The Crowdstrike Falcon issue was an eye opener for a lot of IT organizations on the readiness of their BCP or DR plans. This isn't the first time we've seen this, but it's been a while where such a large outage has been seen across a number of different industries. I discuss how you can leverage this as an opportunity for you to be more visible within your organization and finding opportunities to get ahead in your career.

Crowdstrike PIR: https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/falcon-content-update-preliminary-post-incident-report/

What is a post incident review: https://www.cybereason.com/resources/post-incident-review

Strap in as I take you back to my adventure at Western Governors University, where I crushed my Master of Science in Management and Leadership in one term (six months). Riding on the wisdom from a pivotal Reddit thread and armed with the solid gold insights from the Purdue OWL, I'm here to lay it all out bare: the good, the bad, and the brutally honest truths about speeding through WGU's competency based learning program. In this episode, I'm not just reminiscing about my academic grind during those intense months; I'm breaking down the strategies that could help you blaze through your own program even faster. But let’s cut through the noise for a second, will this degree be your golden ticket to the executive suite? Probably not on its own.

Coming at you with nothing but the truth, I want to talk about what a degree really means for us folks who've seen a bit more of life. As we dive into the realities of adult education, career pivots in a mid-life context, and the looming shadow of AI in our professional lives, I'm here to show you not just how to earn that diploma, but how to make it truly count in the hustle of real life. So, for anyone out there contemplating hitting the books again, eyeing a career change, or simply curious about the evolving role of academic credentials in an age dominated by technology, you're in the right place. Remember, success isn't just about the accolades; it's about the drive and determination you bring to the table. Let's unpack how to get that degree to open doors and create opportunities, no matter where you are in life’s journey. Join me, and let's get into it.

My MBA Journey: https://youtu.be/I3ibA8S1DyI

The Reddit Article that started me on this journey: https://www.reddit.com/r/WGU_MBA/comments/gmxkxo/mba_master_of_business_administration_course_mega/

My Favorite Online Writing Lab that shows you how to format your paper in different styles: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/graduate_writing/introduction_graduate_writing/index.html

I'm the kind of guy that looks ahead to understand what's coming at us. I want to know what those changes will be so I can adapt accordingly. In this episode, I discuss some of the developing trends in IT that I expect to see occurring in the coming years. These changes are already underway, and if you're going to be a part of this industry, you should start paying attention - as they'll all have a significant impact on your business or job (if you have one). Some of the links I talked about:

Hyperledger: https://www.hyperledger.org/learn/blo...

Augmented AI: https://www.okta.com/identity-101/aug...

IoB: https://www.bmc.com/blogs/iob-interne...

Digital Stability: https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep24...

Cyber-Physical Systems: https://ptolemy.berkeley.edu/projects...

Edge Computing: https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/s...

#predicting #futurepredictions #ITpredictions #future #technology

The IT industry is at an inflection point and continues to come to terms with disruptive technologies reshaping the world of work. Chuck discusses the role of A.I. as it pertains to our industry, and asks if it's possible for us to rethink how we interact with these technologies. In this episode, we argue why Information Technology is not the correct term for what we do as a profession. We argue that it's actually Artificial Intelligence and how this impacts our work and careers. We also visit artificial intelligence tools that you can use to generate programs, code, art, or web apps.

Career goals are the objectives that you want to achieve in your life. They can be personal or professional, short-term or long-term. Your career goals should not just be a dream but also have a plan of action. You should always work towards your goals so that you can achieve them one day. If you write down your career goals, it helps you keep track of them and also gives you an idea what to focus on next in order to achieve these goals!

Here are some of the resources I shared on today's episode:
https://simplycyber.io

https://certificationstation.org

https://freecodecamp.org

I completed my MBA - IT MGMT from WGU in December of 2020. I go through the entire program and give insights into why it took me 7 months to complete and how you can complete it within 1 term (6 Months). Will this degree propel you into the upper echelon of executive management? Well, not really. Ultimately, you need to make this degree work for you and you will be successful.

From the reddit thread that started me on this journey:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WGU_MBA/comments/gmxkxo/mba_master_of_business_administration_course_mega/ 

Writing resource I noted, Perdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/graduate_writing/introduction_graduate_writing/index.html 

WGU C214 Financial Management - This course was a tough one for me. It required that I finish the course reading/homework over the summer break; it definitely was not something that I could do during my spare time after work. One of the most difficult things about the course was having to analyze a restricted set of financial statements when preparing my analyses. Overall, I think this course improved my ability to read financial statements and prepare analytical reports around them.

WGU C213 - Accounting for Decision Makers. The course that will make you want to rip your eyes out! Such a dry course. Don't let it intimidate you, it's pretty straightforward, but you really have to see it through.

The two courses follow the WGU MBA IT Management degree. IT Project Management and Managing Human Capital are the two courses I completed in a span of three weeks. I talk mostly about IT Project Management and my thoughts on this course; hint - it was a bear!

Course C200 - Managing Organizations and People is discussed in this episode. If you are interested in my journey, here is what I've gone through for this course. I also provide some information on the value of this degree and why you should consider it.

In this episode I discuss two paid platforms for your multi-cloud learning. These platforms I have leveraged in my own journey and I stand behind them. I know times are tough, but for those looking for a paid option to learn the various cloud platforms, these two may interest you.

A Cloud Guru:
https://www.pluralsight.com/cloud-guru

Adrian Cantrill's Learning Platform (AWS and Azure only):
https://learn.cantrill.io/

With the job hunting process not going anywhere, I decided to go for an MBA in IT management to give me that boost. I talk about why I chose WGU's MBA IT MGMT program.

Update on where I am in my job search. Talk about the resources I am using and where I have failed. Let's also talk about the future of this journey.

Ranting about masks and people not wanting to be tracked by the government. It's been about a year since I've been sequestered to my basement and this clearly shows where I am in my mental state.

An interview with cybersecurity expert Dr. Eric Cole. We discussed passion vs purpose and what it takes to make it in the cybersecurity profession.

Eric has a book coming out in May 2021, Cyber Crisis, available for pre-order.

He also has a Virtual CISO course on his website.

I start with the happenings on Wall Street between hedge funds and WallStreetBets. Then I get into my first part on "The Why" of looking for a new job. Finally, I discuss jobscan and its role in the job-hunting process.

TikTok Profiles to follow:
@wonsulting
@corporatelife
@icathryn