April 19, 2023 • 41 mins
Warriors! Fall in…
It’s time for formation!
Today, I'm joined with two miliary community professionals that used Act Now Education to elevate their careers. And what exactly did they do to level themselves up? They joined the Act Now Education community and took advantage of one our many, great programs.
Act Now Education launched a program called the "3 Cert Cohort" which provides virtual bootcamps and exam vouchers for free! All this training is geared toward obtaining Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications, CompTIA Security+, and Scrum PSM1 certifications. These are dynamic certifications that can help any professional in the job market aggressively become a top contender for many positions within many open career fields.
On top of all this, Act Now Education is offering free professional photography headshots, a tailored resume, business suit , mentorship, career coaching, mock interviews, and most importantly job networking. What more could anyone ask for?!?
I have two of the most recent graduates, who went through the program, who are here to share more about where they were in their own personal career journey and where they are today versus where they plan to go! I want to welcome Daniel Torres and Sherawn Jackson to The Morning Formation Podcast.
Attend an Act Now Education Orientation:
https://actnoweducation.org/orientation?nocache=a8ekh
Join Act Now on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ACTNOWEDUCATIONGROUP
Connect with Daniel Torres:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-torres-pmp/
Connect with Sherawn Jackson:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherawn-jackson/
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.
Daniel Torres (00:47):
Well, 3 cert cohort, I would say, get ready
to study a lot. So we have avery short period of time to get
through these certifications. Soit's definitely a blessing and a
great opportunity, but you alsoget what you get out of it, what
you put in.
KP (01:06):
Act Now Education launched a program called 3 Cert Cohort
that provides virtual boot campsand exam vouchers for free. All
this training is geared towardobtaining a Project Management
Professional otherwise known asa PMP Certification, Comp TIA
Security Plus, and Scrum PSM 1certification. Let's hear more
(01:29):
about it. Warriors fall in it'stime for formation. Today I'm
joined with two militarycommunity professionals that
used Act Now Education toelevate their careers. And what
exactly did they do to elevatethemselves up? Well, they joined
the act now education communityand took advantage of one of our
many great programs. Act NowEducation launched a program
(01:52):
called 3 Cert Cohort.
And this cohort specificallyprovides virtual boot camps and
exam vouchers for free. All thistraining is geared towards
obtaining a Project ManagementProfessional PMP certification,
Comp TIA Security Plus, andScrum PSM one certification.
These are dynamic certificationsthat can help any professional
(02:13):
in the job market aggressivelybecome a top contender for many
positions within many opencareer fields available today.
Now to top all of this off, actnow education is offering free
professional photographyheadshots, a tailored resume,
business suits, mentorship,career coaching, mock
(02:34):
interviews, and mostimportantly, job networking. All
this comes with the 3 Certprogram that these two community
members that we have on the showtoday took advantage of. What
more could anyone ask for? Thetwo most recent graduates that
we have, who went through theprogram are here to share more
about where they were in theirown personal career journey,
(02:55):
where they are now versus wherethey plan to be in the near
future.
So I want to welcome Mr. DanielTorres and Ms. Sherawn Jackson,
to the Morning Formationpodcast. Thank you both for
being here today.
Daniel Torres (03:07):
Hey KP. Thanks for having us on. Appreciate it.
Sherawn Jackson (03:10):
Thank you for having us.
KP (03:12):
So listen, the honors all mine, it's great to have you
both on the show in five words,Sherawn, how would you sum up
your experience with act noweducation and the 3 cert cohort
program?
Sherawn Jackson (03:23):
Five words it was educational. Enlightening,
challenging. So....
KP (03:32):
Networking.
Sherawn Jackson (03:33):
Yeah, networking. You know, we built
friendships through this cohort.
KP (03:38):
All those things are really important, especially for
military community members whoare looking to level up and
that's all those things are thepillars that act now education,
for the most part stand on,specifically community and
challenging folks within ourcommunity to help level up.
Daniel in no more than fivewords, how would you sum up your
experience with Act NowEducation and the 3 cert cohort?
Daniel Torres (04:02):
3 Cert cohort, I would say, get ready to study a
lot. So we have a very shortperiod of time to get through
these certifications. So it'sdefinitely a blessing and a
great opportunity. But you alsoget what you get out of it, what
you put in, and I'm sure Sherawncan attest to. We have to
(04:24):
definitely put in some work tomake sure we were successful.
KP (04:28):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, just to get one of these
certifications is a task initself, let alone three
certifications. It's absolutelyamazing. I'm very impressed. And
I'm very proud of both you forbeing part of the 28 that were
certified through the 3 certcohort with act now education.
Now before we get into talkingabout 3 cert cohort, I'd like to
(04:50):
get to know each of you, who youare, where you come from, how
are you part of the militarycommunity. So we'll start with
Sherawn. Can you tell theaudience a little bit about
yourself?
Sherawn Jackson (05:01):
Yeah, my name is Sherawn, I am a military
spouse, my husband and I havebeen married for about 13 years
now. He is still currentlyactive duty. And we're in it for
probably another eight years. Ihave over the last two years,
I've been prepping myselfthrough certifications and study
(05:22):
to enter the work field as acybersecurity professional.
KP (05:27):
Sounds great. So we got a military spouse on board today.
Daniel, would you mind tellingthe audience a little bit about
yourself?
Daniel Torres (05:33):
Yeah, not a problem. Like I said earlier, my
name is Daniel Torres.
Originally from Brooklyn, NewYork. I'm transitioning from the
Air Force after 20 years. So thetiming I made it, and how the
cohort helped me. So basically,I'm by trade, I'm an aircraft
maintainer. Avionics. But that'snot what I wanted to continue
(05:58):
doing. When I transitioned fromthe service, something I could
possibly fall back on, but notmy first choice of occupation.
And so I would like to eitherget into project management or
IT project management.
KP (06:13):
Oh, that's great. So, Sherawn, how would you mind
explaining just again, a bitabout how the cohort has helped
you so far?
Sherawn Jackson (06:20):
Oh, sure. I'm sorry. I feel like it really has
given me a deeper understandingof project management, agile
project management. The scrumcertification was an absolute
amazing experience. I do have alot of these other certs for
cybersecurity. But I felt likethe project management
(06:42):
certifications that we receivedin this cohort really helped me
be able to apply my previouswork history to be able to get
more of a management role withinthe cybersecurity community.
KP (06:56):
So Daniel, she talked about the project management
certification being probably themost meaningful certification
that she received. Now for you,what does the three the three
cert cohort mean for youspecifically, what were you
focused on out of the threecertifications? What type of
field are you looking at?
Daniel Torres (07:16):
So I'll be completely honest with you each
and every single one of thecertifications, interested in
me. My education, background isin project management. So I kind
of gravitated more towards theprofessional scrum master and
Comp Tia project plus. Also withthe second certification, that
(07:36):
was probably the one I was themost nervous about, because I
didn't have a traditionalbackground in cybersecurity.
But, you know, throughout thecohort, we all have four
separate teams. And I wasblessed with a really cool team,
and we helped each other getacross the finish line. So that
was good.
KP (07:53):
Yeah, so it was was Sherawn on your team?
Daniel Torres (07:57):
No, unfortunately, no, I can't
remember which team she was butmy team was team three Team
Flex.
KP (08:04):
Team flex, so each had names, huh?
Sherawn Jackson (08:07):
Yeah, there's there's four different teams.
And we each picked a we did alogo and picked our own team
name. You're each in charge of adifferent project to help the
Act Now Education Community. Soit was really neat.
KP (08:21):
So out of the 28 members, you guys are split up into
teams, and even came up with alogo. I can't I can't think of
any better way to build thatesprit de corps. One of the
things that was mentioned on thelast interview that I did with
the other graduates of the threecert was that they talked about,
yes, it's valuable, it'simportant to get these
(08:41):
certifications. But what's evenmore valuable is the networking
that we did with the other folksthat were in this program,
because from the feedback thatI'm getting, it was actually
refreshing to be connected withpeople who had the same
mentality and have the samedrive to achieve and level up.
I know it can be veryfrustrating, even within our own
(09:03):
small communities, to not beable to identify, maybe you
Sherawn, you might live in moreof a military community, I'm not
sure. But I live in Los Angeles.
And sometimes it's hard for meto identify with people who have
a unique desire to reach backand help out the military
community. A lot of the folksthat I know are out, and they're
headed in that direction.
(09:26):
Whereas I'm starting thispodcast. I'm a board member for
act now education. I'm trying toreach back and help out.
