Her Story
About Jaida
Jaida James is an IT and technical support professional with three years of experience in technology and cybersecurity. She serves as an Enterprise Service Desk Analyst, acting as the frontline support for system issues by making calls, updating tickets, reaching out to users, and approving access. Jaida is currently completing her degree after securing an internship in her junior year and advancing to a full-time role two years later. She holds a Security Plus certification earned in 2025 and a CAASP certification from 2026, with a goal of obtaining a new certification each year. Working in a male-dominated field, she values proving herself through strong performance and emphasizes the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and open communication in both her professional and personal life. Jaida advises young women entering the field to apply themselves fully, remain open-minded, and avoid limiting themselves to specific roles.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jaida
01What do you attribute your success to?
To never get comfortable. Always, even if you feel like you're at your goal, try to reach another goal. You can always be better than what you feel like, you know, where you're at now. You can reach your full potential. A feeling like this is where I want to be in life, I've made it, but there's more to reach.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To never get comfortable. Always try to reach another goal even if you feel like you're at your goal. You can always be better and reach your full potential. There's always more to reach beyond feeling like you've made it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Apply yourself. Nothing is too challenging. As long as you want to do it, you can complete it. Always be open-minded, because this career field is very broad. Just never limit yourself to a specific role. You can do any role that you put your mind to.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being a woman in her early career in technology, especially in a male-dominated field. I'm surrounded by men most of the day, and sometimes I feel like I have to prove myself a little bit more, and which is okay, because when I do, I earn that respect.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Teamwork and collaboration, along with communication. I'm big on being a part of a team where everybody is collaborating on ideas, helping each other out. Communication is big in my personal and career life, just because I feel like anything that isn't communicated could cause any type of issue. So I'm very vocal and open about anything that's going on.
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