February 22, 2023 • 36 mins
Warriors, Fall in…
It’s time for formation.
Today, I’m joined with a very active Act Now Education board member. Unlike many other situations, being a board member for Act Now is a tall order, in itself because it means you’ve spent hundreds of hours helping the 50k plus community who are considered part of the Act Now Education military group.
He spent 9 years in the Army and currently serves at an IT Security Support Specialist for Bank of America, is a certified Scrum Master, and serves as a volunteer software engineer for Act Now Education. I’d like to welcome Marion Simon to the Morning Formation Podcast.
Contact with Mario on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-r-simon/
It’s time for formation.
Today, I’m joined with a very active Act Now Education board member. Unlike many other situations, being a board member for Act Now is a tall order, in itself because it means you’ve spent hundreds of hours helping the 50k plus community who are considered part of the Act Now Education military group.
He spent 9 years in the Army and currently serves at an IT Security Support Specialist for Bank of America, is a certified Scrum Master, and serves as a volunteer software engineer for Act Now Education. I’d like to welcome Marion Simon to the Morning Formation Podcast.
Contact with Mario on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-r-simon/
Check out our website
Please Support & Donate to the Podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themorningform
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
KP (00:03):
In the military, you're given a uniform and instructed
on how to do things and when todo them. But what happens when
the cadence fades and you're nolonger wearing that uniform? I'm
Kp and I started this podcast tofill that silence with direction
and to provide overall supportfor my beloved military family.
(00:25):
Welcome to the MorningFormation. This episode is
powered by Act Now Education, goto www.actnoweducation.com for
free comprehensive educationalresources and opportunities for
active duty, veterans, militaryspouses, and children.
Mario Simon (00:47):
Motivation lasts a day, but inspiration lasts a
lifetime. So I don't focus ontrying to help people by
motivating them I tried to youknow, have a lasting impression.
KP (01:04):
Warriors fall in it's time for formation. Today I'm joined
with a very active Act NowEducation Board member. And
unlike many other situations,being a board member for acne
education is a very tall orderin itself. Because it means
you've spent hundreds of hourshelping the 50,000 Plus
community who are considered apart of the Act Now Education
(01:27):
family. The gentleman that Ihave on today is also a
certified scrum master. He spentnine years in the Army and
currently serves as an ITsecurity support specialist for
Bank of America. And he servesas a volunteer Software Engineer
for Act Now Education. So I'dlike to welcome Mario Simon
today for the morning formationpodcast How you doing today?
Mario Simon (01:49):
Great pleasure to be here, KP.
KP (01:52):
This man, the pleasure is all mine. I've been trying to
make my rounds with all thefolks with Act Now Education on
top of the list of guests that Ihave wanting to be on the
podcast. And I've been reallyfocusing on having more of a
priority towards Act NowEducation, because I like to
push more people towards thegreat nonprofit group that we're
(02:14):
both a part of. So I reallyappreciate you for being on the
show. Because a lot of timespeople don't see some of the
background workers who aremaking it happen. So thank you
so much for being a part of theshow today and just want to
start things off by talkingabout the type of volunteer work
that you've conducted for acneeducation, and why do you do it.
Mario Simon (02:39):
So most of the work I've done around the site that
you know, everyone loves to govisit, see all the resources
that are available to them. Iwill say the reason I do it,
it's mostly just because I feellike a lot of times being in the
service and then transitioningout, the biggest thing is like
(03:01):
the questions you have is thethings you don't know. And then
Act Now can provide you thoseresources or provide you the
insight that you might not haveeven thought to look into or
even ask. So I feel like being apart of giving back what
information I have is in anyshape way or form, then I'll do
(03:21):
it.
KP (03:22):
So is that kind of a pain point for you. When you
transitioned out of themilitary? Did you find it
frustrating to figure out whatyour next step was going to be
when you made your careertransition out of the out of the
army?
Mario Simon (03:35):
I would say it wasn't a pain point for me. But
I noticed the pain point. Andlike the troops that I had that,
you know, that got out, ortransition, or even, you know,
people that are retiring. Andthey're you know, these are the
things I hear them talkingabout. So like for me, my entire
time I probably spent was moreor less planning on how I was
(03:57):
going to get out, based on youknow what I the feedback I was
hearing from everyone else. So Iwas able to kind of I didn't
have the same experience thatmost people probably had when
they transition because likejust spent years, just planning
just that moment to make surethat I was okay.
KP (04:16):
Yeah, it's essential a lot like me, I don't know if you
accepted the outside help whenyou transitioned out. But when I
transitioned out, I dideverything sort of on my own.
And I was very limited. And Iguess a little bit ignorant when
it came to accepting outsidehelp to do things like look at
(04:36):
my resume, to take intoconsideration other avenues
other industries to jump into.
It sounds like you made a littlebit more of a smart, smart move
as far as transition wise. WhenI left I became part of the 70
plus percent of militaryveterans that quit their first
(04:56):
job within the first year ofleaving service.
So I didn't land exactly all myfeet when I when I got on the
military, but it sounds like youdid now, did you ever become
frustrated? Whenever you triedto help anyone else out as
you're transitioning out of themilitary, whether it was one of
your own soldiers, and maybeyou're trying to give them some
valuable advice on reallyexamining the resume or perhaps
(05:20):
getting certifications or goingto the Education Center over
wasting their time?
Mario Simon (05:27):
Yes, I think that was probably the thing that
frustrated me the most, becausejust me in general, I'm like,
you know, if I know information,if I know something, I'm going
to tell you about it. Especiallyif I, if I know it's going to
You know, and I'll tell youonce. And I'll tell you twice,
benefit you.
I'll tell you three times. Andthen you know, after that point,
I'm just like, you know, I'vegiven you the the knowledge, you
(05:49):
decide how you want to use it,if you choose not to, that's up
to you. But it will always needbased around like, hey, go to
school, if you're not going toyou're not going to go to
school, get some certs, itdoesn't matter. If you're going
to not use the certs whileyou're in the service. It's
about what you're going to do.
When you get out of service,things like this.
That's the first thing you'rethinking about is like, you want
to get a job, right? And you'relike, oh, man, I can make all
(06:11):
this money when I get out of themilitary. But then you don't
think about all the things thatyou got to do in order to kind
of be out there. It's not likeI'm just the veteran so hire me.
That doesn't work. It doesn'twork at all. It might give them
a thank you for your service.
But that's, that's, that's whereit stops.
KP (06:31):
Honestly, yeah, that conversation that Oh, how cool
conversation will last for aboutfive to 10 minutes, when you're
sitting across from from arecruiter looking to hire you.
And then after that, they'regoing to ask those questions on
what can you do for me? And whatcan you do for this company?
And that's when you really getchallenged? And I asked you that
question, mainly because I'vebeen frustrated before. And I
(06:51):
know that you're a verypassionate person, when it comes
to helping others caring aboutthe person to your left and to
your right. I know that aboutyou. Because you're a board
member for active education andspending all the hours that you
spent working on the nonprofitorganization. It really takes
someone who has that passion.
And that's why I asked you thatquestion specifically. But why
did you decide to specificallyreach back and serve our
(07:16):
military community through actnow education? Why act now
education over all the othernonprofits out there?
Mario Simon (07:27):
So, I would say it was mostly because I was in the
group, and you know, but I waskind of like Silent ordering, I
was there. I was, you know,seeing the resources, you know,
but rather than just seeing itand kind of like looking into
taking advantage of the,whatever information that I
could.
And then as I was transitioning,you know, I happen to be working
(07:51):
with Micki, and then mix thecome, be part of this, you know,
this great organization, I waslike, Oh, that's interesting. I
was like, which one? She tellsme this, you know, Act Now, and
I was like, Oh, well, that's,that's also good to know.