So it's great to reach out tofolks who are 100 miles,
hundreds of miles away. And, andunderstand that we connect
because you're trying to levelup. I'm trying to help level up
the community. So it's good thatyou had that group of 28 split
(09:49):
up into groups. And you guyskind of had the same mentality
of hey, let's do this. Let's getthis done. Because at the end of
the day, we all have families. Alot of us have kids, a lot of us
have full time jobs, right? Sowe got that grind going on. So
everyone kind of understandswhat playing field we're on.
Now, with that being said, Wouldyou mind telling the audience
(10:10):
what career field now thatyou've got this three cert,
program accomplished? Whatcareer field? Do you plan on
conquering going forward? Orwhat is your target going
forward? We'll start with you,Daniel.
Daniel Torres (10:30):
Now, that's all good. So I would like to be
fully transparent about thecohort. So it's a tremendous
opportunity. But for those thatare interested in doing it, it
does take a lot of time andeffort, we are on Zoom calls
from roughly 10pm, Eastern to6pm. Eastern. Because you didn't
(10:54):
mention, I think you justmentioned something about, you
know, working, then leveragingand leveraging this opportunity
at the same time.
I don't know how somebody willdo both at the same time. But
with regard to the industry thatI'm looking to get into, again,
full transparency. I would liketo get into IT, or tech, I'm in,
(11:18):
I'm in North Carolina, I'mlooking to go to Raleigh, North
Carolina, where tech is prettybig out there.
And since I don't have thattraditional experience, or they
think that I don't have thattraditional experience, these
certs will at least give me moreleverage to kind of break into
those industries. And then youknow, if that does not work out,
(11:40):
you can still utilize projectmanagement with the CompTIA
project plus and I believe inthe next coming cohorts, no not
that I believe, the next comingcohorts will have access to PMP
certification. So that'll behuge.
So you no one can also use thosecerts. For I will be able to use
those types of certs, answerpivoting. It's something that's
(12:02):
more aligned with my experiencein the service, which is
aircraft and aviation.
KP (12:09):
That's outstanding. And so Sherawn, what what would your
plans be to conquer a certaincareer field going forward from
here?
Sherawn Jackson (12:18):
I have been I've had my eyes set on
cybersecurity for the lastcouple of years. And so I'm
finally done with mycertifications for cybersecurity
done with these certificationsfor project management. So I
have my eye on eitherinformation security or
cybersecurity or incidentresponse.
KP (12:41):
Now, would you say that you're both? Would you consider
yourselves techie or have aninclination?
Sherawn Jackson (12:50):
I have always kind of been a nerd. I have had
a wide variety of differentjobs. I have a B of A in
computer animation. So you know,I worked post production as a
compositor for a couple ofyears. I own my own photography
business. And so I taught myselfall of the, you know, equipment
(13:11):
and software things that neededto go along with that, little
bit of web design. And then Itaught virtually online for
several years as well. So Iguess I've kind of always had my
hands in technology.
KP (13:24):
Okay. All right. What about you, Daniel?
Daniel Torres (13:28):
So I will say yes, as well. My AFSC or MOS
depending on what branch...Oneis.... Background In the
airforce as avionics technician,that is 100% a technical
background. It's a it's a fancyway of saying aircraft
electronics specialists. So myentire time in the military has
(13:52):
been dealing with some form oftechnology, whether it's, you
know, new emerging technologieson the aircraft that I was on,
or my spend about four years asan instructor where I was
teaching these principles to upand coming service members. So
yeah, definitely. My my time andservice has been nothing but
(14:13):
tech and electronics.
KP (14:16):
Yeah. Okay. So you both come from a tech background. I know a
lot of folks that don't comefrom tech backgrounds and end up
getting some type of cyber techsecurity certification. And
they're surprised that they evenwent that route. But I guess it
helps with you having thatnatural knack for cybersecurity
and it as well.
(14:37):
Now, you mentioned earliersomething about building that
bridge, Daniel going frommilitary to civilian, that you
mentioned that they shouldalready know that you have this
background, but you alreadyunderstand that when you sit
across from a recruiter, manytimes that recruiter may not
have ever served in themilitary, and may not fully
understand your job tasks ormaybe what your MOS was, so
(15:01):
building that bridge, thecertifications really help
translate your skills into thecivilian side. And I think
that's really important forfolks to understand.
Understand that but, you know,how did you come to that
conclusion? What made you signup? For the three cert cohort?
How did you find out about it?
And what spoke to you as far as,hey, this is something I need a
(15:23):
good start with you, Daniel.
Daniel Torres (15:27):
Okay, so that's actually a good question. So
I've been a part of the Act Nowcommunity for roughly two years
and change. And I remember, Iremember when I first joined, I
want to say is probably lessthan 5000 members. And I know
now it's about a communitythat's over 50,000 strong.
And so over the years, I'vejust, you know, seen it grow.
(15:51):
And I'm not really big intosocial media anymore. But I
still have social mediaaccounts. But there's one page
that have notifications from notone but very few pages that I
have notifications from and oneof those is Act Now. So anytime
I do open the app, I seenotifications, and it's usually
filled with Act Now relatednotifications. And to answer
(16:15):
your question, How did I findout about 3 cert cohort, just,
you know, opened up my Facebookone day. You know, I tried to
keep my ears to the pavementjust to you know see what's
going on. And I saw thatopportunity. And I was like,
wow, this is something that'sincredible.
And I remember jumping right onit. You know, they had a few
(16:35):
orientations that you have toattend, you know, because with
an opportunity like that, therehas to be, you know, some, some
sort of, not gatekeeper but youknow, you have to have some sort
of the kind to keep thefloodgates from busting open. So
I was like, Oh, my goodness, Igotta jump on this. And then,
again, because I amtransitioning, if I was working,
(16:58):
under my terminal leave window,right now. If I was doing my
regular eight to five, nine tofive, but I'm doing my regular
eight to five or whatever, Iwouldn't have been able to do
this. So everything just linedup perfectly. And, you know, the
universe was merciful enough toallow me to take part in this.
KP (17:21):
Yeah, right on, what about?
What about you Sherawn? Wasthis, did the universe lineup
for you? Are we working fulltime? How did you come to the
conclusion that, hey, this issomething that I should take
advantage of?
Sherawn Jackson (17:32):
Um, it kind of just lined up for me as well. I
ended my previous job at the endof November, at the end of the
election cycle, I worked for anonprofit here in San Diego. And
I was ready to pivot intocybersecurity had a little bit
of free time on my hand.
And I think like Daniel, I justkind of opened up my Facebook
(17:54):
one day, and I was scrollingand, you know, ended up on to
the Act Now page and saw the 3cert cohort and saw the scrum
master certification and theproject management
certification. And I knew thatthat was something that I needed
to kind of have a deeper diveinto to make myself competitive
to get into the job market thatI want to go into.
(18:19):
But yeah, like, Daniel, if if Ihad been working, there was no
way I was going to be able toparticipate in that. Yeah, I
have like vivid memories of,instead of partying on New
Year's Eve, I was doing asecurity plus class on LinkedIn.
KP (18:38):
I can't think of a better way to celebrate the new year
than doing a bootcamp or a 3cert class online.
Sherawn Jackson (18:45):
Yeah. So it was it was part of like. so Jai like
gave this like crash windowcourse of like things we had to
get done in order to participatein this certification cohort.
And so one of them was watchinglike 24 hours worth of material
in like less than a week, andthen passing another test to be
(19:07):
able to participate in this but
Daniel Torres (19:09):
Which I think is great, because, you know, just
shows who really wants it?
Sherawn Jackson (19:15):
Oh, yeah, most definitely. I 100% was on board
with that, you know, you need toshow that upfront, you're
willing to put in the time andeffort it takes to be able to
smash out certifications in sucha short timeframe.
KP (19:30):
Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, you're signing up for a
lot. I mean, this is a lot. It'slike, it's these three
certifications. And like I said,just getting one of them is a
huge accomplishment for a lot offolks out there. And just to
mention, too, there's plans formore 3 cert cohorts to start up
in the future as well. So ifyou're listening right now, you
(19:52):
think Oh, you know, I don'tthink this is right for me right
now. If there's something ifthere's an opening in your
schedule coming up, this issomething that you might want to
consider down the road.
And if you're listening andyou're doing your research on
it, keep your keep your ear tothe ground, keep your ear to the
pavement just like Danielmentioned earlier, because we do
put out different posts onFacebook specifically announcing
(20:15):
that we're going to have anotherone startup. So if it's not for
you, now, maybe it's for youdown the stretch, when you have
some time, maybe in thesummertime, when the kids are
out of school, or whatever thecase is. Now, some folks will
look at this.
