One Step at a Time

This is the story of how I got started in my IT Security career. I hope this blog can serve as an inspiration to others looking to get started out of college or are looking to change careers. I will share the good and the bad of my journey to becoming the IT engineer and leader I am today.

In the beginning...​

The son of an Engineer​

Throughout my life so far I have always had a desire to build, fix, or make things. No matter where I was it was just something wasn't working right or needed fixing it drove me into action. I attribute most of this to being the son of an engineer. My father spent most of his early career in the Navy as an engineer on submarines and destroyers working on the systems and instruments that enabled navigation, target acquisition, and general operations. There are certainly some fun stories that I have heard over the years that become even more interesting as I equate them to the systems that I work on today. His way of thinking like an engineer has certainly spilled over onto me and the way I think and work today.

Some of my early memories are pinewood derby cars in Boy Scouts where every cut, mold, or added/removed/located weight had an impact on the cars performance down the track with CO2 spitting out the back. The accomplishment of simply getting the car to go down the track on all four wheels was exciting let alone where I finished in the race. From the days of the derby my skills and disciplines have evolved as I started working with my dad on home renovations, or woodworking projects, and eventually building my own computers and programs to learn and dig into how things work in the world of IT.

Teenage Years​

Then I became a teenager... and not a well-behaved one at that. After barely completing high school I got into cars, you know "The Fast and Furious" days. This again triggered my desire to fix, repair, and modify once again. So after a short semester of electrical engineering in college I decided to drop out and go to trade school to learn more about cars. 13 months later I graduated and started working a few different jobs at dealerships and speed shops.

Responsibilities?.... who needs those?​

A few years later I had been working in the automotive field for about 4 years and was in a long-term relationship with my now wife. I saw the responsibilities on the horizon and started wondering if this is what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. I had invested so much into my automotive career that it seemed foolish to drop it all and start again. However, I started seeing how much the Internet and computers were becoming a daily part of life and started playing with them again. Computers had come a long way since my first Apple II-GS and I knew I needed to go back to school once again. The reality, as I look back on it years later is that working on cars and working on IT systems have a lot of similarities. Engines making "clank-clank" sounds are similar to applications not loading correctly and spitting out error logs. I just needed to change how I assessed and fixed the problems.

Moving into an IT Security Career​

College - Round 2​

I was fortunate enough to still be living with my parents and asked if they would support me through my studies in IT and they, as parents do, graciously agreed and I started my studies at the local Anne Arundel Community College. After a few core classes, I started my Cisco CCNA classes and fell in love with networking and making networks hum like a well oiled machine. I was hooked, and wanted more so I started looking for employment in IT where I could work while I finished my degree. Apparently, I had done something right as I applied and got offered a position to be the evening Systems Administrator at the community college. It was a great introduction to working in IT with tasks like imaging lab machines with Norton Ghost, surfing the web on thinkgeek.com, writing programs in C++, and not buying Bitcoin at $0.09. After working late nights at the school and on my class work I completed my associate's degree and transferred to Towson University, aka Maryland State :), to finish out with a bachelor's degree in Information Systems Security.

Opportunity came knocking​

Towards the end of my program at the community college, I was approached by the Internship Coordinator and was asked if I was interested in looking at an opportunity at a local company called Force3 for an unpaid summer internship. I jumped at the opportunity and so began my new, deeper dive into IT security.

This is when the real learning got hot and heavy. I started my internship updating project hour burn details in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets which I would usually finish in the first hour or two of work. So what was I supposed to do the rest of the day? Luckily, my desk was close to my now business partner, Jamie Sanbower, who was working on deployments of a product called Cisco NAC Appliance. I started asking questions and playing around on the terminal trying to figure out how the solution worked, all its permutations, and of course a TON of RTFM!!! I didn't stop there, anything that came into the lab I wanted to see how it worked and learn so that one day I could configure and deploy it.

Keep learning by asking questions, BUT...​

From that experience, I learned one of my most valuable lessons and one that I hope to impart on anyone reading. It is, Do not be afraid to ask questions, first to yourself. What if I did it this way or changed that? If you cannot find a solution to a problem ask your mentors or colleagues BUT ONLY after you have exhausted all available resources trying to answer it on your own and be ready to prove that. When you can show that you researched and tried different options using that information others will see that you are not just coming to them for the easy route to the solution. Using this method you will be surprised how many times you will not need to rely on someone else to answer your question (trust me, some engineers don't like that). You will know when you didn't do enough research when you ask a question and get the lmgtfy.com link to the answer.

Towards the end of the summer my internship was ending and I had proven myself enough to get a part-time position at Force3 as an associate engineer while I continued my college courses at Towson. That position eventually evolved into full-time and a few companies, multiple certification tests, and eventually a Masters Degree later here I am.

My learning never ends. Always asking myself questions and trying to find the answers. Over time Google and especially advanced Google search options has been my best friend in finding those answers. Keep digging, trying different problems, and take risks without the fear of punishment. Doing things that end up wrong should result in a learning experience on how not to do it and, unfortunately, having to go back and do it right.

Wake up, Get after it, and keep learning. From my family to yours,

Chad Mitchell

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