Pillar 4

EP013: Cisco NetDevOps Evangelist Hank Preston on smart people learning new things (even when it’s scary).

2018-04-03 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Pillar 4, Podcast, Techlife, ToolsOfTrade 54:21 0 Comments

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I never do quite know when I will stumble across someone who I think “I must have this person on my podcast”.  A Cisco Network Automation webinar was one such place, when I met Hank Preston, the NetDevOps Evangelist for Cisco Networks.  He had a HUGE amount of great knowledge to share with us on this episode.  Tackling Pillar 4, Explaining Automation, and talking about why people screw themselves up by not listening.

00:00 Intro for Hank Preston.
10:00 Network Programmability Basics Course (here)
15:00 What is CI/CD and Network Pipelining
17:30 Network Configuration Pipeline
24:00 MEETUP!
29:00 Deep Learning vs Wide Learning – Don’t look for unicorns.
31:00 Developer.cisco.com discussions.
36:00 Discussion on certs and their value.
41:00 SE Jobs and how listening and not snap judgment is the key.
50:00 Everyone’s favorite buzzword – IoT.

You can find Hank online at @hfpreston and @ciscodevnet. He also gives killer webinars about using programmability to automate your network.

EP012: Jason Abbott – Dropout to Director with a bunch of barriers.

2018-03-27 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Pillar 1, Pillar 4, Pillar 6 1:01:37 0 Comments

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Episode 12 on deck!  One of the coolest things I get to do is catch up with people I’ve fanboy’d over.  Jason Abbott probably had very little idea how much he inspired or helped me along in my career when we worked together, probably because I was fairly aloof and terrible at troubleshooting when he first met me.  Nevertheless, he took me under his wing, even when I wasn’t ‘his guy’ and taught me a lot of invaluable skills (which he had been taught from Strata Chalup – Episode 8). We talked about his willingness to just put himself out there and attempt stuff when no one else would, and how that’s propelled him along in his career.

Recently Jason Abbott moved into a Director of IT position – and I can’t commend his CIO highly enough for his selection.  He will do amazing there, I’m sure, and I’m very happy for my friend!

00:00 Intro – Chicago to Atlanta for 10-Base-2 ??
04:30 The moment that could’ve held Jason down.
08:00 WGU and mention of a secret episode I haven’t released as of this episode!
15:00 The Strata Chalup connection from LISA.
18:00 The origins of the ‘SNMP’ framework (at LISA, in fact).
24:00 Jason’s lateral move, and the Lippizaner Philosophy.
30:30 Honesty and frankness with a new role.
32:00 PILLAR 1 ABIDES.
34:00 A new OSI model mnemonic for you all!
37:00 Abandoning old for the new – maybe not ALWAYS the best solution.
41:30 EXPECT scripting and the Israeli bet agains Jason and Preston.
44:30 Why putting yourself out there is worth it.
48:00 Understanding how a crazy person thinks and getting a diversity of thought, and Pillar 6.
52:00 Unbidden – Jason brings up my favorite internet spot – meetup, and one I hadn’t thought about – Toastmasters.
55:30 Pillar 1 – AGAIN!
56:40 The Strata Chalup Episode – related to Jason.

EP011: Jeff Snyder on why coaching is not ‘Crazy Hippie’ stuff.

2018-03-23 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Pillar 1, Pillar 3, Pillar 4, Podcast 1:12:47 0 Comments

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I met Jeff Snyder many years ago when I did my own pivot into Network Security from a straight networking position. I was really ‘stuck’ in making progress moving from one discipline (networking and plumbing of the network) to another discipline (security policy and implementation). Jeff gave me tips – unpaid and unbidden – that helped me shift my mindset and land my first consulting job that spanned what I knew (networking and VoIP) with what I wanted to do (Network Security). In the years that have passed since we first connected on LinkedIn, Jeff’s coaching practice has matured, and now he even has famous clients such as the producer of the Angle Free IT podcast. This episode is chock full of actionable changes we can make in our careers – defintely a must listen.

00:00 Intro to Jeff Snyder and Jeff’s Origin Story
04:30 The double sided coin of getting into security.
07:00 Phone interview skills and prep.
10:00 The ‘one’ trick for listening and answering a question without screwing yourself out of a good answer.
12:00 In person interview tricks (get a pen, pause to take notes – see 10:00 …)
17:00 Seek to ‘learn’ before you begin to ‘tell’.
20:00 Counteroffer advice.
27:00 What is a coach and how to find a good one.
34:00 Becoming a ‘Trusted Advisor’ vs ‘The Smartest Person in the Room’.
39:00 StrengthsFinder and why it might matter.
56:00 Coaching vs Motivation.

You can find Jeff at his website HERE.  I work with him and highly recommend him.  I know I have surveyed my audience and one common theme that came up again and again from more seior level people was : What now??  Jeff can help you with that.  I probably can too, but if you’re in his hyperniche of Sr -> Director or Director -> CxO, he’s your guy.

