work, why understanding the business will become increasingly important, and how students can prepare for careers that may not yet have job titles. The session will challenge students to think beyond tools, certifications, and traditional cybersecurity roles and begin developing the judgment, adaptability, communication skills, and broader organizational understanding that will matter as the profession evolves. The message is not that cybersecurity careers are disappearing. It is that they are changing, and the people entering the profession now have an opportunity to help define what comes next.