As a security professional, I’ve had to get a little creative about how to help my kids realize just how cool what I do is.
And as much as Paul Blart did for the industry, the reality is, a job in security just doesn’t seem as cool as a doctor, firefighter, or even tech founder. (I blame career day for setting unrealistic expectations about what jobs most people actually have when they grow up.)
Even though I know that knowing how to use XProtect like a pro basically gives me superhuman powers, it can be a tough sell for kids.
Now, I clearly don’t have all the answers BUT I am a dad of two pre-teen daughters, one of whom walks around with detective notebooks to keep track of suspicious license plate numbers they’ve seen in the neighborhood. I’ll let that speak for itself.
Sit down and grab your own notebook because I’m about to share some of my super secret tips and tricks for helping your kids realize just how cool it is to be in video security and surveillance.
Frozen got little play in our household but Carmen Sandiego, Spy Kids, and Scooby Doo are on repeat.
That’s why I like to keep our dinner conversations exciting by telling spooky stories of cybersecurity and social engineering attacks. Everyone leaves the table full of good food and valuable information about the dangers of the internet.
One of my daughters has started shielding her keystrokes to protect our garage code from prying eyes. I’ve never been so proud.
A movie will entertain your kids for an hour or two but a solid prank is good for weeks of entertainment.
For example, my daughter and I took an Axis IP speaker, taped it to a stuffed Ruckus Networks dog (which is super realistic btw), and connected it to Milestone XProtect.
We then set up the Axis Perimeter Defender on our front door camera with an intrusion zone right in front of it. As soon as someone walked up, the “ferocious” dog in the window would start barking at them. It was epic; we laughed about it for weeks.
We had an incident where someone was continuously allowing their, very large, dog to poop on a neighbor’s lawn.
We immediately pulled up Smart Client and surveyed the cameras to find the perpetrator so I could show them how to identify the culprit using Milestone XProtect.
Not only did this little exercise teach them about the power of technology at an early age, now they are excited to learn more as they grow up. Not to mention, toilet humor is pretty much always a hit with 8 year olds.
We now have a fun inside joke that bonds us every time we see the culprit, and we can give them the stink eye together, as a family. #FamiliesWhoStinkEyeTogetherStayTogether
I set up FF-Group’s license plate recognition technology on an Axis Q1700 we have at the house.
I connected that to XProtect and showed my daughter how to use Milestone meta-data search to find license plates of passing vehicles. She’s now the head of our household neighborhood watch committee and takes avid notes about suspicious activity.
I’d say that’s a win for everyone.
While these are just a few suggestions that have worked well in my family, there are a million other ways to get your kids to think your security job is the coolest thing since the Special Edition Funko of Elle from Legally Blonde.
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Your go-to XProtect eXPerts. We learn the technical stuff that will save you time and make it less boring.
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