So when I saw an opportunity tokind of like, volunteer, because
I don't think volunteering isjust, you know, it's not just
good for you, it's just good forwhatever cause you're, you know,
(08:13):
you're doing it for and justright there, Act Now is where
it's at. So
KP (08:18):
yeah,
Mario Simon (08:18):
just go in and, you know, do what I can, because at
least I know, at some in somecapacity, I'm going to be
helping somebody. Even if theydon't they don't know.
KP (08:28):
Right. No doubt. And that's why you're on the show today,
because I want people to see thefolks who are behind the scenes
building the, I guess theoverall machine that is Act Now
Education. It's so easy forpeople to go to the
actnoweducation.com website andnot even think twice about, you
(08:49):
know, who engineered this, whoput this together? It literally
takes hundreds and hundreds ofhours.
And I know the frustration Imean, I I work in podcasting.
And I can tell you that even asa big dummy like me, me trying
to figure things out, man, it'sso frustrating. So it's it's
such a refreshing thing to havesomeone like you on the team
(09:09):
really pushing for our overallcause for Act Now Education.
Now, how long have you been partof Act Now Education.?
Mario Simon (09:18):
I would say it has to be a little over a year now.
KP (09:22):
Wow. Time flies quick QA.
Mario Simon (09:26):
You don't even notice that?
KP (09:27):
Yeah, man. It's been over a year and a half for me as well.
And I remember when you came onboard, man, it was like a breath
of fresh air as far as gettingsomeone that understands the IT
space. And as far as it initself. I know you work at IT
security, but what would youlike for folks out there to know
about the industry and how thatfield can be an ideal transition
(09:48):
for folks exiting the military.
Mario Simon (09:52):
I would say first thing is to understand that you
know, it is like broad you know,there's different avenues within
it that you can go down a lot oftimes people say it, then I say
cyber security, then they saypolicy, you know it all it is
different avenues. So it'sreally just understanding what
your flavor do you like to bemore hands on?
(10:16):
Do you like to be more, youknow, logical, you know, think
things through, you know, whatkind of then, you might want to
go into the governance kind ofspace? Or, you know, do you like
to do penetration tests, youknow, and do like the cool
ethical hacking, or the personthat's on the other side reading
through parsing through logs,thinking of ways to kind of
defend against that? Yeah, no,those avenues.
(10:38):
So that's one. And then theother thing is being, you know,
being open to like relocating toa spot, that's going to be more
beneficial to you. A lot oftimes, I noticed people don't
want to move on, when it comesdown to it, they'll say, I want
(10:59):
to get a job in Georgia, I wantto get a job in Florida doing
it, the best place to do it isDC, Maryland, Virginia, that's
where you want to be, that'swhat you want to do it yeah.
Because they are going to payyou a reasonable salary, or
hourly rate. But it's going tobe way better than what you're
(11:22):
making in pretty much every youknow, the 47 other states,
you're gonna make more money inthat area.
So you have to be open to kindof, you know, moving a lot of
time, people don't want to moveand get out of their comfort
zone. But that's where you wantto be. And then three, degree
versus certifications. It'salways like a thing in IT. Both
(11:46):
of them are pieces of paper,it's how you kind of, you know,
take those pieces of paper andadd value to them, just like the
dollar, you add value to $1.
That's why it's worth something.
So if you got thatcertification, make it worth
something, if you have thedegree, make it worth something,
it's interchangeable, if you'regoing to go into Fed space,
security plus baseline, getsecurity plus, if you're gonna
(12:07):
go into the commercial space,they're a little bit more open
to IT certifications.
So you don't have to just, itdoesn't have to just be Security
Plus, they look into you, youknow, whatever other
certifications that are IT base,whether it be like the CIS PS or
(12:27):
the CISM. You know, they look atall those other certs that are
not like DoD 8570, you know,requirements, so you have a
little bit more leeway. But theyalso kind of like look into your
education background, you know,rather than experience, whereas
on the federal side, they'remore concerned about DoD 8570,
(12:49):
do you have the certifications?
And then maybe your experiencewill play a role, but usually
how it goes. So I would saythose are things.
KP (12:59):
That's fascinating. Man, I'm surprised to hear that the DC
area is DC, Virginia area is themost ideal place for it, I would
assume that, like SiliconValley, or some kind of
technological area, geographicalarea would be more ideal. So I
was a little surprised to hearthat. And as far as you being a
(13:20):
ethical hacker, which is what itsays on your LinkedIn, can you
explain what exactly that is?
Mario Simon (13:26):
So essentially, you have your, you know, you hackers
that are trying to break intoyour your phone, send you
phishing emails, saying, hey,click this and win the million
dollars. And then I lock yourcomputer, on the ethical,
ethical hacker side of things,it's more of testing to make
(13:46):
sure that the proper controls soto speak, are in place.
So the things like that don'thappen. organizations aren't,
you know, falling victim toransomware, or, you know, denial
of services, where they're theirsites just down or their
networks down, because some, youknow, malicious group, in
(14:09):
whatever country, you know,decides that, hey, we don't like
We're just going to, you know,argue or we don't like your
your product.
company, we're just going to askyou, or we just have
alternative, alternativemotives. And we're just going to
hack you. So my job is kind ofto simulate those and test, you
know, corporate environments.
Basically, their security to seeif they're prepared for those
(14:31):
kinds of events. And then, kindof giving them insight.
Generating reports. Showing themlike, Hey, you could fall victim
to this. This is how I can showyou how it's done. Here's a
report outlining all yourvulnerabilities. And then I'll
hand it to you, you decide howyou want to fix that.
(14:55):
if you want to fix that. Is therisk worth it or not? If it is,
you know, I can tell you how tohow to fix it, and then go from
there. Or you have your ITstaff, you know, your service
desk, your network engineers,your software engineers, and
they come in and basically fixyour issue. But it's identified
(15:16):
through ethical hacking,
KP (15:19):
or the terms of black hats and white hats. Is that what
that is basically, folks who areon the evil side, and folks that
are on the good side of hacking,is that sort of where that comes
from?
Mario Simon (15:31):
In a sense. Yeah, that's kind of like we're, where
it comes from. And they have,you know, different names for it
all. Nation state actors, scriptkitties, which are just...a
Script Kitty could be, you know,some 16 year old, that just
doesn't like, you know, say theydon't like McDonald's, they're
(15:52):
gonna go, and they're gonna justrun a script.
And they don't know what itdoes. They just saw online that
it's, you know, it will makeyour website go down, and they
just press the button. Those areyour script, kiddies, which are
pretty much the bulk of themoutside of like, you know,
nations kind of doing theirthing.
KP (16:10):
Over the span of the last year or so I've had quite a few
cyber tech folks as guests. Andeven for me, on the outside, not
really in that space. I'velearned a lot about cyber tech
and IT security and the manynumber of jobs that are
available within the industryitself.
And like you mentioned earlier,you've got folks that are more
(16:34):
technical, as far as moreinvolved with the IT stuff,
whether it's ethical hacking, orIT security or it's more sounds
like more HR, like humanresources, where you're managing
folks that that do the ittechnical side of things, and
it's amazing how big the fieldis in itself. Now, when you
(16:58):
transitioned out of themilitary, did you start out in
IT as soon as you got out?
Mario Simon (17:03):
Yes, soon as I got out. And they actually found me.
KP (17:07):
Oh, nice. Wow
Mario Simon (17:10):
Interesting scenario.
KP (17:11):
So yeah. So what obstacles did you run into, whether it was
an obstacle that you ran into,or you stumbled in within your
first week, or your first fewdays of working, that you didn't
really foresee, when you werepreparing for that military
career transition?
Mario Simon (17:31):
The first obstacle was onboarding. Where you know,
when you're in the military, youhave like your spot direct,
someone's gonna go there, holdyour hand, hey, you need to go,
you know, somebody's pay, youneed to go make sure that you
have your papers squared away.