EP009: Jim Manico – Trainer from Manicode.com, Developer, and OWASP speaker on secure coding.

2018-03-16 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Pillar 4, Pillar 6, Podcast 46:34 0 Comments

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Jim Manico and I connected a few years ago through some of the OWASP meetings he presented at in Denver.  He was talking about cross-site scripting prevention, and in the brief training, I knew that Jim would be a great person to know if I ever needed to educate people.  Fast forward a few years, and here we are talking about secure coding and how to train the world of developers that they’re security engineers first now.  Jim and I talked about Manicode and his journey of owning his own business, and what that process has been like for him.

00:00 Intro.
04:00 Going solo and Pillar 4 makes an appearance.
07:00 How to code.
10:00 How to talk to your security folks if you’re a developer.
22:00 Software development is a team sport.
24:00 Jim’s career goals.
30:00 Times Jim’s made a pivot successfully.
33:00 Mentorship and PIllar 6.
37:00 Handling burnout.
39:00 Jim loves LEMUR – The certificate orchestration suite from Netflix.

Tools that Jim touched on: OWASP ASVs, OWASP Cheat Sheet Series, and last but certainly not least Jim’s Training website, Manicode.com.  If you need any coding training done – I can’t recommend Jim highly enough.  Fidelity is measured by small steps over many years, and Jim is who he is today because he’s the same guy I met years ago, only better.

EP006: UX Design with disruptor and trainer Tiffany Eaton – Why does UX even matter?

2018-03-06 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Higher Ed, IT-Career-Tips, Pillar 4, Pillar 6 42:00 3 Comments

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Sometimes, actually – let me rephrase that, a lot of times I know I want to talk to a guest but I have no idea what I’ll gain from them – a lot like UX.  What is UX?  User Experience within a piece of software.  It’s something companies spend A LOT of time on, or don’t – and then fail.  In this episode, we are lucky enough to snag a few cycles of brain time with Tiffany Eaton, UX designer, Medium Author, and upcoming grad/disruptor in the UX field.  Tiffany tells us what the main challenges UX attempts to fix, and how the goals of a UX designer flow.  Come join us for this great conversation – especially if you’ve ever used an app – so all of us, really.

3:00: What is UX?
4:00: Tiffany’s Interning experience, and talking about networking to get the first one.
7:00: Real world projects versus constraints within school – the shock of reality.
11:00: ‘Do I Belong’ game
12:00: Tools of the trade
17:45: Interview prep, and deep researching tips for prep from Tiffany
19:00: STAR method (this was new to Preston – it’s a cool method).
https://www.vawizard.org/wiz-pdf/STAR_Method_Interviews.pdf
22:00: Tiffany educates me on why she feels design doesn’t have nearly as many curmudgeonly folks – it’s just their nature of designing new stuff all the time.
24:00: Millennials don’t care about work that doesn’t matter.
26:00: UX market entry tips. Design of everything book. side projects.
29:00: Deep dive into how UX and programmers actually work.
32:30: Tiffany’s mantra of ‘Not holding users accountable because they don’t think like we do’.
34:00: GAMING TIME! Tiffany’s game and arcade experience, and the specific game she is an aficionado about.

If you’d like to find Tiffany online, go find her online at the following locations:

http://skl.sh/2nal9ZT (Tiffany’s class on UX research)
http://tiffanyeaton.com/asian-sterotype-story-game (Tiffany’s stereotype story game)
https://medium.com/@tiffanyeaton (Tiffany’s Medium account)
http://tiffanyeaton.com (Tiffany’s website)

EP005: From EVE to TAM, Rick Chan on how Networking Has Been Key in His Tech Career.

2018-03-02 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Noob, Pillar 1, Pillar 4 37:50 0 Comments

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Rick and I connected over a subreddit we both tend to hang out in – /r/ITCareerQuestions.  As the owner of the most popular 5 posts, he clearly has a lot of wisdom to share.  We talk about leveraging networking from even seemingly trivial things like online games to build your network.  Networking is a HUGE part of Rick’s success – and it came from a source that may seem unconventional.  We then went on to talk the evolution of the data center and what we think will be important skills-wise in a few years.

04:00: How Rick sees getting ahead – Networking With Humans. Even EVE Online can get you jobs – Rick’s proof.

12:00: Interview skills discussions.

24:00: Not boxing yourself in.

27:00: Career progression and figuring out – the journey is the destination.

30:00: We talk Hyperconvergence.

35:00: Talking CBT training.

40:00: Rick’s money is where his mouth is – Gaming wise! Check this out:

42:00: The ‘pick a practice’ quiz that Rick wrote.

 

We had a great time chatting, and I hope to meet him in person sometime – maybe I’ll shoot up to Calgary to ski!

You can find Rick on LinkedIn.

You can check out Rick’s quiz Right Here.

