Episode 13

Preparing the Next Generation of IT Professionals

Published on: 7th November, 2023

On this episode of The Smart IT Podcast, I welcomed Terry Kim, CEO and Founder of NexGenT, to the show. We talked about a path forward to both those looking to get into IT for the first time and those looking to move up in their existing tech careers. We discussed about the the opportunities out there, from working with a wide array of companies to one day opening up their on IT consulting firms. We discussed several insightful areas, including:

-There is a better way to break into IT.

-There are ways to work your way up the opportunity ladder.

-The value of real world hands on experience is moving up in your career, taking on more complex roles, and increasing one's salary.

-The birth of "Zero to Engineer", including the story of training young adults how to build mission critical networks to support soldiers on the battlefield.

-The high cost of college and the challenges of "paper" certification. How the lack of hands-on experience shows up in the interviews process.

-At NextGenT, students can learn networking, DevOps/Cloud, Big Data/ML, product UI, blockchain (2024). There are opportunities for making money and taking on less student loan debt. Training times of 4-months versus 4-years.

-Problems with certification and cheating on exams. Not what CIOS are looking for (they want hands on experience). People need need practical hands on training and real world experience. His programs includes capstone projects. Program based on job readiness framework, tested and validated in the military.

-Network engineering is feeder to cyber security. Beside software engineer there are other areas in tech lots of opportunities. For example, there are hundreds of thousands of cyber jobs in US.

-Opportunities for people to work directly for companies (small and large like Fortune 500), consulting firms, technology manufacturers, service providers, governments, manufacturers, technology providers/resellers, and Cloud providers.

-Networking is the plumbing on the Internet, providing the backbone for billions of devices on the network. The networking engineering role is evolving and being enhanced. Networking Infrastructure is continually being updated and improved.

There are incredible opportunities to make 6-figures without being a doctor or lawyer. A true American dream. We have to rethink the idea of needing a 4-year degree. IT is about skill stacking. There is a path to finding work you love to do, with less student loan debt, in a shorter period of time. This is an exciting time to explore a career in IT. This is an exciting time to move up the ladder. There are ways to get unstuck. Take you career to next level by upskilling into new areas like DevOps/Cloud and AI, moving into management or a architect role, or transitioning in consulting.

#networking #certification #skills #training #networkengineering #cloud #devops #ai #machinelearning #it #technology #career #smartit


Brilliant Beam Media Syya Yasotornrat


Show Notes Resources

Terry Kim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/projectkim/

Project Kim: https://www.projectkim.com/

Terry on X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/projectkim

NGT Academy: https://ngt.academy/

NGT Blog: https://nexgent.com/blog

Zero to Engineer: https://zerotoengineer.com/

Zero to Engineer - Book

Free copy of Terry's new book: zerotoengineer.com/book

Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Engineer-American-Financial-Technologies/dp/B0CKGS8BWY/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699287687&sr=8-1

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Engineer-American-Financial-Technologies/dp/B0CJL3GH9C/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699287687&sr=8-1

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Engineer-American-Financial-Technologies-ebook/dp/B0CJX3X3MN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699287687&sr=8-1


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About the Podcast

The Smart IT Podcast
Where IT explores what's next...
The Smart IT Podcast, where IT professionals can assemble and hear from each other, industry leaders, thought leaders, and those in adjacent fields to collaborate and learn from each other and explore what’s next for IT.

The Smart IT Podcast explores what’s next for IT as it continues to find ways to get the important things done for our organizations.
Preparing for the next decade, we need to think differently about how we approach our work to continue to thrive into the future.

Smart IT is an approach, conceptual framework, and development model to getting the important things done by transforming the way traditional IT thinks, works, and leads. It supports the disruption of the status quo, simplifies the complex, reduces uncertainty, and improves risk mitigation.

There has never been more pressure to deliver for our organizations; but I know IT is up to the challenge.

That will require IT to lead by working smarter. Let’s do it together.

About your host

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William Reed

I am an advisor of technology for business use, have seen the possibilities, the challenges, the constraints, and the risks. I have seen firsthand the technical debt, silos, broken communication, despair of IT, and business frustrations. And, I have seen the possibilities, the hopes, and the opportunities while working in the trenches of IT.

As someone that has analyzed, designed, built, and supported technology infrastructure for many businesses over the years, and followed the technology trends and cyber threats, I see the opportunities for our organizations and for the professionals of IT as a fulfilling and thriving career.

I believe we have been blessed with great opportunities to continue to improve ourselves and organizations. If it’s possible, there is no reason enterprise IT cannot reach new heights and help our businesses thrive in age of disruption, complexity, and risk.

I have a passion is bringing a fresh perspective to the challenges in front of IT and help inspire a team to tackle and win. And to help individuals and organizations make better decisions to improve outcomes and experiences.

I advise on matters of technology use for organizational benefits. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Information Technology field. He has worked for multiple technology value added resellers, representing the major vendors and technologies in the industry. He has consulted across the major industries, including banking, health care, retail, oil & gas, education, government, finance, and legal.