This is where you're going to bestaying, this is going to be
(17:53):
your manager, you know, you haveall of that. When I
transitioned, that was like thebiggest puzzle, I'd sit there
and select okay. I don't knowwhat I'm supposed to do today.
Yeah. Like, they're like, Hey,you're going to have a person
that's going to call you to helpyou onboard. And then, you know,
when you're in the service,you're pretty prompt, right, you
check time, spent 15 minutestill they're late.
(18:17):
And then, you know, 30 minuteslater, you're like, okay,
they're still they're still nothere. I don't know what to do.
Who do I call? You know, youknow, all this, everything's
like, unknown. And then you justfigure it out? Like, what health
benefits do I gotta choose?
Dental insurance? Which one do Itake? I don't know. I never had
to think about that. There's alot of decisions you have to
make that aren't that weren'tthat weren't common. Like,
(18:37):
you're just so used to justgetting everything handed to you
don't even realize it. That'sthe crazier part.
KP (18:46):
Yeah, you know, even in the intro of this podcast, that's
something that I address at theintro of this podcast, you know,
I talked to a really brief introwhere I say, in the military,
you're given a uniform toldwhere to be what to do. But what
happens when that cadence fades,and you're no longer wearing
that uniform? And who's going totell you to pivot, when it's
(19:06):
time to pivot?
Who's going to tell you to stepoff, when it's time to step off?
It's sort of up to you at thatpoint, right? When you're a
civilian. And that's that kindof takes some getting used to
because you're used to that,that mentorship, right? But it's
really not there on the in thecivilian world. So that can be I
understand where you're comingfrom, because I dealt with the
same thing too.
When I first started my my joboutside of the military, I kind
(19:29):
of expected for there to be someleft seat right seat training
going on. And there really itreally didn't come. It was kind
of like, hey, figure it figureit out for yourself, right. So
within the IT field, how cansomeone position themselves as
an ideal leader within the ITspace? That would also have been
(19:50):
skills that were utilized in themilitary?
Mario Simon (19:56):
I wou ld say naturally, you're going to have
those leadership skills, butit's all about your approach.
You know, in the military, it'smore like you have to do this,
you have to do that. Whereas,when, once you're out, you know,
it's more, more or less, whatmakes more sense at this time,
(20:19):
based on budget, you know, basedon, you know, you have to take
in, you know, your, your, yourteam's, you know, livelihood
and, you know, feelings, becauseif they quit, you're not, you're
down another person.
And then that means extra workfor you. And then, you know,
there's, there's a lot ofstrings yet that, you know,
(20:42):
pull. But when I would say, takethat those leap that leadership
aspect, and then go in with amore go going with a plan.
Everything that I did, I had tomake sure to have a plan. So
when I came on, you know, comingout, I was like, I have the
leadership skills.
(21:03):
But what I, you know, I'mdealing with people who the only
thing they care about is theirjob and their paycheck. You
know, that's the only thing theycare about. They don't care
about, you know, whether youlike the work that they put
together, you don't care aboutany of that it's not their job
and their paycheck, because it'sa sense of security. So you have
(21:25):
to add value.
So you have to, hey, Iunderstand that you like to do
this. So I'm gonna help you onmy team specifically do that,
because I know that your strongsuit, and then they'll do that
they've performed that job. AndI say, Hey, okay, I like the way
that you're doing that you'redoing it? Well. I want to put
(21:45):
you into this other role,because I think it's going to
benefit the team.
And then they say, you know,teamwork makes the dream work.
And I just, I start sayingthings to kind of get in their
heads always say, teamwork makesthe dream work, teamwork, makes
the dream work.
And then students sooner thanlater, you know, they start
sending me, you know, text, hey,teamwork makes the dream work.
Yeah, I'm like, Okay, I'm doingsomething, right. So yep. Take
(22:06):
into account, like the skillsthat your skill sets, because a
lot of times people get put inpositions that aren't, you know,
good for them.
Or they're not prepared for. I'mfirm believer of training,
training, training, training,training, if you want to be a
network engineer, know the insand outs of, you know, operating
network, you know, crawl, walk,run. And if I can identify that
(22:29):
as a pain point for a teammember or something like that,
then I'll focus on that. Butinstead of trying to force them
into a role, I'm trying to forcethem in, like in the direction
that I know is going to bebeneficial to them based on what
they want to do.
KP (22:46):
Yeah, man, you know what, Mario, I really haven't had a
chance to talk to you all thatmuch. Even though we are on the
board together, we log in everymonth, and we discuss a lot of
academic education, things thatare coming up, but you remind me
of a very quiet, yet strong NCOthat when you speak, you're
heard, and the fact that youjust described your own type of
(23:09):
leadership of challenging folksand and, and putting them out
there.
And some of the things you justmentioned, right now, as far as
like the little short,motivational corpse, I do the
same thing too. And like, evenin the beginning, when I say
warriors fall in, it's time forformation. Like that's something
that I used to say. I say,Warrior. So I don't know if you
(23:29):
remember the whole warrior ethosthing that they came out with.
And it was kind of a joke,right? So I used to say
warriors. And I still do thattoday. Whenever I'm even around
my own coworkers. You know, I'llwalk up to a group of and say,
warriors or whatever.
And I don't know, it's, it'sfunny, but it's also kind of me
in a way, because I, even whenwe were running and doing double
time, and I would say littleshort things to try to motivate
(23:51):
folks like, oh, keep on going,keep moving. You know, you know,
we're almost home, things likethat, you know.
And that's, I think that isthat's definitely part of your
NCO that you were when you werein the military, that you've
brought along with you into theIT field right now. Now, as far
(24:11):
as strategies, what would youadvise someone to consider if
they were to begin their journeyinto becoming part of the IT
career field?
And the reason I asked that isbecause it can be very
intimidating. There's so manydifferent certifications out
there. There's so many differentpositions and opportunities.
What strategies would you givesomeone or advice to someone if
(24:33):
they were to consider to begintheir journey into becoming part
of the field that you're inright now?
Mario Simon (24:39):
I would say if they're going to try to begin
their journey, instead offocusing on the certification,
focusing on the educational sideof it, you know what? The
certification like I said, it'sthe paper it's it's there.
(25:00):
rather than, you know, like, Oh,let me just jump to a boot camp
or something like that. I mean,it depends how people learn.
Some people learn faster thanothers.
But if you're just jumping intoit, and you really want to
understand it, you know, yeah,to actually try to understand
it, you know, not something thatyou're going to brain dump,
after you take the test and justsay, I hope I can get this job,
you know, it's, you know, taketime to learn what the basics
(25:22):
are. If you're going to dosomething in like the help desk
space, but you get technologysuck at using computer, you
don't know your mouse from thekeyboard, start to understand,
okay, the mouse, what is it?
Therefore, why do I need to useit? You know, what function?
What function does it provide?
How does that add value? Allright, I know what the mouse is.
Keyboard, what function does itprovide? Computer? What function
(25:45):
does it provide? Can I take thiscomputer apart and put it back
together?
Can I start to, you know, usesome critical thinking, to kind
of understand how a computerworks? Okay, I got that down.
Now it's time to move on tonetworking. How do I understand
the network? You know, if youdon't want to be a network
engineer, that's fine. Butunderstand the basics. You know,
(26:08):
how do I, how does the Internetwork? How do I get to this
website? Like, what's the logicbehind that? So it's just
understanding the high levelsand breaking them down into
those, you know, basiccomponents.
And if you understand thebasics, then you can always
build on that. Because as Iwould say, That's the biggest
(26:30):
issue, a lot of people that tryto go into it face is that they
skip the foundation. They'rejust like, I'm just gonna build
a mansion on top of this. Andthat's just the ocean.
