Ross
Wills

I am a Cyber Security Engineer at The Royal Mint - where my work spans SIEM investigation, application security, threat hunting, code reviews, email security, and internal projects, alongside the use of malware analysis tools and occasional penetration testing.

My route into cyber was anything but conventional. After over a decade working in health and social care — including caring privately for my twin brother following a life-changing accident — facing my own significant health challenges, and travelling Southeast Asia and Indonesia, I made a deliberate decision to pursue the passion I had carried since childhood.

I graduated from the University of South Wales in 2026 with a First Class Honours degree in Applied Cyber Security, accredited by both the BCS and NCSC, and was awarded the GradX Best Dissertation prize. My story was also featured by the University as an example of turning passion into a career.

My long-term goal is clear: to build a career in offensive security, progressing from penetration tester through to team lead and beyond. I am currently working toward CompTIA PenTest+ as the first step in a structured certification roadmap planned through to OSCP and specialist qualifications.

My background in defensive security — understanding how attacks are detected, investigated, and responded to — gives me a perspective on offensive work that pure offensive candidates often lack. I know what good detection looks like, and that makes me a better tester.