EP004: Career Blogger Mike McRitchie on telling your story in an Interview

2018-02-26 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Noob, Pillar 4, Pillar 6, Techlife 49:19 0 Comments

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Today, we sit down with Career Blogger Mike McRitchie.  Mike McRitchie works with people who’ve progressed in their technical or managerial career but who are feeling stuck.

He performs a “Career Checkup” where he helps them uncover their accomplishments, unique gifts and cool stories, and then performs a “Brand Alignment” – translating that into a résumé and LinkedIn profile that gets noticed.

00:00 Intro.

07:00 Skills discussions and where to build skills.

10:00 Networking Discussions in tech.

11:30 Preston ask the degree question.

18:30 Mike talks about pivoting into a new career, and how he’s helped people to do this.

21:00 The question that torpedo’s people in tech interviews ‘Tell Me About Yourself’- without bragging.

29:00 Pillar 6 – Being the dumbest person in the room, whenever possible.

30:30 (Loosely Paraphrased) You do you man… you do you.

37:00 Talking introversion and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

40:30 Two passionate side gigger’s talk side gig.

44:00 How Mike helps people market themselves.

To find Mike McRitchie on the web:

1: Go here for Mike McRitchie‘s resume and LinkedIn profile writing services.

2: You can also get Mike‘s free report about the One Thing you need on your resume that you otherwise risk NOT getting called for an interview.

EP003: Luke Misgen About Interviewing with a Director and future-proofing your career.

2018-02-23 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Higher Ed, Pillar 1, Pillar 4 54:26 0 Comments

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Today we sit down with Luke Misgen, Director of Technology at zTrip, a part of Veolia.   If you’ve been on a bus, cab, or train – you’ve probably been in a Veolia vehicle.  We talk about innovation with users “Uber-resistant” to change (you’ll get my terrible pun when you listen…) and also leveraging your way up the career ladder.

00:30: We meet Luke Misgen, Director of Technology at zTrip.

08:00: People Skills vs. Just having a degree.

12:30: Meetups, and bypassing the HR ‘filter’ by knowing people.

15:30: Interview Pro-Tips.

27:00: How Siloing is helpful and hurtful, and what happens when you try and break it consciously.

40:00: We talk farming and Pillar-1.

EP002: Nicolas Cole On Why Your Digital Brand Is More Important Than A Resume.

2018-02-21 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Noob, Pillar 4, Techlife 50:16 1 Comment

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Here in Episode 002, We talk to Nicolas Cole, Founder of Digital Press and top Quora writer about building your brand online, and killing your resume. Definitely a great listen – even if you’re not in IT. You can find the show on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS, and on my blog at https://AngleFreeIT.com

00:00: Intro

03:00: Nicolas Cole’s origin story and how gaming shaped his career.

05:00: Why people know who Cole is who he is – ‘I Am The Brand’.

07:45: What the hell is ‘building your brand’?

10:00: Anyone can start this.

11:15: “Everyday”.

14:15: Quora is brilliant for building your brand.

19:30: Sometimes, taking an opportunity is better than waiting for someone to tell you to do so.

24:00: Cole shares about how people don’t prep for interviews, and why you’ve already failed if you do this.

28:00: Cole reminds me to have compassion for people.

30:30: Talking about finding a mentor, demonstrating you want to, and burning ships.

38:00: Why providing solutions vs spotting problems gets you a job.

42:00: “For the Horde” vs my boring ass Paladin.

You can find Nicolas Cole at his website, Digital Press, Right Here (https://www.digitalpress.com/) and personal blog at (https://nicolascole.com).

You can also find the article that made me say “I gotta talk to this guy” here:(https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/resumes-are-dying-heres-what-you-need-instead.html)

Feel free to reach out to Cole if you know some C-Suite person who needs some help with media!

 

 

Episode 001: Lifelong Learning with Julian Rodriguez 5x CCIE, CCDE and Master of Alphabet Soup.

2018-02-21 Preston Kilburn Episodes, Pillar 1, Pillar 4, Pillar 6, Techlife 57:47 0 Comments

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In this Episode, I talk with Julian Rodriguez, a friend from many years back.  We talk through his expanding arsenal of certifications, currently including 5 CCIE’s, a CCDE, VCIX-NV, CISSP, Masters Degree, Undergrad and many others.  I circle back through our decade of knowing each other, and I get to fanboy a little bit.

00:00: Intro.

02:00: Julian’s Origin Story.

06:00: Julian’s Main Philosophy.

08:00: Julian Answer ‘WHY’.

17:00: Dealing with Failure (a lot).

28:30: H1B Immigration rough ride.

33:00: An edge for those wanting to immigrate.

36:00: When to Pivot.

41:00: Julian proves he’s a consultant and gives me ‘It depends’.

47:00: When Julian studies/time philosophy.

51:00: What’s next, and programming skills.

54:00: Pillar 6 showing up in Study Groups.