Nurturing Cybersecurity Talent Development with Kenneth Ellington (2/2)

Welcome to episode 240 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of a discussion with Kenneth Ellington, detailing his work as a mentor and coach to students at Ellington Cyber Academy (ECA). We’ll discuss different specializations in cybersecurity and some popular stereotypes, get some perspective on what Kenneth has learned as a business owner, and hear his future vision for ECA. Original Recording Date: 07-03-2023 Kenneth Ellington is a Senior Cybersecurity Consultant specializing in SIEM and SOAR technologies. He is also the owner and founder of Ellington Cyber Academy (ECA). If you missed part 1 of our discussion with Kenneth, you can find it in Episode 239. Topics – Coach and Mentor, Cybersecurity Certifications and Specific Roles, The Business Owner’s Blind Spots, What’s Next and Parting Thoughts 3:14 – Coach and Mentor Was the mentoring and coaching part of Kenneth’s business something that was surprising given his experience as an instructor or expected? Kenneth says the two play hand in hand with one another. Normally if people want 1-1 coaching after the program ends, there is a cost. When you’re part of the program, Kenneth is there to help you with any questions or concerns because he knows it’s challenging do the work. Kenneth says it can be difficult when you’re getting rejected for jobs over and over again. He’s been there and wants to help his students get through the tough times. Kenneth tells the story of spending all his money to buy a suit for an interview that was cancelled the day before it happened. “It’s hard to see the light, when you’re crawling through the mud, when you’re down in the trenches. So it’s my job to tell them, ‘keep going. It does end. Trust me….I can see it. I’m not in the mud anymore.’ That’s one of the biggest things to get across to my students.” – Kenneth Ellington John mentions there is a difference between knowing intellectually that you can / will break through and feeling it emotionally. Kenneth agrees and says people have to trust in the process. There will be times when no one calls you back after an interview and times when you don’t get interviews. This kind of experience can lead to self-doubt. “If you do these steps over and over again, and you keep tweaking it until the desired result, it will work. That’s what I’m there for.” – Kenneth Ellington, on trusting in the process to eventually produce outcomes The time it takes for people to get a job who go through a program can vary based on experience coming into the program and how well they understand the concepts (i.e. might take more time and work to refine skills and cement concepts). People may need help in areas like interview skills / improving their resume to