Have you ever wanted to dive into a new discipline but weren’t sure where to start? I use a specific workflow to accelerate my learning, and I recently put it to the test this past summer.
My goal was to add CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) to my list of competencies. Rather than starting with a textbook, I immersed myself in the community. I joined a dedicated CMMC Discord channel and began reading dialogues between industry experts.
Naturally, I stumbled over complex statements and unfamiliar acronyms at first. Whenever I hit a roadblock, I opened my AI chatbot (ChatGPT) and asked for clarification—specifically looking for the “30,000-foot view” of the concept. I would then document these insights in my Joplin notebook for later review.
To reinforce this, I layered in audio learning. I started listening to a single CMMC podcast, eventually expanding my rotation to four regular shows. I found that once I became familiar with the podcasters and their distinct perspectives, the complex subject matter really began to sink in.
The end result? I passed both the Certified CMMC Professional (CCP) and Certified CMMC Assessor (CCA) exams this year with room to spare. These weren’t simple memory tests; the exams were scenario-based. You couldn’t just “study to the test” to get by—you genuinely needed to understand the underlying concepts and practices.
This validated my approach. Over time, I found myself relying less on the AI and more on my own memory. This method helped me build a robust CMMC knowledge base efficiently, and it is a strategy you can apply to almost any new subject you want to master.
-Doug