And they'll say, Man, this isreally intimidating. This is
really intensive. I don't thinkthat I can do it. Now. Sherawn,
(20:35):
what would you say to thosefolks out there who see this.
They, they see the 3 certs, theythink, "I don't know, the
bootcamp, the classes,everything else." Like, would
you say that the that theoverall 28 cohorts that were
involved in this and the groupsthat you're in, helped propel
you to accomplish?
Sherawn Jackson (20:55):
Oh Yeah, we we helped each other out
through it. And I think that'sone of the biggest importance of
the cohort is that you're thereto support each other. It's not,
you're not doing this on yourown. You're, you know, not
everybody has, you know, wasstrong in the scrum master
certification. And if somebodyelse was stronger, we had study
(21:15):
groups.
And same with the security plusand the project plus, you know,
we were all there for eachother, even though we were
broken up into these differentgroups. And so for those people
who think that, you know, thisis really intimidating, and you
don't know, if you're up to thechallenge, you have to
understand like you, if youdon't push yourself outside your
(21:36):
comfort zone, you'll never knowwhat you're capable of. And I
can attest to this, not only tothis, but to my prior, so I was
part of a security training,scholarship through leases.
And it was only because of agroup of ladies I had found here
in San Diego, who believed thatI could do it, you know, pushed
me out of my comfort zone,pushed me into like, applying to
(22:00):
this scholarship, which it was acompetition scholarship. It
wasn't like this 3 cert cohort,competent scholars scholarships.
So I had to, you know, challengemyself and grow and learn and
compete to get these GIACcertifications. But you know,
all of that to say is, don'tunderestimate yourself, you
(22:21):
never know what you're capableof. So if you think you might
not be up for the challenge, youjust need to change your
mentality right there.
KP (22:29):
What would you say to that, Daniel, as far as folks out
there that might be intimidated,or might be counting themselves
short of being a good candidatefor this specific program?
Daniel Torres (22:43):
Like I alluded to earlier, you definitely what you
put into it as what you will getout of it. And then also the
team aspect that Sherawn hadmentioned. I personally don't
think I would have been able tomake it if it wasn't for my
team. And it wasn't just thestudying aspect, like, morale
wise, we were back in time, wewere just cracking jokes, and
(23:06):
just we kept our spirits up,even though we knew what we were
doing wasn't the most dramaticthing.
But it is, it is pretty nervewracking, especially for
somebody like myself that has nopractical experience with
cybersecurity. And here I amtrying to map out a cert in you
(23:27):
know, two and a half weeks, twoweeks, it was really us, you
know, getting together,bunkering down. Hold hold each
other accountable. Like we stilleven on the surface, pretty
much. The certs excuse me, thecohort is pretty much done.
We have a little Whatsapp groupthat we still, we're still
following up with each othercheck in on each other. So to
(23:48):
answer your original question,what would I say to somebody
that thinks that they wouldn'tbe able to get through it? Like
Sherawn mentioned, don't youknow, don't don't short
yourself? Don't Don't sellyourself short. You never know
what you can accomplish unlessyou actually give it your best
effort and try.
KP (24:04):
Yeah, 100% right. 100%, a lot of us join the military.
That way. We didn't know we werewalking into until we showed up
to boot camp and you see thosebrown round hats, walk into that
building, and all of a sudden,it's just chaos, right? So I
didn't know when I joined theArmy. I didn't know what basic
training was going to be about.
When I deployed I didn't knowwhat that was going to be about.
(24:26):
It's like walking into a darkroom right and challenging
yourself. And in all reality,anyone, anyone that I've ever
known in life who has simplybelieved in themselves has
always overcome and achievedtheir goals. And I think that's
one of the scariest thingssometimes is is believing in
yourself. And it's tremendousthat both of you went through
(24:48):
this program and was able toobtain the certifications. Now,
prior to getting this threecert. What game plan did you
actually have before fordiscovering this, where were you
in your own career journey? Whatwas your mentality? Let's start
with you, Daniel.
Daniel Torres (25:07):
Okay. So as I mentioned early on the
transitioning service member,currenty in my terminal,
terminal leave window. So what Ihad going on at the time was, so
I retired January 27. So, beforethe cohort had started, I
(25:28):
planned on doing my skill bridgeprogram, which is, which is with
an organization called HiringOur Heroes. And I'm doing
something called a CareerForward where I'm working on a
few Google certifications. It'snot really a job placement
program, which that organizationdoes have a few of those, but we
(25:49):
won't talk about those rightnow. So my plan was to just mash
that out and to start lookingfor employment.
And like I said, with the threecert cohort, I just noticed that
that was something that wouldreally allow me to leverage my,
my formal education in projectmanagement. And as just, it was
(26:10):
just too, too great ofopportunity to pass up. And then
I knew it would be somethingthat would help me with my
transition out of service.
KP (26:19):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt about it. It's great that you
identified that now. Like whileyou're transitioning, a lot of
folks don't realize it tillafter their transition, and they
get that first job and they quitwithin the first year realizing
that I should have put moreeffort into this prior to.
Daniel Torres (26:32):
It's not, it's definitely not easy. I've
definitely run into challenges,but with this cohort, and with
the certifications, and just theoverall experience, I know that,
yes, albeit nothing's easy. Youknow, it's gonna be a challenge.
But I know I'll be come outbetter. On the other side, for
sure.
KP (26:51):
I spoke with Fred earlier, who is part of the 3 cert
cohort. And he mentioned thatwhen he transitioned out of the
army two years ago, he mentionedthat he had that uncontrolled
loyalty for the army in hiscurrent position, that he didn't
bother to invest in himself whenhe transitioned out. So when he
got out, he realized that Ishould have probably put more
effort into my transition.
(27:12):
So that's something that I thinka lot of servicemembers, we tend
to be over loyal to our currentpositions, and not necessarily
think about what's going ontomorrow. So it's nice to hear
that you are where you are rightnow. And you're putting into
yourself and getting prepped forthat for that mountain to climb.
So it's a little easier for you.
And Sherawn, I just want to askyou as well. What do you think
(27:32):
about overall, the, the, theopportunity that you received,
or what what Daniel justmentioned just now.
Sherawn Jackson (27:44):
Um, as far as like, where I was at before the
cohort, I was, I don't know. Ihad a game plan of working on
some classes. And, so I lovelearning, like, I love
education, and I will be forevera learner. Like I, is just
(28:04):
something I have a strongpassion for. It's funny, because
like my husband games at night,and I sit on my computer, and I
work on stuff. But I had a gameplan of like putting together
resumes and working on classesand showcasing what I can do and
stuff.
But I think with this projectmanagement education that we
(28:27):
received through the cohort, Ifeel like that has kind of
propelled me to take more of amanagement role within the
community I want to get into,which is is great because I'm,
I've got 10 plus years of workexperience. And so I'm not
really entry level, except forlike the technical part of
(28:49):
cybersecurity. So I, I reallyappreciated that.
KP (28:53):
Right. Yeah, I think it's really important to highlight
that because a lot of us havegame plans, and then you have an
opportunity like this show up,and it can revolutionize
everything that you've beenthinking about doing. Like you
mentioned, Daniel, you're justplanning on doing skill bridge.
And all of a sudden, now youhave this three cert opportunity
to elevate yourself even more.
(29:15):
And I think it's important foryou to keep your ear to the
ground. And to listen for anyopportunities. And the way I
always explain it to people as Iexplain it like this, like you
have an Azmuth and you'rewalking in this direction,
right? You're not sure you havean idea where you're gonna go.
As you walk in that direction,opportunities will present
themselves. And the best placeto be in life is to either
(29:37):
accept or turn down thoseopportunities.
And I think that's what the actnow education community is all
about. I mean, we offer thingsfor folks within our military
community and hats off to youboth for signing up for
something that was so intensiveand tedious. I know. It took a
lot to study. Be part of thegroups be involved in the
(29:58):
groups, meeting time hacks,depending on each other. But it
sounds like overall, you sort ofcreated a family community.
And the networking is somethingthat I've been hearing over and
over again, that's been probablysomething that wasn't
highlighted as much about theprogram. But it sounds like
that's going to be of greatvalue for years to come. For
(30:18):
anyone out there that'slistening. That may be like,
hey, I'm interested in this. ButBut I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know if I can do this. Idon't know if I should do this.
