The IT XP

Ditch the tech-coma and slay your 2024 goals! ⚔️ Procrastination got you in a chokehold? Career stuck in the buffering zone? Time to unleash the SMART goal secret weapon and rocket-boost your IT game. This ain't no burnout bonanza. We're talking consistent progress, confidence levels on fire, and finally unlocking your inner tech titan. 2024 is your year for IT domination, and SMART goals are your key to the kingdom. Ready to: Crush deadlines like bugs Code like a caffeine-fueled keyboard ninja Level up your skills faster than a viral tweet Leave burnout in the dust and watch your confidence soar ✨ Then hit that subscribe button and join the SMART goal revolution. We'll be cracking the code on career success, sharing epic wins, and proving to your mom you don't just "fix computers." This is your year to dominate, tech fam. Let's make 2024 legendary!

Unlock the world of game development and unleash your child's creativity with this must-watch video on Unreal Editor for Fortnite! Join us as we dive into the exciting process of creating custom Fortnite experiences. Encourage your children's passion for gaming while learning together, fostering a unique bonding experience. It's more than just playing; it's about nurturing their creative minds and building valuable skills. Don't miss this opportunity to embark on a thrilling adventure in game development and make unforgettable memories with your children. Click now and start learning together!   Check out our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@theitxp?si=fhC9iQN43ykLhT6k

Unlock the world of game development and unleash your child's creativity with this must-watch video on Unreal Editor for Fortnite! Join us as we dive into the exciting process of creating custom Fortnite experiences. Encourage your children's passion for gaming while learning together, fostering a unique bonding experience. It's more than just playing; it's about nurturing their creative minds and building valuable skills. Don't miss this opportunity to embark on a thrilling adventure in game development and make unforgettable memories with your children. Click now and start learning together! Check out our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@theitxp?si=fhC9iQN43ykLhT6k

Epic games recently released the Unreal Editor for fortnite with Epic Games Store exclusivity. In this video, I discuss why I think that others should use the editor, as well as its full potential, and why it is actually a big opportunity for everyone involved, not just content creators. Links referenced in the show: https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/Yl6/fortnite-your-first-hour-in-uefn/yXkB/fortnite-your-first-hour-in-uefn-overview https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/learn-programming-with-verse-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite

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.

I have a confession to make: I'm becoming a gamer. Over the past year or so I've been spending more time playing video games. Not only that, but I've been enjoying it- and I have to admit, it's been pretty fun. So I wanted to share with you all some of the reasons why I've decided to immerse myself in this new hobby- and why maybe you should too...

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   

We are here! This is our first video and it's been a long time coming. We talk about our journey starting back in 2015 to now. We talk about information technology and virtual reality, the metaverse and gaming. Stop in for a chat - we'd love to meet you!

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.

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

Following TikTok trends, I am going to implement some of those best practices in getting a job. Folks like @wonsulting and @corporatelife are just two of the many personalities that I will be following. Let's see how well those will work for an old man like me.

In this Season 6 finale, I take a look back on the year that was. We had some great accomplishments, in light of what was going on around us, and had some failures. If you are like me, you've had more failures than accomplishments. Come join me as we close out the year 2020.

We revisit season 1 again to give an update on how to keep learning in this world of constantly evolving technology. Some platforms may be right for you, others not so much. The only constant in technology is change.

I arranged a conversation with two colleagues to gain insight into their humble beginnings. We discuss automation and certifications a bit. The overall theme was to gain an understanding of other thoughts and ideas around this world as Information Technology professionals.

We revisit Season 1 episode 1.1. Looking back 5 years on my humble beginnings and the many career paths technology has to offer. Elon Musk started with the Commodore Vic-20, so did I. Look at where he's at and look at me. Everyone's path is different, so don't get discouraged. Cloud Resume Challenge: https://forrestbrazeal.com/2020/04/23/the-cloud-resume-challenge/

Soft Skills are one of the keys to success in the IT industry. I present 10 soft skills that can help you in your growth as an IT professional. The beauty of honing your soft skills is that it can apply to many things within your life.

While navigating your IT career, you will come across nepotism. We talk through what nepotism is and how to handle situations such as the Circle of Friends hiring practices C-Suite folks typically do.

Welcome back to our sixth season. We're trying to make this valuable to our listeners. Let's see how this goes.

Trump's War is upon us! Don't be the puppets they expect you to be. 

