Bill Sempf — Growing AppSec People and KidzMash

The shortage of AppSec practitioners will not disappear just by posting more job openings. Bill Sempf joins Robert at CodeMash to discuss finding developers with curiosity and drive, then helping them grow into application security roles. He shares lessons from cultivating people inside several organizations and explains how capture-the-flag exercises can reveal an appetite for security problem solving. The conversation expands to KidzMash, where children explore technology through hands-on activities, and to the growing place of security at developer conferences. Bill also points aspiring practitioners toward OWASP meetings and projects as ways to learn with others. The common thread is practical exposure: give people a place to experiment, connect with a community, and discover what they want to pursue.The Application Security Podcast is brought to you by Security Journey.About Security JourneySecurity Journey provides application security education for developers and everyone in the software development lifecycle.→ Learn more about Security JourneyConnect with Bill Sempf:→ Bill Sempf on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:→ KidzMash and the CodeMash experience→ CodeMash→ OWASP Security ShepherdFollow the Application Security Podcast:➜ Home➜ X➜ LinkedIn➜ YouTube➜ Instagram➜ FacebookChapters:00:00 Growing AppSec people with Bill Sempf01:30 Meeting at CodeMash02:29 Finding security talent among developers05:33 Recognizing curiosity and drive08:28 Capture the flag as a learning tool09:20 Teaching children with Security Shepherd10:40 How KidzMash began11:57 Hands-on STEM activities for hundreds of children12:46 Growing security at a developer conference15:16 Helping developers find a starting point17:17 Mentoring and connecting people to OWASP