Sherawn, what advice would yougive to them to help push them
in the direction of positivelychanging their life and changing
their career,
Sherawn Jackson (30:38):
I would say if you can do it, go for it. I
this, it's an unbelievableexperience, it's an unbelievable
opportunity. You get to learn,like just within Project
Management, I feel likeeverybody should have that
baseline when they go into thecorporate work environment.
Because no matter what you'redoing, whether you're in IT, HR,
(30:59):
Finance, you know, supply chain,whatever you decide to go into,
there will always be projects,and you'll be a more effective
asset to your company towhatever company you work for.
If you know the processes, ifyou know how to do the agile, if
you know how to do the scrum, ifyou know how project management
works, because then even ifyou're not the Project Manager,
(31:21):
you can still look at everythinggoing on and being like, Okay, I
know where I fit into this. AndI know where I can be an asset
to that to that organization. Soeven if it's not something
that's on your radar, like, justgo for it.
KP (31:36):
Yeah, as an MBA and project management myself, and, um,
project management, projectmanagement certified through DOL
coach, you know, it's importantfor me to understand the
language of project management,to understand the tools that can
be utilized in projectmanagement. So that's of great
value for folks out therelooking to make that job. And
Daniel, for you, overall, youknow, if you had to motivate one
(31:59):
of your fellow airmen into doingsomething like this, or if you
were back in the ranks, andyou're in front of your
formation, and you had to talkto your airmen about doing this,
what would you say to them ifthey were a little hesitant
about it?
Daniel Torres (32:14):
So I'm pretty sure I used to get on my
leadership, they actually No,probably not. But I was at
senior NCO that was alwayspushing opportunities to the
youngin, I call them theyoungin, but also to my peers
and my superiors, because I'llsay probably a year or two ago
(32:34):
was when I answered arealization that the military
does not last forever. And allof us at some point are going to
transition.
And, you know, I just wanted tomake sure that myself and add,
the ones that I cared about, theones around me, were set up for
success as they transition outof the service. So what I would
say to somebody interested inthis program, is if you have the
(32:59):
bandwidth, and the time to doit, I would I would tell them to
go for it. Because again, themilitary does not last forever.
And, you know, you want to makesure that you have the tools and
you're equipped to transitioninto what I call the real world.
KP (33:16):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, I've always used this,
this analogy, I guess that a lotof us in the military getting
out like we can hear thewaterfall, right, we can't see
it. And some of us try toprepare for as best as we can.
And some of us are like, I gotthis, I don't need anyone's
help, which is how I was when Igot out. I got out, I was in the
Army in 2007 as an O3. And I didnot seek the help of anyone
(33:39):
else. It was just like, I gotthis. Palm in the face, get out
of my way, I got out and Ibecame a statistic, I was part
of the 80% that quits theirfirst job within the first year
of getting out of the militaryservice. And a lot of it was
because of bad placement.
And because I didn't fullyunderstand what I was getting
into. So it's important to doyour research and to put
(33:59):
yourself in groups that engagelike this, I mean, even
networking amongst each other.
You guys are gonna be passingalong a lot of information to
one another. And I just want tohighlight this point, I want to
go into more detail on this.
What value do these three certsbring to your professional
career? How much of a gamechanger is this specifically for
you, Daniel?
Daniel Torres (34:22):
Like I mentioned earlier, being have an education
background in projectmanagement, agile and the
project plus cert absolutely areare good additions to the path
that I'm trying to go on. Secplus, definitely cannot hurt
(34:43):
even if you know, because younever know, what if I get into
project management and notreally feeling it. You know, at
least I have Sec plus topossibly fall back on even if
it's getting an entry level roleor, you know, maybe looking for
other programs. And I say Hey,Well, I already had my SEC plus
and they're like Oh, really?
Well, come on, why not? Come onin? Well, you know, there's so
(35:04):
many different programs forveterans out there having a
Security Plus certification. Idon't see how we can hurt.
KP (35:13):
Totally, totally give you that foot in the door.
Definitely. What about you,Sherawn?
Sherawn Jackson (35:19):
Um, I do feel like it was a big game changer.
You see job postings all thetime for Scrum and Agile. And
it's nice to be able to show onpaper that you you've, you know,
you've taken, you've taken thetime to learn it, you've gotten
certified. So like I throughthis whole thing, I've iterated
(35:42):
that the scrum master and theproject plus were the two
biggest certifications formyself. But the I'm not
discounting the security plusone either.
So like if you're going to workfor the government or the DOD,
like you have to have thesecurity plus. So in that
respect, it was it's reallynice, because that also like
opens that door. Like if I do goand work for a government
(36:05):
organization or contract. Youknow, I have that on my record
that I'm, you know, I have, youknow, I've ticked that box for
the company, that I've gottenthat that certification done.
KP (36:17):
Right, right. And this definitely, is something that
can unlock your own advancementwithin your your respective
future career fields as well.
And like you said, I think thebest place to be in life is a
place where you have thatlateral mobility, where you can
say, you know, I don't reallywant to do this, if you're
working in, for example,business, and you want to get
into something else thatinvolves marketing, or you want
(36:39):
to get into anything else, it'sgood to have the certifications
where you can go left and go,right.
I know a lot of folks who workin law enforcement, for example,
that want to get out of lawenforcement, and they want to go
into business. And they have thecertifications to do so. They
have education, the backgrounddo so. And I think it's
important for us to, to havethose certifications, because it
(37:01):
really details the level ofcompetency that you have within
a specific career field. Now, ifanyone out there listening is
interested in following up withyou to go into more detail about
the 3 CERT program. What socialmedia platforms, can they reach
you on? Are you on LinkedIn,Instagram, Facebook, we'll start
(37:21):
with you, Sherawn?
Sherawn Jackson (37:23):
um, my Facebook, if they want to
contact me through the app, noeducation, you know, just tag me
and I can respond there. But I'mmost active on LinkedIn. And you
know, if you want to hook upwith me on LinkedIn, and connect
and whatnot, I'm more thanwelcome to welcome to having a
conversation over LinkedIn aswell.
KP (37:46):
Yeah, yeah. All of us, right, we, I'll make sure I put
all that down in the show notesfor the podcast. If you're
watching us on YouTube, you canscroll down to the description,
you can find the links to linkup with Sherawn Jackson here.
And then Daniel, anyone lookingto follow up with you? How can
they reach you?
Daniel Torres (38:02):
So yeah, so I'm also part of the Act Now
community on Facebook. But I'vedefinitely tried to do a
Facebook page. So I would preferanyone wants to reach out to me
LinkedIn as well.
KP (38:14):
Yeah. Yeah, LinkedIn is a default professional, social
media, social media out there. Ido love LinkedIn, but I tend to
use Instagram a little bit more.
So hey, listen, I reallyappreciate both of you for
coming on the show today, andunderlining the importance and
the value behind the 3 CERTprogram, I think it's really
important for us to reach backand try to convince others that
(38:36):
are within our own community tolevel themselves up.
And many times I feel like, Iwant more for people than people
want for themselves. SometimesI'll be telling someone about
the Act Now Educationopportunities, and they'll not
really be listening. And it'sreally frustrating at times,
(38:57):
right? Have you had thoseconversations with people where
you're like, hey, you reallyshould consider this or you
should consider that. And thenthey're just like, kind of just
standing there and they don'teven see the value. Right? So
Daniel, you're like raising yourhand, right? So
Daniel Torres (39:07):
I was gonna say, yeah, interesting point. If I
have friends on my Facebook thatI know, are veterans, active
duty or spouse, I just invitethem to the group. I don't even
ask them, invite them. And ifthey say, Hey, what's this
you're inviting me to? Then I'llexplain it to them. But I
(39:28):
actually haven't heard nocomplaints. A lot of folks that
I do invite, they are like, oh,man, this is like, great. I
haven't had any complaints.
People just appreciative thatthis such a big community out
there. That's all about helpingactive duty spouses. Veteran
KP (39:45):
Yeah. You know, a lot of our passion you like I said, I'm
part of the board for Act Noweducation. And a lot of our
passion is the fact that we areall military community members.
And this is an all volunteerforce, even the board members or
ourselves, you know, Getting upearly in the morning, doing
these sorts of sorts of things.
So I appreciate from bottom ofmy heart that you guys took the
time today to sit down with meand have this conversation. So
(40:07):
thank you so much. I reallyappreciate it.
And so if anyone's interested inreaching out, make sure you
scroll down to the bottom takeout to check out the show notes,
check out the description onYouTube. Thank you so much. I
appreciate you listening to themore information podcast today.