The journey continues as I discuss my feelings around the exam and what happened the day I took the test. This is some real heartfelt information here and I don't mince words. Everyone has their own opinions on this exam and certifications in general. I have a love/hate relationship with certifications and I go into my feeling about them.

I am getting tired of the whole, LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT WHAT I DID! movement. I get it, you want to enact change, but you haven't said anything that would indicate you know what you want to do.

I know you've heard me about my decision NOT to go into the Information Risk route, so why the change? To be honest, I need to stay relevant somehow in the ever changing landscape of technology. You've heard about organizational change and the like, so I need to ensure I stay relevant. I'm giving you some resources for preparing for this certification exam. Won't you join me on this journey?

Fantasy Football is the talk of many sports aficionados and I talk a bit about my experience with it and how much I SUCK at it. I'm back getting into a normal cadence of doing these shows again, so enjoy.

Leadership is about making decisions, big and small, yet somehow people forget what it means to be an effective leader. We had a major incident recently that prevented me from recording new episodes and this was my first recording since I came back from vacation. I give a glimpse into what happened and my thoughts around the things that I observed and my two cents. I'm not playing arm-chair CIO here, I'm giving you my true feelings on what happened.

The Apple Event of September! New products are announced and I go through some of my thoughts on what has been released. Check out the event on apple.com to see what's new. Stay tuned for the end where I jump back in to discuss my thoughts on the new iPhone 11 PRO!

I pulled this one up from last season because I'm dealing with a huge outage that many won't see in their lifetime; well hopefully not. High severity incidents, those where multiple systems are unavailable, will make or break you and your career. It's how you act during these incidents where you can either shine or sink deeper into the void. I provide you some insights into a recent high severity incident.

I pulled this one up from the archives because I think mentoring still plays an important role as you develop your career. You may hear folks say that you also need sponsors to help you progress, while this is true, you also need someone that is going to be your mentor, either directly or indirectly, to help you navigate this game we all play. Right now I'm sitting on a beach in the Caribbean, disconnected from the world. I hope you all have had the chance to do the same.

I went back into the archives and pulled out this gem. It's the summer season and I'm out galavanting around the Caribbean right about now. I wanted to post some of my older shows so that you can hear what I sounded like back then and also reinforce some of the ideas that I constantly hear about education. There are many forms of education one can take to continue growing in their career. I go through some of these. I'm prepping a follow-up to this show, when I get back, and this will hopefully help you along your way.

You're are most likely going to be thrust into a role as a project tech lead. I'm giving you some tips and tricks that lay down the foundation of what a great tech lead can do. If you want to move ahead in your career, take a listen.

Another round of mass shootings in America occurred over the weekend. I talk about how hatred is running rampant and just express my thoughts around this. This is a topic that should continue to be discussed. 

CBD oil for pets, what's been your experience? I talk about the anxiety my dog goes through during loud events, i.e. thunderstorms. Will CBD oil prove to be as effective as it was with me?

This episode is a personal one in where I discuss mental health in the IT industry. I talk about what I've been going through and how I handle it. It is a topic that isn't discussed often, but needs to. We all deal with things differently and we need outlets to decompress. For those that need to talk to someone right away, please call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For veterans, call the same number and press option 1.

I had the opportunity to go to AWS Summit NYC 2019. I briefly talk about the little protest outside of the Javits Center that morning on July 11th. Then I go into the summit briefly. Hopefully this will motivate some of you to get moving on your goals for this year.

Congrats to the USWNT in winning the Women's World Cup! The men couldn't pull out a victory against Mexico in the Gold Cup, but hey, we can't have everything.

Episode begins with me ranting on the direction this show was taking and then finishes up with Day 2 of the Rev2 Data Science conference I attended back in May.

I discuss the Girls On The Run event I attended yeterday. This goes into the girl/woman empowerment movement and my experiences as a Latinx male.

I had the opportunity to attend the Rev2 Data Science conference held by Domino Data Lab. While not an IT conference, I attended so I can gain a better understanding on what businesses are doing with data.

Do you have the right tools for the job?

Mom's are awesome!

Just some ramblings while I reflect a bit on the IANS security forum in NYC.

Content is hard to come by, especially when content providers are making it harder and harder for folks to consume it easily. I jump back on my soapbox on these platforms that are charging money for content. There are too many out there and this is why folks still choose peer to peer sharing.

Database admins and engineers are paving the way for organizations to do more with the data they have. This has spawned a new role call data scientists/analyst/etc.., but it all starts here with the database admin/engineer.