Introduce yourself and tell us about your new role.
I’m a Cloud Security Analyst working with Booz Allen. I joined Yellow Tail Tech in April 2022. I come from an IT background. I studied Network Security Management and have worked as a Security Engineer and Security Analyst for nearly five years. Now, I’ve transitioned into a Cloud Security Analyst role.
What made you decide to transition and choose cloud?
I was looking into learning more about Linux because even in what we do generally, what we do at work, or previously as a security engineer, we write a lot of scripts either with Python or Bash. My key thing was learning fast, Bash, and Linux.
I was looking for a class, not a boot camp, I wouldn’t call it a boot camp, but a program that would help me learn more about Linux. I came across Yellow Tail Tech, and after looking at testimonials from former students and seeing how the program is structured, I thought, Okay, this is a solid program I can join to develop my Linux skills.
As I was looking through, the program was actually starting. I don’t know exactly where my class falls because I was in the Lambda cohort. When we joined, I think we were the third or fourth class. I might be wrong, it could be the second or third, but we were technically the new people.
That’s when I decided I needed to get into the cloud. My intention was to get into the cloud, do cloud for a year or two, and then transition into cloud security. But fortunately, I got straight into cloud security without even doing the transition I had planned.
What did you notice was different about the Yellow Tail Tech program?
The structure is different from the very beginning, starting with the first person I engaged with, Pete. He explained everything in detail, clearly outlining what I was getting into and what the program would require from me. Ultimately, it comes down to what you do as a student.
The instructors, teachers, and your colleagues can support you, but only to a certain point. Beyond that, it’s up to you to go the extra mile, put in the extra time, and show the dedication needed to succeed. It’s about doing that one extra thing that helps you go above and beyond.
The first thing is the structure. Peter explained to me that the classes run between specific times and are conducted live. We weren’t just reading theory, we were working on real equipment. The same tools I’m now using in my current job as a Cloud Security Analyst. We’ve worked on NWA systems and Lnx for Jobs, and the instructors are excellent. Rick and Dave are especially outstanding.
Next is how the classes are organized. You begin with the theory portion. Once the theory is completed, you move on to the A+ preparation. After preparing thoroughly, you take the A+ exam.
I did the exam three times. The first time I did it was the last week before they were removing the labs. I failed by four points. I did it a second time, failed again, but I was at 690-something. And then the third time, I was able to pass.
Onto the next part, you do the practical aspect. You have the theory, you’ve done the exam to prove that you’re able to work on this equipment, and now the internship, the apprenticeship, gives you the hands-on experience. The troubleshooting you’re doing on the tickets is the same troubleshooting you’ll be doing at work.
If you’re stuck on something, check Google, ask ChatGPT. If you don’t get the answer, your colleagues can help you, because if you’re on ticket number 2, and the next person is on ticket number 4, they’ve already done 2. You’ll be like, “What did you do to get past number 2?” That’s how the teamwork works. At the end of the day, teamwork is what actually makes everything move along when you get into the work industry.
The structure, the theory, the exam, and now the hands-on. And then after that, once you’re done with the apprenticeship, there’s the career coach aspect. You’re actually told how to interview, and helped to build your resume. The whole thing is built for success.
One person’s experience is not a translation of what’s going to happen to you. You might start at Yellow Tail Tech, get your job while doing your apprenticeship, or you might finish the apprenticeship and go seven months like myself, even with an IT background, before you get a job.
You might get a job while you’re still doing your certification. What I’ll say to everybody is just trust in the process, follow the process, and always go that extra mile yourself.
It sounds like you had a tremendous community that you were able to absorb into Yellow Tail Tech.
We had a bunch of six or seven of us who used to get together and do all the work that needed to be done. Practice together, help each other out. That community helped a lot in getting me to the point where I was able to get a job.
During your apprenticeship, you kind of developed some skills for researching and just being resourceful. How has that translated into your new role?
It’s really helping a lot. The key thing about the IT or Information Technology industry in general is being resourceful. You have to be able to troubleshoot something or work on something, and have done all you need to do, and also document your troubleshooting steps, writing what you’ve found out.
When I come to you and say, “Courtney, I’m stuck on this,” I can say, “I’ve done 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.” You’ll be like, “OK, let’s go to step 6.” Being resourceful is helping me a lot in the role I’m in right now.
During our training with Yellow Tail Tech, we were actually working in an AWS environment. I’m working in an AWS environment all day. That’s all I’m doing. There’s the security aspect of it, it’s something I’m still learning, but security on-prem and security on the cloud are more or less the same.
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