And they think, yeah, and thenthey have to learn through sink
KP (26:40):
Yeah, yeah, I love what you said right now about just the
or swim. But, you know, if theybuild a solid foundation,
understanding, you know, thisworks this way, because this,
this works, because that all ofthis works based on this, and
then they start adding things ontop. And next thing, you know,
(27:00):
they're like the IT guru, youknow, everyone's like, he just
knows everything abouteverything. How does he know?
That's how that's how that?
self discovery of getting thetraining, you know, Act Now
Education offers a lot of freecertifications, a lot of free
training, to find that selfdiscovery, that self Career
(27:22):
Discovery on whether or not youwant to do something or not. And
like you said, getting thefoundation is absolutely
paramount, right.
So even for me, I'm gonna, I'mgonna share this real quick. I
wasn't sure a few years ago, ifI wanted to get into real
estate, I took, I took andpassed all of the real estate
courses. And then I scheduled totake the state exam to get to
(27:47):
become a real estate agent. AndI decided not to go through with
it. Because after going throughthe three different courses,
passing all the exams, I justrealized that this isn't for me,
like, I'm not doing this for theright reasons.
And I don't think I wouldactually keep my head in the
game, and really have muchpassion for this. So I decided
(28:08):
not to go that route. And here Iam today, talking to you
podcasting, because I felt likethis was something that I really
wanted to do instead. So I thinkit's a great opportunity.
It goes hand in hand with whatyou said, for Act Now Education
and what we're offering onthere. As far as the
certifications and thecountless, IT security certs
(28:29):
that we offer on there, I thinkit's a great spot for folks in
the military to take intoconsideration to at least do
that self discovery for theircareer.
And Morio for the time thatyou've been with Act Now
Education over the last year orso, which now you're a board
member, which I think isabsolutely awesome. And I think
it's awesome, because it's greatto have folks that are
passionate, like you who I cantell really care about reaching
(28:52):
back and helping the community,the time that you've been with
active education, from whatyou've witnessed, how has the
group changed lives, from whatyou've witnessed?
Mario Simon (29:07):
I mean, I've seen, you know, give or take, you
know, you could say that thetestimonials speak for
themselves. I'm seeing, youknow, the metrics, right,
because I'm updating the site,you know, and seeing how a lot
of people are taking, you know,going through those Coursera
courses, or, you know, sayinghey, I got the bookkeeping cert,
or, you know, you know, I'vegotten this job here, and I've
(29:30):
gotten to shop there, or Ididn't even know this
information that's good to have,you know, and you know, and then
you have this the community,right, so, if an act now member,
you know, we're a few strong,but, you know, the group is
strong in terms of, you know,answering those questions like,
hey, yeah, we saw a post aboutthis the other time, I'll give
you this information, and, youknow, they start talking about
their personal experiences andthen guess what, you know, oh,
yeah, you know, I do have a jobat this place.
(29:54):
That I can, you know, send yourway. So it's a it's legit a
community, right? You know, I'mhelping people. And I think
since I've seen it from like,the point where I came in, and
so even just now I just see justthe steady growth. And the value
that that just brings. Becauseevery single time I see someone,
(30:16):
you know, with a question, andthey get their answer, and they
even find the resource thatthey've been looking forward to
just didn't even know existed,like, oh, man, this is a one
stop shop. Yeah, helps.
KP (30:31):
It's really It truly is a one stop shop, even if you go
into the Facebook group. And ifyou simple if you simply have a
question on there, I mean, oneof the mods, a lot of times
won't even have to log in. It'llbe another person from within
the community that will have ananswer for someone else, if
someone posts a questionregarding, you know, career and
(30:51):
career transition.
So it truly is a community initself, where it's not
necessarily driven by the modsand the board members and the
administrators, but also witheach other. You know, everyone
in there, we try to create thiscommunity where folks are
helping folks within themilitary community out and I
think it's outstanding, that Jayhas built what we have today.
(31:18):
And I really appreciate you,Mario for helping us grow, I can
tell you that over the span ofthe last year or so, we've
accelerated so much because ofboard members like you who
decided to spend like all theseall these countless hours. I
know, Yasmin George has told mebefore, like how much work
you've put into it. And I reallyappreciate that and everything
(31:41):
that you've done for Act NowEducation. But for folks out
there that might be interestedin following up with you, Mario.
What's social media platforms?
Can they find you on? LikeLinkedIn or Facebook or anything
like that? And is it okay forthem to email you?
Mario Simon (31:58):
So totally okay, for them to email me. And
LinkedIn is probably the easiestspot, just shoot me a message.
And then yeah, I'll just rightback or, you know, maybe after
the podcast, you drop my emailin there. And that way, if you
want to, they want to connect onLinkedIn, it works. I'm usually
pretty responsive. For whateverquestions I get asked, it
(32:21):
doesn't ever bother me,especially if I know I'm helping
someone. Even if it's a creditquestion, right? Off the bat.
KP (32:31):
Yeah, yeah, I'll I'll make sure that I put your, your
LinkedIn, your LinkedIn linkover here on the description. So
if you are listening to this onthe audio, you want to scroll
down to the show notes at thebottom and you'll find Mario's
LinkedIn, add him to yourconnections on there, as well as
(32:52):
his email address will be downthere as well.
If you are watching this onYouTube, scroll down the
descriptions. Same deal there.
So Mario, before we wrap uptoday's episode, is there any
other pieces of advice thatyou'd like to mention or share
with the folks out there who arelistening to this podcast, maybe
it's life advice, career advice,Act Now Education advice, any
(33:12):
kind of piece of advice that wedidn't talk about today,
Mario Simon (33:18):
I would play a piece of advice. And it was
something that actually twopieces of advice, the first one
that I ever got, and it was theone I was going to the
University of New Mexico.
And that was "scientia potentiaest," which stands for knowledge
is power. means so much, becausethe more you know, the more you
(33:41):
can do, right. So that's one andthen two, another great piece of
advice that I received fromsomeone was that motivation
lasts a day, but inspirationlasts a lifetime. So I don't
focus on trying to help peopleby motivating them, I try to,
you know, have a lastingimpression. So I want to inspire
them, and then they can inspiresomebody else. And you know, let
(34:03):
it spread like wildfire.
KP (34:06):
We definitely need more of that. We really do. I was just
talking to someone the other dayabout mentoring and being an
inspiration to folks. And thenthe same token folks need to be
more open to receivingmentorship and receiving help
and receiving assistance and notbeing so, so hard headed about
some things. And that includesmyself too, right.
(34:28):
So and I guess that's why I'mhere. And that's why you're here
so that we can reach back andhelp out the military community.
But, Mario, I really appreciateyou stepping out from behind the
curtain, stepping out frombehind the curtain where the
machine actually happens, whichis act now education. And I
appreciate being part of theboard member with me. The board
(34:48):
member group with me. I think wehave a very powerful team that's
led by Jai Salters.
Sometimes I don't know how hisback is so strong, and how the
man gets any sleep at night.
Really he seems like he's alwaysawake. And he's always active
and he's always doing stuff. ButI appreciate you being part of
the board. And I appreciate yougiving me the time and
opportunity to get to know youmore. Today. I've learned a lot
about you. And it's nice to seeanother person on the board.
(35:12):
That's was in the army too,because we're we're inundated
with Navy people right.
Mario Simon (35:17):
But definitely, thanks.
KP (35:22):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Ever folks out there listening,connect with Mario find him on
LinkedIn, definitely pick hisbrain. He's also a certified
project, project manager scrummaster as well. So the man has
many different facets to him,not just it or anything like
that. But he's an ethical hackerand he also works in IT
security.
So reach out to him, get someadvice, some career advice, and
(35:45):
connect with him on LinkedInwhen you get a chance. For
everyone else out there, I wantyou to stay tuned, stay focused,
and stay motivated. Warriorsfallout. You've been listening
to the morning formationpodcast. I hope you found
today's materials helpful and avalue to your current situation.
