Education
- Sophos Firewall Certified Engineer 2021, updated to v19 2022
- Sophos Firewall Certified Technician 2021, updated to v19 2022
- Associate’s in Computer Information Systems, Networking and Security cum laude 2018
- CompTIA Network+ certified 2017, renewed 2020
- CompTIA Security+ certified 2017, renewed 2020
- Information Assurance Technician (Level 1 & 2) Skills certificates 2018
- Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Skills Certificate 2017
- Bachelor’s in English with an emphasis on non-fiction writing University of California, Davis cum laude 1998
Background
In 1989 I joined the Army to see the world. During my tour I watched the Berlin Wall fall and was in Desert Storm. I spent my last two years closing down Fort Ord while earning enough college credit to enter UC Davis as a junior. When I graduated from Davis I became a technical writer who often helped the Quality Assurance department test the software I was writing the manuals and online help for.
Then I had children. I took a detour, purchasing a used books store: The Book Haven. I raised my children in that shop while advancing the shop into the 21st century by putting the books on Amazon, eBay, and Alibris.
When Kindle came along and killed bookstores I decided to go back into tech. I took my first class, Networking, and passed the CompTIA Network+ exam a month after the class ended. I followed that up with the Security+ certificate at the end of the year. I started working help desk jobs while taking classes. I earned an associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems, Networking and Security from Sierra College in 15 months. I continued to take classes. I finished the third and final Cisco CCNA class in 2021 and completed a grueling semester-long class in firewalls, focusing on Palo Alto.
I am a highly-skilled, motivated, and well-trained tech with experience in numerous aspects of technology, from Azure to Citrix. I’m the kind of person who gets to work early and doesn’t want to leave at 5. Clients love me because I am quick to resolve issues and I work hard. I spend much of my personal time learning about the technologies they use so that I can resolve the more challenging tickets.