And as always, I want you tostay tuned, stay focused, and
stay motivated. Warriorsfallout. You've been listening
(40:33):
to the morning formationpodcast.
I hope you found today'smaterials helpful and of value
to your current situation. Youcan connect with me on Instagram
at the underscore morningunderscore formation underscore
podcast. Or you can connect withme via email at the information
(40:55):
podcaster@gmail.com. Also, Iwould like to thank my partners
at act no education for theirsupport, authenticity,
community. And trusted is whatyou can expect from all members
of the Act now education team.
You can link up with them todayand learn about some new free
educational resources on theirFacebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or
(41:18):
at their website act noweducation.com whether today's
show took you back to anostalgic time or helped you
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.
Daniel Torres (00:47):
Well, 3 cert cohort, I would say, get ready
to study a lot. So we have avery short period of time to get
through these certifications. Soit's definitely a blessing and a
great opportunity, but you alsoget what you get out of it, what
you put in.
KP (01:06):
Act Now Education launched a program called 3 Cert Cohort
that provides virtual boot campsand exam vouchers for free. All
this training is geared towardobtaining a Project Management
Professional otherwise known asa PMP Certification, Comp TIA
Security Plus, and Scrum PSM 1certification. Let's hear more
(01:29):
about it. Warriors fall in it'stime for formation. Today I'm
joined with two militarycommunity professionals that
used Act Now Education toelevate their careers. And what
exactly did they do to elevatethemselves up? Well, they joined
the act now education communityand took advantage of one of our
many great programs. Act NowEducation launched a program
(01:52):
called 3 Cert Cohort.
And this cohort specificallyprovides virtual boot camps and
exam vouchers for free. All thistraining is geared towards
obtaining a Project ManagementProfessional PMP certification,
Comp TIA Security Plus, andScrum PSM one certification.
These are dynamic certificationsthat can help any professional
(02:13):
in the job market aggressivelybecome a top contender for many
positions within many opencareer fields available today.
Now to top all of this off, actnow education is offering free
professional photographyheadshots, a tailored resume,
business suits, mentorship,career coaching, mock
(02:34):
interviews, and mostimportantly, job networking. All
this comes with the 3 Certprogram that these two community
members that we have on the showtoday took advantage of. What
more could anyone ask for? Thetwo most recent graduates that
we have, who went through theprogram are here to share more
about where they were in theirown personal career journey,
(02:55):
where they are now versus wherethey plan to be in the near
future.
So I want to welcome Mr. DanielTorres and Ms. Sherawn Jackson,
to the Morning Formationpodcast. Thank you both for
being here today.
Daniel Torres (03:07):
Hey KP. Thanks for having us on. Appreciate it.
Sherawn Jackson (03:10):
Thank you for having us.
KP (03:12):
So listen, the honors all mine, it's great to have you
both on the show in five words,Sherawn, how would you sum up
your experience with act noweducation and the 3 cert cohort
program?
Sherawn Jackson (03:23):
Five words it was educational. Enlightening,
challenging. So....
KP (03:32):
Networking.
Sherawn Jackson (03:33):
Yeah, networking. You know, we built
friendships through this cohort.
KP (03:38):
All those things are really important, especially for
military community members whoare looking to level up and
that's all those things are thepillars that act now education,
for the most part stand on,specifically community and
challenging folks within ourcommunity to help level up.
Daniel in no more than fivewords, how would you sum up your
experience with Act NowEducation and the 3 cert cohort?
Daniel Torres (04:02):
3 Cert cohort, I would say, get ready to study a
lot. So we have a very shortperiod of time to get through
these certifications. So it'sdefinitely a blessing and a
great opportunity. But you alsoget what you get out of it, what
you put in, and I'm sure Sherawncan attest to. We have to
(04:24):
definitely put in some work tomake sure we were successful.
KP (04:28):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, just to get one of these
certifications is a task initself, let alone three
certifications. It's absolutelyamazing. I'm very impressed. And
I'm very proud of both you forbeing part of the 28 that were
certified through the 3 certcohort with act now education.
Now before we get into talkingabout 3 cert cohort, I'd like to
(04:50):
get to know each of you, who youare, where you come from, how
are you part of the militarycommunity. So we'll start with
Sherawn. Can you tell theaudience a little bit about
yourself?
Sherawn Jackson (05:01):
Yeah, my name is Sherawn, I am a military
spouse, my husband and I havebeen married for about 13 years
now. He is still currentlyactive duty. And we're in it for
probably another eight years. Ihave over the last two years,
I've been prepping myselfthrough certifications and study
(05:22):
to enter the work field as acybersecurity professional.
KP (05:27):
Sounds great. So we got a military spouse on board today.
Daniel, would you mind tellingthe audience a little bit about
yourself?
Daniel Torres (05:33):
Yeah, not a problem. Like I said earlier, my
name is Daniel Torres.
Originally from Brooklyn, NewYork. I'm transitioning from the
Air Force after 20 years. So thetiming I made it, and how the
cohort helped me. So basically,I'm by trade, I'm an aircraft
maintainer. Avionics. But that'snot what I wanted to continue
(05:58):
doing. When I transitioned fromthe service, something I could
possibly fall back on, but notmy first choice of occupation.
And so I would like to eitherget into project management or
IT project management.
KP (06:13):
Oh, that's great. So, Sherawn, how would you mind
explaining just again, a bitabout how the cohort has helped
you so far?
Sherawn Jackson (06:20):
Oh, sure. I'm sorry. I feel like it really has
given me a deeper understandingof project management, agile
project management. The scrumcertification was an absolute
amazing experience. I do have alot of these other certs for
cybersecurity. But I felt likethe project management
(06:42):
certifications that we receivedin this cohort really helped me
be able to apply my previouswork history to be able to get
more of a management role withinthe cybersecurity community.
KP (06:56):
So Daniel, she talked about the project management
certification being probably themost meaningful certification
that she received. Now for you,what does the three the three
cert cohort mean for youspecifically, what were you
focused on out of the threecertifications? What type of
field are you looking at?
Daniel Torres (07:16):
So I'll be completely honest with you each
and every single one of thecertifications, interested in
me. My education, background isin project management. So I kind
of gravitated more towards theprofessional scrum master and
Comp Tia project plus. Also withthe second certification, that
(07:36):
was probably the one I was themost nervous about, because I
didn't have a traditionalbackground in cybersecurity.
But, you know, throughout thecohort, we all have four
separate teams. And I wasblessed with a really cool team,
and we helped each other getacross the finish line. So that
was good.
KP (07:53):
Yeah, so it was was Sherawn on your team?
Daniel Torres (07:57):
No, unfortunately, no, I can't
remember which team she was butmy team was team three Team
Flex.
KP (08:04):
Team flex, so each had names, huh?
Sherawn Jackson (08:07):
Yeah, there's there's four different teams.
And we each picked a we did alogo and picked our own team
name. You're each in charge of adifferent project to help the
Act Now Education Community. Soit was really neat.
KP (08:21):
So out of the 28 members, you guys are split up into
teams, and even came up with alogo. I can't I can't think of
any better way to build thatesprit de corps. One of the
things that was mentioned on thelast interview that I did with
the other graduates of the threecert was that they talked about,
yes, it's valuable, it'simportant to get these
(08:41):
certifications. But what's evenmore valuable is the networking
that we did with the other folksthat were in this program,
because from the feedback thatI'm getting, it was actually
refreshing to be connected withpeople who had the same
mentality and have the samedrive to achieve and level up.
I know it can be veryfrustrating, even within our own
(09:03):
small communities, to not beable to identify, maybe you
Sherawn, you might live in moreof a military community, I'm not
sure. But I live in Los Angeles.
And sometimes it's hard for meto identify with people who have
a unique desire to reach backand help out the military
community. A lot of the folksthat I know are out, and they're
headed in that direction.
(09:26):
Whereas I'm starting thispodcast. I'm a board member for
act now education. I'm trying toreach back and help out.
So it's great to reach out tofolks who are 100 miles,
hundreds of miles away. And, andunderstand that we connect
because you're trying to levelup. I'm trying to help level up
the community. So it's good thatyou had that group of 28 split
(09:49):
up into groups. And you guyskind of had the same mentality
of hey, let's do this. Let's getthis done. Because at the end of
the day, we all have families. Alot of us have kids, a lot of us
have full time jobs, right? Sowe got that grind going on. So
everyone kind of understandswhat playing field we're on.
Now, with that being said, Wouldyou mind telling the audience
(10:10):
what career field now thatyou've got this three cert,
program accomplished? Whatcareer field? Do you plan on
conquering going forward? Orwhat is your target going
forward? We'll start with you,Daniel.