(36:06):
You can connect with me onInstagram at the underscore
morning underscore formationunderscore podcast.
Or you can connect with me viaemail at
theformationpodcaster@gmail.com.
Also, I would like to thank mypartners at ACC know education
for their support, authenticity,community. And trusted is what
(36:30):
you can expect from all membersof the Act now education team.
You can link up with them todayand learn about some new free
educational resources on theirFacebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or
at their website act noweducation.com whether today's
show took you back to anostalgic time or helped you
(36:53):
think about tomorrow. Thank youfor tuning in. And I look
forward to seeing you again.
Stay safe and stay motivated.
Warriors Fallout
In the military, you're given a uniform and instructed
on how to do things and when todo them. But what happens when
the cadence fades and you're nolonger wearing that uniform? I'm
Kp and I started this podcast tofill that silence with direction
and to provide overall supportfor my beloved military family.
(00:25):
Welcome to the MorningFormation. This episode is
powered by Act Now Education, goto www.actnoweducation.com for
free comprehensive educationalresources and opportunities for
active duty, veterans, militaryspouses, and children.
Mario Simon (00:47):
Motivation lasts a day, but inspiration lasts a
lifetime. So I don't focus ontrying to help people by
motivating them I tried to youknow, have a lasting impression.
KP (01:04):
Warriors fall in it's time for formation. Today I'm joined
with a very active Act NowEducation Board member. And
unlike many other situations,being a board member for acne
education is a very tall orderin itself. Because it means
you've spent hundreds of hourshelping the 50,000 Plus
community who are considered apart of the Act Now Education
(01:27):
family. The gentleman that Ihave on today is also a
certified scrum master. He spentnine years in the Army and
currently serves as an ITsecurity support specialist for
Bank of America. And he servesas a volunteer Software Engineer
for Act Now Education. So I'dlike to welcome Mario Simon
today for the morning formationpodcast How you doing today?
Mario Simon (01:49):
Great pleasure to be here, KP.
KP (01:52):
This man, the pleasure is all mine. I've been trying to
make my rounds with all thefolks with Act Now Education on
top of the list of guests that Ihave wanting to be on the
podcast. And I've been reallyfocusing on having more of a
priority towards Act NowEducation, because I like to
push more people towards thegreat nonprofit group that we're
(02:14):
both a part of. So I reallyappreciate you for being on the
show. Because a lot of timespeople don't see some of the
background workers who aremaking it happen. So thank you
so much for being a part of theshow today and just want to
start things off by talkingabout the type of volunteer work
that you've conducted for acneeducation, and why do you do it.
Mario Simon (02:39):
So most of the work I've done around the site that
you know, everyone loves to govisit, see all the resources
that are available to them. Iwill say the reason I do it,
it's mostly just because I feellike a lot of times being in the
service and then transitioningout, the biggest thing is like
(03:01):
the questions you have is thethings you don't know. And then
Act Now can provide you thoseresources or provide you the
insight that you might not haveeven thought to look into or
even ask. So I feel like being apart of giving back what
information I have is in anyshape way or form, then I'll do
(03:21):
it.
KP (03:22):
So is that kind of a pain point for you. When you
transitioned out of themilitary? Did you find it
frustrating to figure out whatyour next step was going to be
when you made your careertransition out of the out of the
army?
Mario Simon (03:35):
I would say it wasn't a pain point for me. But
I noticed the pain point. Andlike the troops that I had that,
you know, that got out, ortransition, or even, you know,
people that are retiring. Andthey're you know, these are the
things I hear them talkingabout. So like for me, my entire
time I probably spent was moreor less planning on how I was
(03:57):
going to get out, based on youknow what I the feedback I was
hearing from everyone else. So Iwas able to kind of I didn't
have the same experience thatmost people probably had when
they transition because likejust spent years, just planning
just that moment to make surethat I was okay.
KP (04:16):
Yeah, it's essential a lot like me, I don't know if you
accepted the outside help whenyou transitioned out. But when I
transitioned out, I dideverything sort of on my own.
And I was very limited. And Iguess a little bit ignorant when
it came to accepting outsidehelp to do things like look at
(04:36):
my resume, to take intoconsideration other avenues
other industries to jump into.
It sounds like you made a littlebit more of a smart, smart move
as far as transition wise. WhenI left I became part of the 70
plus percent of militaryveterans that quit their first
(04:56):
job within the first year ofleaving service.
So I didn't land exactly all myfeet when I when I got on the
military, but it sounds like youdid now, did you ever become
frustrated? Whenever you triedto help anyone else out as
you're transitioning out of themilitary, whether it was one of
your own soldiers, and maybeyou're trying to give them some
valuable advice on reallyexamining the resume or perhaps
(05:20):
getting certifications or goingto the Education Center over
wasting their time?
Mario Simon (05:27):
Yes, I think that was probably the thing that
frustrated me the most, becausejust me in general, I'm like,
you know, if I know information,if I know something, I'm going
to tell you about it. Especiallyif I, if I know it's going to
You know, and I'll tell youonce. And I'll tell you twice,
benefit you.
I'll tell you three times. Andthen you know, after that point,
I'm just like, you know, I'vegiven you the the knowledge, you
(05:49):
decide how you want to use it,if you choose not to, that's up
to you. But it will always needbased around like, hey, go to
school, if you're not going toyou're not going to go to
school, get some certs, itdoesn't matter. If you're going
to not use the certs whileyou're in the service. It's
about what you're going to do.
When you get out of service,things like this.
That's the first thing you'rethinking about is like, you want
to get a job, right? And you'relike, oh, man, I can make all
(06:11):
this money when I get out of themilitary. But then you don't
think about all the things thatyou got to do in order to kind
of be out there. It's not likeI'm just the veteran so hire me.
That doesn't work. It doesn'twork at all. It might give them
a thank you for your service.
But that's, that's, that's whereit stops.
KP (06:31):
Honestly, yeah, that conversation that Oh, how cool
conversation will last for aboutfive to 10 minutes, when you're
sitting across from from arecruiter looking to hire you.
And then after that, they'regoing to ask those questions on
what can you do for me? And whatcan you do for this company?
And that's when you really getchallenged? And I asked you that
question, mainly because I'vebeen frustrated before. And I
(06:51):
know that you're a verypassionate person, when it comes
to helping others caring aboutthe person to your left and to
your right. I know that aboutyou. Because you're a board
member for active education andspending all the hours that you
spent working on the nonprofitorganization. It really takes
someone who has that passion.
And that's why I asked you thatquestion specifically. But why
did you decide to specificallyreach back and serve our
(07:16):
military community through actnow education? Why act now
education over all the othernonprofits out there?
Mario Simon (07:27):
So, I would say it was mostly because I was in the
group, and you know, but I waskind of like Silent ordering, I
was there. I was, you know,seeing the resources, you know,
but rather than just seeing itand kind of like looking into
taking advantage of the,whatever information that I
could.
And then as I was transitioning,you know, I happen to be working
(07:51):
with Micki, and then mix thecome, be part of this, you know,
this great organization, I waslike, Oh, that's interesting. I
was like, which one? She tellsme this, you know, Act Now, and
I was like, Oh, well, that's,that's also good to know.
So when I saw an opportunity tokind of like, volunteer, because
I don't think volunteering isjust, you know, it's not just
good for you, it's just good forwhatever cause you're, you know,
(08:13):
you're doing it for and justright there, Act Now is where
it's at. So
KP (08:18):
yeah,
Mario Simon (08:18):
just go in and, you know, do what I can, because at
least I know, at some in somecapacity, I'm going to be
helping somebody. Even if theydon't they don't know.
KP (08:28):
Right. No doubt. And that's why you're on the show today,
because I want people to see thefolks who are behind the scenes
building the, I guess theoverall machine that is Act Now
Education. It's so easy forpeople to go to the
actnoweducation.com website andnot even think twice about, you
(08:49):
know, who engineered this, whoput this together? It literally
takes hundreds and hundreds ofhours.
