Eight Certifications, Zero Bootcamps: What They Taught Me (and What They Didn’t)

by Douglas | Jul 5, 2026 | Doug Was Built Not Born

I currently hold eight active certifications: CISA, CISM, CISSP, CEH, PMP, PSM, CCA, CCP, and ITIL. I’ve also let four lapse over the years – CCNA, CFCM, Security+, and Network+. Not because I failed to maintain them, but because they’d done their...

My Second Duty Station Was the World’s Most Powerful Radio Transmitter. I Worked Inside It.

by Douglas | Jul 5, 2026 | Doug Was Built Not Born

Imagine, I was the SME and Lead Supervisor here – when I was only in my mid 20’s! I was stationed at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Cutler, Maine — a remote posting in Washington County on the Down East coast, not far from the Canadian...

Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot – I Did Several Times

by Douglas | Jul 1, 2026 | Doug Was Built Not Born

During my career in the U.S. Navy, I specialized in IT and Communications. When retirement approached, I was convinced I was done with both IT and the defense sector. Looking for a complete shift, I earned an MBA in Finance and took my first civilian role as an...
Next Entries »

Recent Posts

  • Get a Burner Inbox for Your Career
  • A New Chapter: From IT Systems Auditor to CMMC Assessor
  • How I Feed My AI Tools
  • The Leap I’m Making
  • The AI Sandbox: How I Used Claude and Gemini to Master CMMC and NIST Controls

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Archives

  • August 2026
  • July 2026
  • June 2026
  • May 2026
  • February 2026
  • January 2026
  • December 2025
  • November 2025
  • October 2025

Categories

  • Cybersecurity Best Practices
  • Doug Was Built Not Born
  • Thoughts
  • Uncategorized
  • What Doug reads and listens to
  • What Doug's working on now