Wednesday

10-15-2025 Vol 2114

Toni Yates Transforms Her Career Journey from Bartender to Cybersecurity Expert

Toni Yates has always embraced new experiences and opportunities, showcasing an adventurous spirit throughout her life.

After spending several years bartending at Duffy’s in Kendall, Yates felt the urge to pursue a new challenge that could lead to a more financially stable future.

“Working at Duffy’s was great, it was fun, but it wasn’t financially wise. I lived with my mom at the time and only paid minimal bills. But I always wanted to do more with my life,” Yates explained.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought an unexpected break in her career, as restaurants closed for several months, presenting Yates with the perfect opportunity to reassess her path.

“When COVID hit and all the restaurants shut down for a few months, I thought it was the perfect time for me to go back to school,” she said.

As Yates began to contemplate her future career, she discovered a strong interest in cybersecurity, sparked by the various boot camp advertisements she encountered online.

“I saw that there were so many things that I could do with cybersecurity,” Yates shared. “During COVID, I saw there was a massive tech boom – companies were now having to get tech-enabled and account for new remote workers, and there were endless scams going around that companies had to combat.”

This realization opened her eyes to a field she had previously been unaware of, leading her to the decision to pursue a degree in cybersecurity.

Yates enrolled in the network security associate’s program at Miami Dade College, which she felt was an ideal local option that was also affordable, helping her avoid significant student loan debt.

“It went really well. When I first tried going to college right after high school, it was a disaster, which is why I was bartending in the first place,” Yates recalled. “But coming in now, I had a different motivation to change my life and do something that I know I’d be capable of, and proud of.”

Upon graduating with her associate degree in network security, Yates quickly secured a position at KioSoft, a payment technology company based in South Florida.

“I flourished in that job,” she said, noting her rapid progression from an entry-level tech support position to Tier 3 support and eventually into a supervisory role within two years.

Meanwhile, Yates also decided to further her education and returned to Miami Dade College to earn her bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, which she successfully obtained in 2023.

“My previous employers really valued the effort I put into improving myself, and valued what I was bringing to the team,” Yates said of her journey.

Her experience at KioSoft paved the way for her current role at MasterCard, where she works in the customer success team, focusing on onboarding demos for their third-party risk management platform.

Reflecting on her career journey, Yates credits Miami Dade College for the connections she made and the support she received during her studies.

“Miami Dade College did a really great job of explaining that there’s more to the field of cybersecurity than just coding or the super heavy technical side,” Yates explained.

She discovered her passion for high-level technical conversations and maintaining a pulse on technology and trends in the field, correlating this with her personality as a people person.

“Cybersecurity really gave me the opportunity because it’s such a large field, with so many different things that you can do – it felt really organic,” Yates expressed.

Recently, Yates took another significant step in her career, as she began a new role as a senior specialist in customer success at MasterCard.

With only one class remaining, she is also pursuing her Master’s degree in Cybersecurity Management at the University of West Florida.

“I’m most excited about learning different things and gaining new skills,” Yates commented on her educational pursuits.

She spoke about the confidence that comes with achieving a certain level of competency and being in rooms with professionals she never thought she’d engage with a few years prior.

Yates offers advice to those considering a change in their career trajectory, emphasizing the importance of persistence.

“I would tell anyone the same thing that I’d tell my younger self – have some persistence and grit,” she advised.

“Sometimes, you don’t get the answer, the job, or the admissions letter you wanted. But time will pass anywhere, right? If you are spending two or three years improving yourself and trying and believing in yourself, a few years down the line, you’ll get what you worked for.”

Yates’s journey exemplifies how determination and the willingness to adapt can lead to fulfilling career transformations and success.

image source from:refreshmiami

Charlotte Hayes