And I know the frustration Imean, I I work in podcasting.
And I can tell you that even asa big dummy like me, me trying
to figure things out, man, it'sso frustrating. So it's it's
such a refreshing thing to havesomeone like you on the team
(09:09):
really pushing for our overallcause for Act Now Education.
Now, how long have you been partof Act Now Education.?
Mario Simon (09:18):
I would say it has to be a little over a year now.
KP (09:22):
Wow. Time flies quick QA.
Mario Simon (09:26):
You don't even notice that?
KP (09:27):
Yeah, man. It's been over a year and a half for me as well.
And I remember when you came onboard, man, it was like a breath
of fresh air as far as gettingsomeone that understands the IT
space. And as far as it initself. I know you work at IT
security, but what would youlike for folks out there to know
about the industry and how thatfield can be an ideal transition
(09:48):
for folks exiting the military.
Mario Simon (09:52):
I would say first thing is to understand that you
know, it is like broad you know,there's different avenues within
it that you can go down a lot oftimes people say it, then I say
cyber security, then they saypolicy, you know it all it is
different avenues. So it'sreally just understanding what
your flavor do you like to bemore hands on?
(10:16):
Do you like to be more, youknow, logical, you know, think
things through, you know, whatkind of then, you might want to
go into the governance kind ofspace? Or, you know, do you like
to do penetration tests, youknow, and do like the cool
ethical hacking, or the personthat's on the other side reading
through parsing through logs,thinking of ways to kind of
defend against that? Yeah, no,those avenues.
(10:38):
So that's one. And then theother thing is being, you know,
being open to like relocating toa spot, that's going to be more
beneficial to you. A lot oftimes, I noticed people don't
want to move on, when it comesdown to it, they'll say, I want
(10:59):
to get a job in Georgia, I wantto get a job in Florida doing
it, the best place to do it isDC, Maryland, Virginia, that's
where you want to be, that'swhat you want to do it yeah.
Because they are going to payyou a reasonable salary, or
hourly rate. But it's going tobe way better than what you're
(11:22):
making in pretty much every youknow, the 47 other states,
you're gonna make more money inthat area.
So you have to be open to kindof, you know, moving a lot of
time, people don't want to moveand get out of their comfort
zone. But that's where you wantto be. And then three, degree
versus certifications. It'salways like a thing in IT. Both
(11:46):
of them are pieces of paper,it's how you kind of, you know,
take those pieces of paper andadd value to them, just like the
dollar, you add value to $1.
That's why it's worth something.
So if you got thatcertification, make it worth
something, if you have thedegree, make it worth something,
it's interchangeable, if you'regoing to go into Fed space,
security plus baseline, getsecurity plus, if you're gonna
(12:07):
go into the commercial space,they're a little bit more open
to IT certifications.
So you don't have to just, itdoesn't have to just be Security
Plus, they look into you, youknow, whatever other
certifications that are IT base,whether it be like the CIS PS or
(12:27):
the CISM. You know, they look atall those other certs that are
not like DoD 8570, you know,requirements, so you have a
little bit more leeway. But theyalso kind of like look into your
education background, you know,rather than experience, whereas
on the federal side, they'remore concerned about DoD 8570,
(12:49):
do you have the certifications?
And then maybe your experiencewill play a role, but usually
how it goes. So I would saythose are things.
KP (12:59):
That's fascinating. Man, I'm surprised to hear that the DC
area is DC, Virginia area is themost ideal place for it, I would
assume that, like SiliconValley, or some kind of
technological area, geographicalarea would be more ideal. So I
was a little surprised to hearthat. And as far as you being a
(13:20):
ethical hacker, which is what itsays on your LinkedIn, can you
explain what exactly that is?
Mario Simon (13:26):
So essentially, you have your, you know, you hackers
that are trying to break intoyour your phone, send you
phishing emails, saying, hey,click this and win the million
dollars. And then I lock yourcomputer, on the ethical,
ethical hacker side of things,it's more of testing to make
(13:46):
sure that the proper controls soto speak, are in place.
So the things like that don'thappen. organizations aren't,
you know, falling victim toransomware, or, you know, denial
of services, where they're theirsites just down or their
networks down, because some, youknow, malicious group, in
(14:09):
whatever country, you know,decides that, hey, we don't like
We're just going to, you know,argue or we don't like your
your product.
company, we're just going to askyou, or we just have
alternative, alternativemotives. And we're just going to
hack you. So my job is kind ofto simulate those and test, you
know, corporate environments.
Basically, their security to seeif they're prepared for those
(14:31):
kinds of events. And then, kindof giving them insight.
Generating reports. Showing themlike, Hey, you could fall victim
to this. This is how I can showyou how it's done. Here's a
report outlining all yourvulnerabilities. And then I'll
hand it to you, you decide howyou want to fix that.
(14:55):
if you want to fix that. Is therisk worth it or not? If it is,
you know, I can tell you how tohow to fix it, and then go from
there. Or you have your ITstaff, you know, your service
desk, your network engineers,your software engineers, and
they come in and basically fixyour issue. But it's identified
(15:16):
through ethical hacking,
KP (15:19):
or the terms of black hats and white hats. Is that what
that is basically, folks who areon the evil side, and folks that
are on the good side of hacking,is that sort of where that comes
from?
Mario Simon (15:31):
In a sense. Yeah, that's kind of like we're, where
it comes from. And they have,you know, different names for it
all. Nation state actors, scriptkitties, which are just...a
Script Kitty could be, you know,some 16 year old, that just
doesn't like, you know, say theydon't like McDonald's, they're
(15:52):
gonna go, and they're gonna justrun a script.
And they don't know what itdoes. They just saw online that
it's, you know, it will makeyour website go down, and they
just press the button. Those areyour script, kiddies, which are
pretty much the bulk of themoutside of like, you know,
nations kind of doing theirthing.
KP (16:10):
Over the span of the last year or so I've had quite a few
cyber tech folks as guests. Andeven for me, on the outside, not
really in that space. I'velearned a lot about cyber tech
and IT security and the manynumber of jobs that are
available within the industryitself.
And like you mentioned earlier,you've got folks that are more
(16:34):
technical, as far as moreinvolved with the IT stuff,
whether it's ethical hacking, orIT security or it's more sounds
like more HR, like humanresources, where you're managing
folks that that do the ittechnical side of things, and
it's amazing how big the fieldis in itself. Now, when you
(16:58):
transitioned out of themilitary, did you start out in
IT as soon as you got out?
Mario Simon (17:03):
Yes, soon as I got out. And they actually found me.
KP (17:07):
Oh, nice. Wow
Mario Simon (17:10):
Interesting scenario.
KP (17:11):
So yeah. So what obstacles did you run into, whether it was
an obstacle that you ran into,or you stumbled in within your
first week, or your first fewdays of working, that you didn't
really foresee, when you werepreparing for that military
career transition?
Mario Simon (17:31):
The first obstacle was onboarding. Where you know,
when you're in the military, youhave like your spot direct,
someone's gonna go there, holdyour hand, hey, you need to go,
you know, somebody's pay, youneed to go make sure that you
have your papers squared away.
This is where you're going to bestaying, this is going to be
(17:53):
your manager, you know, you haveall of that. When I
transitioned, that was like thebiggest puzzle, I'd sit there
and select okay. I don't knowwhat I'm supposed to do today.
Yeah. Like, they're like, Hey,you're going to have a person
that's going to call you to helpyou onboard. And then, you know,
when you're in the service,you're pretty prompt, right, you
check time, spent 15 minutestill they're late.
(18:17):
And then, you know, 30 minuteslater, you're like, okay,
they're still they're still nothere. I don't know what to do.