Daniel Torres (10:30):
Now, that's all good. So I would like to be
fully transparent about thecohort. So it's a tremendous
opportunity. But for those thatare interested in doing it, it
does take a lot of time andeffort, we are on Zoom calls
from roughly 10pm, Eastern to6pm. Eastern. Because you didn't
(10:54):
mention, I think you justmentioned something about, you
know, working, then leveragingand leveraging this opportunity
at the same time.
I don't know how somebody willdo both at the same time. But
with regard to the industry thatI'm looking to get into, again,
full transparency. I would liketo get into IT, or tech, I'm in,
(11:18):
I'm in North Carolina, I'mlooking to go to Raleigh, North
Carolina, where tech is prettybig out there.
And since I don't have thattraditional experience, or they
think that I don't have thattraditional experience, these
certs will at least give me moreleverage to kind of break into
those industries. And then youknow, if that does not work out,
(11:40):
you can still utilize projectmanagement with the CompTIA
project plus and I believe inthe next coming cohorts, no not
that I believe, the next comingcohorts will have access to PMP
certification. So that'll behuge.
So you no one can also use thosecerts. For I will be able to use
those types of certs, answerpivoting. It's something that's
(12:02):
more aligned with my experiencein the service, which is
aircraft and aviation.
KP (12:09):
That's outstanding. And so Sherawn, what what would your
plans be to conquer a certaincareer field going forward from
here?
Sherawn Jackson (12:18):
I have been I've had my eyes set on
cybersecurity for the lastcouple of years. And so I'm
finally done with mycertifications for cybersecurity
done with these certificationsfor project management. So I
have my eye on eitherinformation security or
cybersecurity or incidentresponse.
KP (12:41):
Now, would you say that you're both? Would you consider
yourselves techie or have aninclination?
Sherawn Jackson (12:50):
I have always kind of been a nerd. I have had
a wide variety of differentjobs. I have a B of A in
computer animation. So you know,I worked post production as a
compositor for a couple ofyears. I own my own photography
business. And so I taught myselfall of the, you know, equipment
(13:11):
and software things that neededto go along with that, little
bit of web design. And then Itaught virtually online for
several years as well. So Iguess I've kind of always had my
hands in technology.
KP (13:24):
Okay. All right. What about you, Daniel?
Daniel Torres (13:28):
So I will say yes, as well. My AFSC or MOS
depending on what branch...Oneis.... Background In the
airforce as avionics technician,that is 100% a technical
background. It's a it's a fancyway of saying aircraft
electronics specialists. So myentire time in the military has
(13:52):
been dealing with some form oftechnology, whether it's, you
know, new emerging technologieson the aircraft that I was on,
or my spend about four years asan instructor where I was
teaching these principles to upand coming service members. So
yeah, definitely. My my time andservice has been nothing but
(14:13):
tech and electronics.
KP (14:16):
Yeah. Okay. So you both come from a tech background. I know a
lot of folks that don't comefrom tech backgrounds and end up
getting some type of cyber techsecurity certification. And
they're surprised that they evenwent that route. But I guess it
helps with you having thatnatural knack for cybersecurity
and it as well.
(14:37):
Now, you mentioned earliersomething about building that
bridge, Daniel going frommilitary to civilian, that you
mentioned that they shouldalready know that you have this
background, but you alreadyunderstand that when you sit
across from a recruiter, manytimes that recruiter may not
have ever served in themilitary, and may not fully
understand your job tasks ormaybe what your MOS was, so
(15:01):
building that bridge, thecertifications really help
translate your skills into thecivilian side. And I think
that's really important forfolks to understand.
Understand that but, you know,how did you come to that
conclusion? What made you signup? For the three cert cohort?
How did you find out about it?
And what spoke to you as far as,hey, this is something I need a
(15:23):
good start with you, Daniel.
Daniel Torres (15:27):
Okay, so that's actually a good question. So
I've been a part of the Act Nowcommunity for roughly two years
and change. And I remember, Iremember when I first joined, I
want to say is probably lessthan 5000 members. And I know
now it's about a communitythat's over 50,000 strong.
And so over the years, I'vejust, you know, seen it grow.
(15:51):
And I'm not really big intosocial media anymore. But I
still have social mediaaccounts. But there's one page
that have notifications from notone but very few pages that I
have notifications from and oneof those is Act Now. So anytime
I do open the app, I seenotifications, and it's usually
filled with Act Now relatednotifications. And to answer
(16:15):
your question, How did I findout about 3 cert cohort, just,
you know, opened up my Facebookone day. You know, I tried to
keep my ears to the pavementjust to you know see what's
going on. And I saw thatopportunity. And I was like,
wow, this is something that'sincredible.
And I remember jumping right onit. You know, they had a few
(16:35):
orientations that you have toattend, you know, because with
an opportunity like that, therehas to be, you know, some, some
sort of, not gatekeeper but youknow, you have to have some sort
of the kind to keep thefloodgates from busting open. So
I was like, Oh, my goodness, Igotta jump on this. And then,
again, because I amtransitioning, if I was working,
(16:58):
under my terminal leave window,right now. If I was doing my
regular eight to five, nine tofive, but I'm doing my regular
eight to five or whatever, Iwouldn't have been able to do
this. So everything just linedup perfectly. And, you know, the
universe was merciful enough toallow me to take part in this.
KP (17:21):
Yeah, right on, what about?
What about you Sherawn? Wasthis, did the universe lineup
for you? Are we working fulltime? How did you come to the
conclusion that, hey, this issomething that I should take
advantage of?
Sherawn Jackson (17:32):
Um, it kind of just lined up for me as well. I
ended my previous job at the endof November, at the end of the
election cycle, I worked for anonprofit here in San Diego. And
I was ready to pivot intocybersecurity had a little bit
of free time on my hand.
And I think like Daniel, I justkind of opened up my Facebook
(17:54):
one day, and I was scrollingand, you know, ended up on to
the Act Now page and saw the 3cert cohort and saw the scrum
master certification and theproject management
certification. And I knew thatthat was something that I needed
to kind of have a deeper diveinto to make myself competitive
to get into the job market thatI want to go into.
(18:19):
But yeah, like, Daniel, if if Ihad been working, there was no
way I was going to be able toparticipate in that. Yeah, I
have like vivid memories of,instead of partying on New
Year's Eve, I was doing asecurity plus class on LinkedIn.
KP (18:38):
I can't think of a better way to celebrate the new year
than doing a bootcamp or a 3cert class online.
Sherawn Jackson (18:45):
Yeah. So it was it was part of like. so Jai like
gave this like crash windowcourse of like things we had to
get done in order to participatein this certification cohort.
And so one of them was watchinglike 24 hours worth of material
in like less than a week, andthen passing another test to be
(19:07):
able to participate in this but
Daniel Torres (19:09):
Which I think is great, because, you know, just
shows who really wants it?
Sherawn Jackson (19:15):
Oh, yeah, most definitely. I 100% was on board
with that, you know, you need toshow that upfront, you're
willing to put in the time andeffort it takes to be able to
smash out certifications in sucha short timeframe.
KP (19:30):
Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, you're signing up for a
lot. I mean, this is a lot. It'slike, it's these three
certifications. And like I said,just getting one of them is a
huge accomplishment for a lot offolks out there. And just to
mention, too, there's plans formore 3 cert cohorts to start up
in the future as well. So ifyou're listening right now, you
(19:52):
think Oh, you know, I don'tthink this is right for me right
now. If there's something ifthere's an opening in your
schedule coming up, this issomething that you might want to
consider down the road.
And if you're listening andyou're doing your research on
it, keep your keep your ear tothe ground, keep your ear to the
pavement just like Danielmentioned earlier, because we do
put out different posts onFacebook specifically announcing
(20:15):
that we're going to have anotherone startup. So if it's not for
you, now, maybe it's for youdown the stretch, when you have
some time, maybe in thesummertime, when the kids are
out of school, or whatever thecase is. Now, some folks will
look at this.
And they'll say, Man, this isreally intimidating. This is
really intensive. I don't thinkthat I can do it. Now. Sherawn,
(20:35):
what would you say to thosefolks out there who see this.
They, they see the 3 certs, theythink, "I don't know, the
bootcamp, the classes,everything else." Like, would
you say that the that theoverall 28 cohorts that were
involved in this and the groupsthat you're in, helped propel
you to accomplish?
