After the degree: Taking cybersecurity thinking into applied AI and real-world systems

When I returned to Nigeria after completing my MSc in Cybersecurity and Pen Testing at Middlesex University, I expected a sense of clarity. In many ways, I got it - but I also discovered something equally important: real-world systems are far messier than academic problems, and meaningful impact requires more than technical correctness.

During my MSc, my focus was firmly on cybersecurity - understanding threats, analysing phishing patterns, and designing systems to protect users from harm. My dissertation work, which later evolved into an AI-powered phishing detection tool, was rooted in a simple belief: that cybersecurity is ultimately about people, not just systems.

That belief stayed with me after graduation.

What changed, however, was how I began to think about where and how those protections are embedded.

Back in Nigeria, I found myself working less on isolated security mechanisms and more on systems - how decisions are made, how information flows, how assumptions are encoded into tools that organisations rely on. It became clear that many of the risks I had studied during my MSc were no longer confined to “security tools” alone. They were emerging inside AI-driven platforms, automated workflows, and decision-support systems used in energy, finance, and public infrastructure.

Cybersecurity, I realised, had not ended for me - it had expanded.

At Middlesex, I was encouraged to think critically about ethics, accountability, and the unintended consequences of technology. Those conversations, especially during my dissertation phase, reshaped how I now approach applied AI.

Rather than asking only “Does this system work?”, I find myself asking:

• Who relies on this output?
• What happens when it is wrong?
• How transparent is the decision path?
• Where does human judgment still need to sit?
• These questions now sit at the heart of my work in applied AI and system design.

In my current role, I work on building AI-assisted systems that support complex, real-world decisions. The technical stack may look different from a traditional cybersecurity environment, but the mindset is the same: risk-aware, human-centred, and deeply conscious of trust.

Looking back, my MSc at Middlesex did not simply prepare me for a single role or title. It gave me a way of thinking - one that travels well across domains. Whether designing phishing detection models or AI-enabled decision platforms, the goal remains consistent: to reduce harm, improve clarity, and ensure technology serves people rather than obscuring responsibility.

For students currently navigating their own paths, especially those interested in cybersecurity or AI, my experience has taught me this: careers are rarely linear, but strong foundations compound. The analytical discipline, ethical grounding, and systems thinking I developed at Middlesex continue to shape my work long after the degree itself.

The journey did not end at graduation. In many ways, that is where the real learning began.

About the author

Emmanuel Orgu studied Cybersecurity at Middlesex University.