Tell us about the role that you just started in.
I just started a POS Engineer role with The Walt Disney Company.
Yes, the Walt Disney Company, the Mickey Mouse people, and I’ve been genuinely excited. How do I get the position? It was all about networking. Shaking hands, making connections, getting my name out there.
I believe it wasn’t just my technical skills that got me in, it was also my personality. That’s what really sealed the deal.
You mentioned networking, tell me more about what you specifically did in networking. Was it in person? Was it LinkedIn? Was it both?
I made it a point to illustrate clearly that I didn’t know much at the start. But through Yellow Tail Tech, I committed to keeping people updated on what I was doing, maybe daily, maybe weekly, and I really did my best to share the story of my journey.
That way, others could see: “Hey, Dylan started out barely knowing how to change permissions in a Linux CLI or add users to a group,” and then just a few weeks later, I was building cloud architectures, setting up site-to-site VPNs, creating Terraform templates, or deploying with CloudFormation.
I think the key was taking initiative even when I knew almost nothing, and showing what I was learning consistently. That effort paid off.
I didn’t exactly answer your question earlier, but in terms of networking, it was all about engaging with people in the comment sections, sending quick DMs here and there, and reaching out to my existing tech network to see if they knew anyone.
I focused on being a person of value first, offering help, sharing my journey, and being authentic, before asking for anything. Just being genuine and approachable. I believe that kind of energy resonates with people.
You were posting on LinkedIn during your journey?
Yes, from the start of the learning phase. Not even waiting for certification prep. Day one, “This is what I’m doing.”
We talk a lot about LinkedIn, posting, and building a following. Did you grow your following through posting?
Yes. I don’t remember exactly, I think I had around 600 or 700 followers and grew to about 1,000.
Tell me more about your role now. What are you taking from your training with Yellowtail Tech and applying in your current position?
Knowing systems and how to troubleshoot is essential for a POS Engineer. When I first signed up for Yellow Tail Tech, Paulo emphasized the importance of troubleshooting. I thought, “I hate troubleshooting. I don’t want to do this.” But getting into tech and hating troubleshooting doesn’t make sense.
During the learning process and certification prep, I developed a real knack for troubleshooting. I started looking forward to spending hours, sometimes two, three, even four, just to resolve an issue. Once I’m focused on a problem, I want to see it through.
In my current POS engineer role, that mindset helps me stay patient and think more broadly about potential issues. I approach problems with a step-by-step mentality: “If this doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.” I’m no longer afraid to take chances or to fail and try again.
How was the Career Success portion helpful for you in being prepared for interviews and your current role?
The career success gave me more reps, and I realized…
I could have a great personality, but if you can’t take your soft skills, you can’t take your personality, and mesh that with explaining your technical expertise, you’re gonna land flat on your face.
With the mock interviews, I was able to be more concise and get straight to the point. When someone asked me a specific question about A, B, or C, I rephrased it and addressed exactly what they were looking for.
The mock interviews helped me use more technical jargon when speaking with other tech professionals. I feel like other professionals respect that, when you’re able to speak their language instead of using generic terms.
Now that you’ve been in for a couple of days, how do you feel in your new position?
I feel at home.
I’m here to soak up as much game, as much knowledge as I can. I’m always looking forward to the next step in my journey because I have a lot I want to accomplish within the tech industry.
Being around my coworkers is great. They’re really supportive. My supervisors are also very supportive and down-to-earth. If I have any questions like “I tried this solution with installing this Android system on this terminal and it didn’t work. Can you guide me in another direction of what I could look at?”. They’re always willing to help.
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