Sherawn Jackson (20:55):
Oh Yeah, we we helped each other out
through it. And I think that'sone of the biggest importance of
the cohort is that you're thereto support each other. It's not,
you're not doing this on yourown. You're, you know, not
everybody has, you know, wasstrong in the scrum master
certification. And if somebodyelse was stronger, we had study
(21:15):
groups.
And same with the security plusand the project plus, you know,
we were all there for eachother, even though we were
broken up into these differentgroups. And so for those people
who think that, you know, thisis really intimidating, and you
don't know, if you're up to thechallenge, you have to
understand like you, if youdon't push yourself outside your
(21:36):
comfort zone, you'll never knowwhat you're capable of. And I
can attest to this, not only tothis, but to my prior, so I was
part of a security training,scholarship through leases.
And it was only because of agroup of ladies I had found here
in San Diego, who believed thatI could do it, you know, pushed
me out of my comfort zone,pushed me into like, applying to
(22:00):
this scholarship, which it was acompetition scholarship. It
wasn't like this 3 cert cohort,competent scholars scholarships.
So I had to, you know, challengemyself and grow and learn and
compete to get these GIACcertifications. But you know,
all of that to say is, don'tunderestimate yourself, you
(22:21):
never know what you're capableof. So if you think you might
not be up for the challenge, youjust need to change your
mentality right there.
KP (22:29):
What would you say to that, Daniel, as far as folks out
there that might be intimidated,or might be counting themselves
short of being a good candidatefor this specific program?
Daniel Torres (22:43):
Like I alluded to earlier, you definitely what you
put into it as what you will getout of it. And then also the
team aspect that Sherawn hadmentioned. I personally don't
think I would have been able tomake it if it wasn't for my
team. And it wasn't just thestudying aspect, like, morale
wise, we were back in time, wewere just cracking jokes, and
(23:06):
just we kept our spirits up,even though we knew what we were
doing wasn't the most dramaticthing.
But it is, it is pretty nervewracking, especially for
somebody like myself that has nopractical experience with
cybersecurity. And here I amtrying to map out a cert in you
(23:27):
know, two and a half weeks, twoweeks, it was really us, you
know, getting together,bunkering down. Hold hold each
other accountable. Like we stilleven on the surface, pretty
much. The certs excuse me, thecohort is pretty much done.
We have a little Whatsapp groupthat we still, we're still
following up with each othercheck in on each other. So to
(23:48):
answer your original question,what would I say to somebody
that thinks that they wouldn'tbe able to get through it? Like
Sherawn mentioned, don't youknow, don't don't short
yourself? Don't Don't sellyourself short. You never know
what you can accomplish unlessyou actually give it your best
effort and try.
KP (24:04):
Yeah, 100% right. 100%, a lot of us join the military.
That way. We didn't know we werewalking into until we showed up
to boot camp and you see thosebrown round hats, walk into that
building, and all of a sudden,it's just chaos, right? So I
didn't know when I joined theArmy. I didn't know what basic
training was going to be about.
When I deployed I didn't knowwhat that was going to be about.
(24:26):
It's like walking into a darkroom right and challenging
yourself. And in all reality,anyone, anyone that I've ever
known in life who has simplybelieved in themselves has
always overcome and achievedtheir goals. And I think that's
one of the scariest thingssometimes is is believing in
yourself. And it's tremendousthat both of you went through
(24:48):
this program and was able toobtain the certifications. Now,
prior to getting this threecert. What game plan did you
actually have before fordiscovering this, where were you
in your own career journey? Whatwas your mentality? Let's start
with you, Daniel.
Daniel Torres (25:07):
Okay. So as I mentioned early on the
transitioning service member,currenty in my terminal,
terminal leave window. So what Ihad going on at the time was, so
I retired January 27. So, beforethe cohort had started, I
(25:28):
planned on doing my skill bridgeprogram, which is, which is with
an organization called HiringOur Heroes. And I'm doing
something called a CareerForward where I'm working on a
few Google certifications. It'snot really a job placement
program, which that organizationdoes have a few of those, but we
(25:49):
won't talk about those rightnow. So my plan was to just mash
that out and to start lookingfor employment.
And like I said, with the threecert cohort, I just noticed that
that was something that wouldreally allow me to leverage my,
my formal education in projectmanagement. And as just, it was
(26:10):
just too, too great ofopportunity to pass up. And then
I knew it would be somethingthat would help me with my
transition out of service.
KP (26:19):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt about it. It's great that you
identified that now. Like whileyou're transitioning, a lot of
folks don't realize it tillafter their transition, and they
get that first job and they quitwithin the first year realizing
that I should have put moreeffort into this prior to.
Daniel Torres (26:32):
It's not, it's definitely not easy. I've
definitely run into challenges,but with this cohort, and with
the certifications, and just theoverall experience, I know that,
yes, albeit nothing's easy. Youknow, it's gonna be a challenge.
But I know I'll be come outbetter. On the other side, for
sure.
KP (26:51):
I spoke with Fred earlier, who is part of the 3 cert
cohort. And he mentioned thatwhen he transitioned out of the
army two years ago, he mentionedthat he had that uncontrolled
loyalty for the army in hiscurrent position, that he didn't
bother to invest in himself whenhe transitioned out. So when he
got out, he realized that Ishould have probably put more
effort into my transition.
(27:12):
So that's something that I thinka lot of servicemembers, we tend
to be over loyal to our currentpositions, and not necessarily
think about what's going ontomorrow. So it's nice to hear
that you are where you are rightnow. And you're putting into
yourself and getting prepped forthat for that mountain to climb.
So it's a little easier for you.
And Sherawn, I just want to askyou as well. What do you think
(27:32):
about overall, the, the, theopportunity that you received,
or what what Daniel justmentioned just now.
Sherawn Jackson (27:44):
Um, as far as like, where I was at before the
cohort, I was, I don't know. Ihad a game plan of working on
some classes. And, so I lovelearning, like, I love
education, and I will be forevera learner. Like I, is just
(28:04):
something I have a strongpassion for. It's funny, because
like my husband games at night,and I sit on my computer, and I
work on stuff. But I had a gameplan of like putting together
resumes and working on classesand showcasing what I can do and
stuff.
But I think with this projectmanagement education that we
(28:27):
received through the cohort, Ifeel like that has kind of
propelled me to take more of amanagement role within the
community I want to get into,which is is great because I'm,
I've got 10 plus years of workexperience. And so I'm not
really entry level, except forlike the technical part of
(28:49):
cybersecurity. So I, I reallyappreciated that.
KP (28:53):
Right. Yeah, I think it's really important to highlight
that because a lot of us havegame plans, and then you have an
opportunity like this show up,and it can revolutionize
everything that you've beenthinking about doing. Like you
mentioned, Daniel, you're justplanning on doing skill bridge.
And all of a sudden, now youhave this three cert opportunity
to elevate yourself even more.
(29:15):
And I think it's important foryou to keep your ear to the
ground. And to listen for anyopportunities. And the way I
always explain it to people as Iexplain it like this, like you
have an Azmuth and you'rewalking in this direction,
right? You're not sure you havean idea where you're gonna go.
As you walk in that direction,opportunities will present
themselves. And the best placeto be in life is to either
(29:37):
accept or turn down thoseopportunities.
And I think that's what the actnow education community is all
about. I mean, we offer thingsfor folks within our military
community and hats off to youboth for signing up for
something that was so intensiveand tedious. I know. It took a
lot to study. Be part of thegroups be involved in the
(29:58):
groups, meeting time hacks,depending on each other. But it
sounds like overall, you sort ofcreated a family community.
And the networking is somethingthat I've been hearing over and
over again, that's been probablysomething that wasn't
highlighted as much about theprogram. But it sounds like
that's going to be of greatvalue for years to come. For
(30:18):
anyone out there that'slistening. That may be like,
hey, I'm interested in this. ButBut I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know if I can do this. Idon't know if I should do this.
Sherawn, what advice would yougive to them to help push them
in the direction of positivelychanging their life and changing
their career,
Sherawn Jackson (30:38):
I would say if you can do it, go for it. I
this, it's an unbelievableexperience, it's an unbelievable
opportunity. You get to learn,like just within Project
Management, I feel likeeverybody should have that
baseline when they go into thecorporate work environment.
Because no matter what you'redoing, whether you're in IT, HR,
(30:59):
Finance, you know, supply chain,whatever you decide to go into,
there will always be projects,and you'll be a more effective
asset to your company towhatever company you work for.
