TechVets: The Podcast

‘Square Peg, Square Hole:’ Jim Perkins Finds His Place with Capslock Cyber Security After Military Service

Jim Perkins joined the military as a chef at 19 and left as a commissioned officer and intelligence analyst at 36.

In this podcast we find out how he went from RAF chef to Capslock cyber security pro.

“I genuinely enjoyed it so much...I thought I definitely want to stay here for as long as I can” he recalls of his time in the Royal Air Force. It took a couple of decades and a particularly tough pilot’s course to change his mind.

“I hit my capacity. It was just very, very difficult for me to progress any further.”

While he was on the fence about staying in, he got offered a funded place on the CAPSLOCK training course through TechVets that sealed the deal. It was an opportunity to take his career in an exciting direction- and it’s paid off! He recently landed a role with AMR Cybersecurity, a leading UK cyber risk consultancy firm.

“I’m institutionalised in many respects, so I’m entering a brand-new wide world where everything is completely different...but there’s a lot of transferable skills as well,” he says. “Time keeping, work ethic, understanding what your role is. All these skills you just take for granted because everyone else around you does them- they're definitely appreciated.”

If you’re up for making the most of your own finely-tuned skill set as a veteran, service leaver, or reservist (or partner to one!), keep reading to learn from Jim’s journey: https://www.techvets.co/news/square-peg-square-hole-jim-perkins-finds-his-place-in-cyber-security-after-military-service/

Make yourself redeployable: How to increase capability & decrease the skills gap

Donavin De Jongh Tells It Like It Is: You CAN Go From Army to IT (And Fast)

Within weeks of leaving his job with the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, this former Sergeant landed a competitive job in IT project management at Netcompany.

Here’s how.

Read Donavin's story in full and find out more about TechVets: https://www.techvets.co/news/donavin-de-jongh-tells-it-like-it-is-you-can-go-from-army-to-it-and-fast/

The Pyramid of Pain and Tackling Technical Interviews

We catch up with Microsoft's Global Threat Hunting Lead, Shaw to discover how he went from being a military linguist to heading up an international team of cybersecurity experts.

In this podcast we talk to TechVets volunteer, Shaw who went from operating as an arabic linguist in the US Army to retraining in tech. We discuss how he retrained, the set-backs, the opportunities and his top tips for nailing a technical interview.

Join TechVets: www.techvets.co

Get in touch with Shaw: linkedin.com/in/shaw256

Military Spouse Sara Hilton: From ‘The Least Technical Person’ to Smashing It in a Cyber Security Career

Training with TechVets helped Sara become a ‘work-at-home’ mum with more confidence, more career opportunities, and more flexibility in her days. One year ago, Sara Hilton had no technical background in IT, now she's retrained and up-skilled to land her first job in cybersecurity. listen to her story now.

 

Read her story in full via: https://www.techvets.co/news/military-spouse-sarah-hilton-from-the-least-technical-person-to-smashing-it-in-a-cyber-security-career/

 

Join TechVets: www.techvets.co

Want a Tech Career? How to Create a Strong CV as a Veteran, Service Leaver, or Reservist

TechVets catches up with British Army veteran, TechVets volunteer CV reviewer and IT Compliance Manager at Carnival UK, Matt Hall to find out what his top CV and interview tips are for service leavers and veterans looking to secure a career in tech.

Get your CV reviewed and access our CREST CV distribution service: join TechVets today: https://www.techvets.co/

TechVets Remembrance Special 2022

In this special interview, TechVets share Remembrance Day 2022 through the eyes of tech industry leaders, of ex-forces personnel, and representatives of veterans from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Australia.

We're joined by James Murphy CEO of Uk based TechVets, Canada's Jeff Musson from Coding for Veterans, Tom Marsland, Chairman of US based VetSec and Australia's Heath Moody of Vets in Cyber.

Watch now:

https://youtu.be/QVYG6DAcTkA

 

TechVets & Me: RAF veteran Andrew Kershaw’s journey

Being born into the Royal Air Force and serving for 20 years in intelligence, Andy Kershaw left the forces after an emotional and challenging four-year resettlement period. He initiated civilian life in the Cyber Security sector working as a cyber assurance manager with the support and guidance of TechVets. Listen now to hear his story, in his own words.

Know a veteran, or military family who could benefit from TechVets' free tech training support?

Find out more: www.techvets.co

What is a Data Scientist?

TechVets talk Data Science with Arca Blanca Data Scientist Anna Mackenzie. We discover why data science and analytics roles offer great employment opportunities for veterans. We also talk about Arca Blanca's new free Data Science course for UK service leavers that is due to run in June 2022.

Why are tech companies actively employing veterans?

More and more tech companies are looking to the veteran community to recruit talent. One of these employers is TechVets partners NAMOS Solutions.

We catch up with Anna Clarke, Chief People Officer at NAMOS Solutions to find out why veterans are in such high demand.

What are the strengths a veteran can bring to the workplace?

• Working well in a team. Teamwork is considered an essential part of daily life and is the foundation on which safe military operations are built.
  Having a sense of duty. Responsibility for job performance and accountability for completing missions are something to take pride in.
  Experiencing self-confidence. Holding a realistic estimation of self and ability based on experiences is expected of each Service Member.
  Being organized and disciplined.
  Possessing a strong work ethic. In the military, the mission always comes first.
  Having the ability to follow through on assignments, even under difficult or stressful circumstances.
  Possessing a variety of cross-functional skills, such as extensive training on computer programs and systems, interacting with various people with different skills to accomplish a task, and coordinating and troubleshooting problems in novel and known conditions.
  Being able to problem solve quickly and creatively.
  Being able to adapt to changing situations.
  Being able to follow rules and schedules.

Hiring a Veteran can result in the hiring of a dedicated employee who has developed valuable teamwork, leadership, and job skills. If your company is thinking about hiring UK veterans get in touch. We'll share your opportunities and even help you set-up a training academy.

Email team@techvets.co for more info

TechVets The Podcast: Remembrance Special

In this show we’re marking Remembrance 2021, joining us is TechVets ambassador General Sir Richard Barrons who is former Commander of Joint Forces Command, Alistair Halliday CEO of RFEA - The Forces Employment Charity and TechVets CEO James Murphy.