by Douglas | Jul 9, 2026 | Doug Was Built Not Born, Thoughts, What Doug's working on now
There are moments in a career where you can feel the window opening. The question is whether you have the nerve to climb through it. I’m climbing through it. I’ve accepted a position as a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Assessor, and I...
by Douglas | Jul 7, 2026 | Doug Was Built Not Born
In the contracting world, stability is a luxury. When a contract enters a recompete phase, you don’t wait around to see which way the wind blows; you get ready for whatever comes next. For me, that meant aggressively closing the gaps in my compliance...
by Douglas | Jul 7, 2026 | Doug Was Built Not Born
After Cutler, I didn’t get to choose my next assignment. The detailer had a critical fill in Guam and I was the body that fit the billet. The person replacing me in Cutler was — literally — the person I was replacing in Guam. That’s how the Navy works...
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...
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...
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...