If you know the processes, ifyou know how to do the agile, if
you know how to do the scrum, ifyou know how project management
works, because then even ifyou're not the Project Manager,
(31:21):
you can still look at everythinggoing on and being like, Okay, I
know where I fit into this. AndI know where I can be an asset
to that to that organization. Soeven if it's not something
that's on your radar, like, justgo for it.
KP (31:36):
Yeah, as an MBA and project management myself, and, um,
project management, projectmanagement certified through DOL
coach, you know, it's importantfor me to understand the
language of project management,to understand the tools that can
be utilized in projectmanagement. So that's of great
value for folks out therelooking to make that job. And
Daniel, for you, overall, youknow, if you had to motivate one
(31:59):
of your fellow airmen into doingsomething like this, or if you
were back in the ranks, andyou're in front of your
formation, and you had to talkto your airmen about doing this,
what would you say to them ifthey were a little hesitant
about it?
Daniel Torres (32:14):
So I'm pretty sure I used to get on my
leadership, they actually No,probably not. But I was at
senior NCO that was alwayspushing opportunities to the
youngin, I call them theyoungin, but also to my peers
and my superiors, because I'llsay probably a year or two ago
(32:34):
was when I answered arealization that the military
does not last forever. And allof us at some point are going to
transition.
And, you know, I just wanted tomake sure that myself and add,
the ones that I cared about, theones around me, were set up for
success as they transition outof the service. So what I would
say to somebody interested inthis program, is if you have the
(32:59):
bandwidth, and the time to doit, I would I would tell them to
go for it. Because again, themilitary does not last forever.
And, you know, you want to makesure that you have the tools and
you're equipped to transitioninto what I call the real world.
KP (33:16):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, I've always used this,
this analogy, I guess that a lotof us in the military getting
out like we can hear thewaterfall, right, we can't see
it. And some of us try toprepare for as best as we can.
And some of us are like, I gotthis, I don't need anyone's
help, which is how I was when Igot out. I got out, I was in the
Army in 2007 as an O3. And I didnot seek the help of anyone
(33:39):
else. It was just like, I gotthis. Palm in the face, get out
of my way, I got out and Ibecame a statistic, I was part
of the 80% that quits theirfirst job within the first year
of getting out of the militaryservice. And a lot of it was
because of bad placement.
And because I didn't fullyunderstand what I was getting
into. So it's important to doyour research and to put
(33:59):
yourself in groups that engagelike this, I mean, even
networking amongst each other.
You guys are gonna be passingalong a lot of information to
one another. And I just want tohighlight this point, I want to
go into more detail on this.
What value do these three certsbring to your professional
career? How much of a gamechanger is this specifically for
you, Daniel?
Daniel Torres (34:22):
Like I mentioned earlier, being have an education
background in projectmanagement, agile and the
project plus cert absolutely areare good additions to the path
that I'm trying to go on. Secplus, definitely cannot hurt
(34:43):
even if you know, because younever know, what if I get into
project management and notreally feeling it. You know, at
least I have Sec plus topossibly fall back on even if
it's getting an entry level roleor, you know, maybe looking for
other programs. And I say Hey,Well, I already had my SEC plus
and they're like Oh, really?
Well, come on, why not? Come onin? Well, you know, there's so
(35:04):
many different programs forveterans out there having a
Security Plus certification. Idon't see how we can hurt.
KP (35:13):
Totally, totally give you that foot in the door.
Definitely. What about you,Sherawn?
Sherawn Jackson (35:19):
Um, I do feel like it was a big game changer.
You see job postings all thetime for Scrum and Agile. And
it's nice to be able to show onpaper that you you've, you know,
you've taken, you've taken thetime to learn it, you've gotten
certified. So like I throughthis whole thing, I've iterated
(35:42):
that the scrum master and theproject plus were the two
biggest certifications formyself. But the I'm not
discounting the security plusone either.
So like if you're going to workfor the government or the DOD,
like you have to have thesecurity plus. So in that
respect, it was it's reallynice, because that also like
opens that door. Like if I do goand work for a government
(36:05):
organization or contract. Youknow, I have that on my record
that I'm, you know, I have, youknow, I've ticked that box for
the company, that I've gottenthat that certification done.
KP (36:17):
Right, right. And this definitely, is something that
can unlock your own advancementwithin your your respective
future career fields as well.
And like you said, I think thebest place to be in life is a
place where you have thatlateral mobility, where you can
say, you know, I don't reallywant to do this, if you're
working in, for example,business, and you want to get
into something else thatinvolves marketing, or you want
(36:39):
to get into anything else, it'sgood to have the certifications
where you can go left and go,right.
I know a lot of folks who workin law enforcement, for example,
that want to get out of lawenforcement, and they want to go
into business. And they have thecertifications to do so. They
have education, the backgrounddo so. And I think it's
important for us to, to havethose certifications, because it
(37:01):
really details the level ofcompetency that you have within
a specific career field. Now, ifanyone out there listening is
interested in following up withyou to go into more detail about
the 3 CERT program. What socialmedia platforms, can they reach
you on? Are you on LinkedIn,Instagram, Facebook, we'll start
(37:21):
with you, Sherawn?
Sherawn Jackson (37:23):
um, my Facebook, if they want to
contact me through the app, noeducation, you know, just tag me
and I can respond there. But I'mmost active on LinkedIn. And you
know, if you want to hook upwith me on LinkedIn, and connect
and whatnot, I'm more thanwelcome to welcome to having a
conversation over LinkedIn aswell.
KP (37:46):
Yeah, yeah. All of us, right, we, I'll make sure I put
all that down in the show notesfor the podcast. If you're
watching us on YouTube, you canscroll down to the description,
you can find the links to linkup with Sherawn Jackson here.
And then Daniel, anyone lookingto follow up with you? How can
they reach you?
Daniel Torres (38:02):
So yeah, so I'm also part of the Act Now
community on Facebook. But I'vedefinitely tried to do a
Facebook page. So I would preferanyone wants to reach out to me
LinkedIn as well.
KP (38:14):
Yeah. Yeah, LinkedIn is a default professional, social
media, social media out there. Ido love LinkedIn, but I tend to
use Instagram a little bit more.
So hey, listen, I reallyappreciate both of you for
coming on the show today, andunderlining the importance and
the value behind the 3 CERTprogram, I think it's really
important for us to reach backand try to convince others that
(38:36):
are within our own community tolevel themselves up.
And many times I feel like, Iwant more for people than people
want for themselves. SometimesI'll be telling someone about
the Act Now Educationopportunities, and they'll not
really be listening. And it'sreally frustrating at times,
(38:57):
right? Have you had thoseconversations with people where
you're like, hey, you reallyshould consider this or you
should consider that. And thenthey're just like, kind of just
standing there and they don'teven see the value. Right? So
Daniel, you're like raising yourhand, right? So
Daniel Torres (39:07):
I was gonna say, yeah, interesting point. If I
have friends on my Facebook thatI know, are veterans, active
duty or spouse, I just invitethem to the group. I don't even
ask them, invite them. And ifthey say, Hey, what's this
you're inviting me to? Then I'llexplain it to them. But I
(39:28):
actually haven't heard nocomplaints. A lot of folks that
I do invite, they are like, oh,man, this is like, great. I
haven't had any complaints.
People just appreciative thatthis such a big community out
there. That's all about helpingactive duty spouses. Veteran
KP (39:45):
Yeah. You know, a lot of our passion you like I said, I'm
part of the board for Act Noweducation. And a lot of our
passion is the fact that we areall military community members.
And this is an all volunteerforce, even the board members or
ourselves, you know, Getting upearly in the morning, doing
these sorts of sorts of things.
So I appreciate from bottom ofmy heart that you guys took the
time today to sit down with meand have this conversation. So
(40:07):
thank you so much. I reallyappreciate it.
And so if anyone's interested inreaching out, make sure you
scroll down to the bottom takeout to check out the show notes,
check out the description onYouTube. Thank you so much. I
appreciate you listening to themore information podcast today.
And as always, I want you tostay tuned, stay focused, and
stay motivated. Warriorsfallout. You've been listening
(40:33):
to the morning formationpodcast.
I hope you found today'smaterials helpful and of value
to your current situation. Youcan connect with me on Instagram
at the underscore morningunderscore formation underscore
podcast. Or you can connect withme via email at the information
(40:55):
podcaster@gmail.com. Also, Iwould like to thank my partners
at act no education for theirsupport, authenticity,
community. And trusted is whatyou can expect from all members
of the Act now education team.
You can link up with them todayand learn about some new free
educational resources on theirFacebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or
(41:18):
at their website act noweducation.com whether today's
show took you back to anostalgic time or helped you
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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