Who do I call? You know, youknow, all this, everything's
like, unknown. And then you justfigure it out? Like, what health
benefits do I gotta choose?
Dental insurance? Which one do Itake? I don't know. I never had
to think about that. There's alot of decisions you have to
make that aren't that weren'tthat weren't common. Like,
(18:37):
you're just so used to justgetting everything handed to you
don't even realize it. That'sthe crazier part.
KP (18:46):
Yeah, you know, even in the intro of this podcast, that's
something that I address at theintro of this podcast, you know,
I talked to a really brief introwhere I say, in the military,
you're given a uniform toldwhere to be what to do. But what
happens when that cadence fades,and you're no longer wearing
that uniform? And who's going totell you to pivot, when it's
(19:06):
time to pivot?
Who's going to tell you to stepoff, when it's time to step off?
It's sort of up to you at thatpoint, right? When you're a
civilian. And that's that kindof takes some getting used to
because you're used to that,that mentorship, right? But it's
really not there on the in thecivilian world. So that can be I
understand where you're comingfrom, because I dealt with the
same thing too.
When I first started my my joboutside of the military, I kind
(19:29):
of expected for there to be someleft seat right seat training
going on. And there really itreally didn't come. It was kind
of like, hey, figure it figureit out for yourself, right. So
within the IT field, how cansomeone position themselves as
an ideal leader within the ITspace? That would also have been
(19:50):
skills that were utilized in themilitary?
Mario Simon (19:56):
I wou ld say naturally, you're going to have
those leadership skills, butit's all about your approach.
You know, in the military, it'smore like you have to do this,
you have to do that. Whereas,when, once you're out, you know,
it's more, more or less, whatmakes more sense at this time,
(20:19):
based on budget, you know, basedon, you know, you have to take
in, you know, your, your, yourteam's, you know, livelihood
and, you know, feelings, becauseif they quit, you're not, you're
down another person.
And then that means extra workfor you. And then, you know,
there's, there's a lot ofstrings yet that, you know,
(20:42):
pull. But when I would say, takethat those leap that leadership
aspect, and then go in with amore go going with a plan.
Everything that I did, I had tomake sure to have a plan. So
when I came on, you know, comingout, I was like, I have the
leadership skills.
(21:03):
But what I, you know, I'mdealing with people who the only
thing they care about is theirjob and their paycheck. You
know, that's the only thing theycare about. They don't care
about, you know, whether youlike the work that they put
together, you don't care aboutany of that it's not their job
and their paycheck, because it'sa sense of security. So you have
(21:25):
to add value.
So you have to, hey, Iunderstand that you like to do
this. So I'm gonna help you onmy team specifically do that,
because I know that your strongsuit, and then they'll do that
they've performed that job. AndI say, Hey, okay, I like the way
that you're doing that you'redoing it? Well. I want to put
(21:45):
you into this other role,because I think it's going to
benefit the team.
And then they say, you know,teamwork makes the dream work.
And I just, I start sayingthings to kind of get in their
heads always say, teamwork makesthe dream work, teamwork, makes
the dream work.
And then students sooner thanlater, you know, they start
sending me, you know, text, hey,teamwork makes the dream work.
Yeah, I'm like, Okay, I'm doingsomething, right. So yep. Take
(22:06):
into account, like the skillsthat your skill sets, because a
lot of times people get put inpositions that aren't, you know,
good for them.
Or they're not prepared for. I'mfirm believer of training,
training, training, training,training, if you want to be a
network engineer, know the insand outs of, you know, operating
network, you know, crawl, walk,run. And if I can identify that
(22:29):
as a pain point for a teammember or something like that,
then I'll focus on that. Butinstead of trying to force them
into a role, I'm trying to forcethem in, like in the direction
that I know is going to bebeneficial to them based on what
they want to do.
KP (22:46):
Yeah, man, you know what, Mario, I really haven't had a
chance to talk to you all thatmuch. Even though we are on the
board together, we log in everymonth, and we discuss a lot of
academic education, things thatare coming up, but you remind me
of a very quiet, yet strong NCOthat when you speak, you're
heard, and the fact that youjust described your own type of
(23:09):
leadership of challenging folksand and, and putting them out
there.
And some of the things you justmentioned, right now, as far as
like the little short,motivational corpse, I do the
same thing too. And like, evenin the beginning, when I say
warriors fall in, it's time forformation. Like that's something
that I used to say. I say,Warrior. So I don't know if you
(23:29):
remember the whole warrior ethosthing that they came out with.
And it was kind of a joke,right? So I used to say
warriors. And I still do thattoday. Whenever I'm even around
my own coworkers. You know, I'llwalk up to a group of and say,
warriors or whatever.
And I don't know, it's, it'sfunny, but it's also kind of me
in a way, because I, even whenwe were running and doing double
time, and I would say littleshort things to try to motivate
(23:51):
folks like, oh, keep on going,keep moving. You know, you know,
we're almost home, things likethat, you know.
And that's, I think that isthat's definitely part of your
NCO that you were when you werein the military, that you've
brought along with you into theIT field right now. Now, as far
(24:11):
as strategies, what would youadvise someone to consider if
they were to begin their journeyinto becoming part of the IT
career field?
And the reason I asked that isbecause it can be very
intimidating. There's so manydifferent certifications out
there. There's so many differentpositions and opportunities.
What strategies would you givesomeone or advice to someone if
(24:33):
they were to consider to begintheir journey into becoming part
of the field that you're inright now?
Mario Simon (24:39):
I would say if they're going to try to begin
their journey, instead offocusing on the certification,
focusing on the educational sideof it, you know what? The
certification like I said, it'sthe paper it's it's there.
(25:00):
rather than, you know, like, Oh,let me just jump to a boot camp
or something like that. I mean,it depends how people learn.
Some people learn faster thanothers.
But if you're just jumping intoit, and you really want to
understand it, you know, yeah,to actually try to understand
it, you know, not something thatyou're going to brain dump,
after you take the test and justsay, I hope I can get this job,
you know, it's, you know, taketime to learn what the basics
(25:22):
are. If you're going to dosomething in like the help desk
space, but you get technologysuck at using computer, you
don't know your mouse from thekeyboard, start to understand,
okay, the mouse, what is it?
Therefore, why do I need to useit? You know, what function?
What function does it provide?
How does that add value? Allright, I know what the mouse is.
Keyboard, what function does itprovide? Computer? What function
(25:45):
does it provide? Can I take thiscomputer apart and put it back
together?
Can I start to, you know, usesome critical thinking, to kind
of understand how a computerworks? Okay, I got that down.
Now it's time to move on tonetworking. How do I understand
the network? You know, if youdon't want to be a network
engineer, that's fine. Butunderstand the basics. You know,
(26:08):
how do I, how does the Internetwork? How do I get to this
website? Like, what's the logicbehind that? So it's just
understanding the high levelsand breaking them down into
those, you know, basiccomponents.
And if you understand thebasics, then you can always
build on that. Because as Iwould say, That's the biggest
(26:30):
issue, a lot of people that tryto go into it face is that they
skip the foundation. They'rejust like, I'm just gonna build
a mansion on top of this. Andthat's just the ocean.
And they think, yeah, and thenthey have to learn through sink
KP (26:40):
Yeah, yeah, I love what you said right now about just the
or swim. But, you know, if theybuild a solid foundation,
understanding, you know, thisworks this way, because this,
this works, because that all ofthis works based on this, and
then they start adding things ontop. And next thing, you know,
(27:00):
they're like the IT guru, youknow, everyone's like, he just
knows everything abouteverything. How does he know?
That's how that's how that?
self discovery of getting thetraining, you know, Act Now
Education offers a lot of freecertifications, a lot of free
training, to find that selfdiscovery, that self Career
(27:22):
Discovery on whether or not youwant to do something or not. And
like you said, getting thefoundation is absolutely
paramount, right.
So even for me, I'm gonna, I'mgonna share this real quick. I
wasn't sure a few years ago, ifI wanted to get into real
estate, I took, I took andpassed all of the real estate
courses. And then I scheduled totake the state exam to get to
(27:47):
become a real estate agent. AndI decided not to go through with
it. Because after going throughthe three different courses,
passing all the exams, I justrealized that this isn't for me,
like, I'm not doing this for theright reasons.
And I don't think I wouldactually keep my head in the
game, and really have muchpassion for this. So I decided
(28:08):
not to go that route. And here Iam today, talking to you
podcasting, because I felt likethis was something that I really
wanted to do instead. So I thinkit's a great opportunity.
It goes hand in hand with whatyou said, for Act Now Education
and what we're offering onthere. As far as the
certifications and thecountless, IT security certs
(28:29):
that we offer on there, I thinkit's a great spot for folks in
the military to take intoconsideration to at least do
that self discovery for theircareer.
And Morio for the time thatyou've been with Act Now
Education over the last year orso, which now you're a board
member, which I think isabsolutely awesome. And I think
it's awesome, because it's greatto have folks that are
passionate, like you who I cantell really care about reaching
(28:52):
back and helping the community,the time that you've been with
active education, from whatyou've witnessed, how has the
group changed lives, from whatyou've witnessed?
Mario Simon (29:07):
I mean, I've seen, you know, give or take, you
know, you could say that thetestimonials speak for
themselves. I'm seeing, youknow, the metrics, right,
because I'm updating the site,you know, and seeing how a lot
of people are taking, you know,going through those Coursera
courses, or, you know, sayinghey, I got the bookkeeping cert,
or, you know, you know, I'vegotten this job here, and I've
(29:30):
gotten to shop there, or Ididn't even know this
information that's good to have,you know, and you know, and then
you have this the community,right, so, if an act now member,
you know, we're a few strong,but, you know, the group is
strong in terms of, you know,answering those questions like,
hey, yeah, we saw a post aboutthis the other time, I'll give
you this information, and, youknow, they start talking about
their personal experiences andthen guess what, you know, oh,
yeah, you know, I do have a jobat this place.
(29:54):
That I can, you know, send yourway. So it's a it's legit a
community, right? You know, I'mhelping people. And I think
since I've seen it from like,the point where I came in, and
so even just now I just see justthe steady growth. And the value
that that just brings. Becauseevery single time I see someone,
(30:16):
you know, with a question, andthey get their answer, and they
even find the resource thatthey've been looking forward to
just didn't even know existed,like, oh, man, this is a one
stop shop. Yeah, helps.
KP (30:31):
It's really It truly is a one stop shop, even if you go
into the Facebook group. And ifyou simple if you simply have a
question on there, I mean, oneof the mods, a lot of times
won't even have to log in. It'llbe another person from within
the community that will have ananswer for someone else, if
someone posts a questionregarding, you know, career and
(30:51):
career transition.
So it truly is a community initself, where it's not
necessarily driven by the modsand the board members and the
administrators, but also witheach other. You know, everyone
in there, we try to create thiscommunity where folks are
helping folks within themilitary community out and I
think it's outstanding, that Jayhas built what we have today.
(31:18):
And I really appreciate you,Mario for helping us grow, I can
tell you that over the span ofthe last year or so, we've
accelerated so much because ofboard members like you who
decided to spend like all theseall these countless hours. I
know, Yasmin George has told mebefore, like how much work
you've put into it. And I reallyappreciate that and everything
(31:41):
that you've done for Act NowEducation. But for folks out
there that might be interestedin following up with you, Mario.
What's social media platforms?
Can they find you on? LikeLinkedIn or Facebook or anything
like that? And is it okay forthem to email you?
Mario Simon (31:58):
So totally okay, for them to email me. And
LinkedIn is probably the easiestspot, just shoot me a message.
And then yeah, I'll just rightback or, you know, maybe after
the podcast, you drop my emailin there. And that way, if you
want to, they want to connect onLinkedIn, it works. I'm usually
pretty responsive. For whateverquestions I get asked, it
(32:21):
doesn't ever bother me,especially if I know I'm helping
someone. Even if it's a creditquestion, right? Off the bat.
KP (32:31):
Yeah, yeah, I'll I'll make sure that I put your, your
LinkedIn, your LinkedIn linkover here on the description. So
if you are listening to this onthe audio, you want to scroll
down to the show notes at thebottom and you'll find Mario's
LinkedIn, add him to yourconnections on there, as well as
(32:52):
his email address will be downthere as well.
If you are watching this onYouTube, scroll down the
descriptions. Same deal there.
So Mario, before we wrap uptoday's episode, is there any
other pieces of advice thatyou'd like to mention or share
with the folks out there who arelistening to this podcast, maybe
it's life advice, career advice,Act Now Education advice, any
(33:12):
kind of piece of advice that wedidn't talk about today,
Mario Simon (33:18):
I would play a piece of advice. And it was
something that actually twopieces of advice, the first one
that I ever got, and it was theone I was going to the
University of New Mexico.
And that was "scientia potentiaest," which stands for knowledge
is power. means so much, becausethe more you know, the more you
(33:41):
can do, right. So that's one andthen two, another great piece of
advice that I received fromsomeone was that motivation
lasts a day, but inspirationlasts a lifetime. So I don't
focus on trying to help peopleby motivating them, I try to,
you know, have a lastingimpression. So I want to inspire
them, and then they can inspiresomebody else. And you know, let
(34:03):
it spread like wildfire.
KP (34:06):
We definitely need more of that. We really do. I was just
talking to someone the other dayabout mentoring and being an
inspiration to folks. And thenthe same token folks need to be
more open to receivingmentorship and receiving help
and receiving assistance and notbeing so, so hard headed about
some things. And that includesmyself too, right.
(34:28):
So and I guess that's why I'mhere. And that's why you're here
so that we can reach back andhelp out the military community.
But, Mario, I really appreciateyou stepping out from behind the
curtain, stepping out frombehind the curtain where the
machine actually happens, whichis act now education. And I
appreciate being part of theboard member with me. The board
(34:48):
member group with me. I think wehave a very powerful team that's
led by Jai Salters.
Sometimes I don't know how hisback is so strong, and how the
man gets any sleep at night.
Really he seems like he's alwaysawake. And he's always active
and he's always doing stuff. ButI appreciate you being part of
the board. And I appreciate yougiving me the time and
opportunity to get to know youmore. Today. I've learned a lot
about you. And it's nice to seeanother person on the board.
(35:12):
That's was in the army too,because we're we're inundated
with Navy people right.
Mario Simon (35:17):
But definitely, thanks.
KP (35:22):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Ever folks out there listening,connect with Mario find him on
LinkedIn, definitely pick hisbrain. He's also a certified
project, project manager scrummaster as well. So the man has
many different facets to him,not just it or anything like
that. But he's an ethical hackerand he also works in IT
security.
So reach out to him, get someadvice, some career advice, and
(35:45):
connect with him on LinkedInwhen you get a chance. For
everyone else out there, I wantyou to stay tuned, stay focused,
and stay motivated. Warriorsfallout. You've been listening
to the morning formationpodcast. I hope you found
today's materials helpful and avalue to your current situation.
(36:06):
You can connect with me onInstagram at the underscore
morning underscore formationunderscore podcast.
Or you can connect with me viaemail at
theformationpodcaster@gmail.com.
Also, I would like to thank mypartners at ACC know education
for their support, authenticity,community. And trusted is what
(36:30):
you can expect from all membersof the Act now education team.
You can link up with them todayand learn about some new free
educational resources on theirFacebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or
at their website act noweducation.com whether today's
show took you back to anostalgic time or helped you
(36:53):
think about tomorrow. Thank youfor tuning in. And I look
forward to seeing you again.
Stay safe and stay motivated.
Warriors Fallout
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