Kanso Tech

This first text is a registration of something that is already in progress for some months. I want to make this opening, in this homemade blog, still without knowing where it will get, among so many projects ongoing, that always bring me back to something that I always liked; as my wife would say: "your eyes shine when you talk about technology".

I have impacted my studies for a few days to put this working. Inittialy I thought it would be a waste of time, because, after all, I have so many time to get back, but then I remembered of my initial motivation with these studies, and I thought it was worth it. For those that don´t know me (and I think it would be hard to do so, in just one post), but that maybe are in a stage of life that you would probably asking yourself if you took the best decisions, if you do something that you like, or if you what you do everyday gives you a minimum of satisfaction, I will share a little bit of my journey so far.

20 years ago I was in college, but I was already working with computer networks, cybersecurity, Linux and BSD OSs, servers and many other things, that, in a attempt to explain what it was to my parents, I made a home server, with so many things, so they could understand that it was not just fixing computers for people. At that time, my first company was selling Internet access, using a Frame-Relay link, of just 128Kbps of speed, and ADSL was begging to appear, as our competitor. Before that, the noise of the modems, BBS systems, and very slow connections.

Cybersecurity didn´t have the attention it has today. Hacker was a misunderstood term (and I think it still is) and many of the content avaiable didn´t have quality, which so many blog with fake orientations. Knowing Linux, in several places, was enough to people say you were a hacker, because the black screen is still today not the loved one between users. I lost count of how many clients offer us a no go to deploy some structured solutions, and I even remember one of them saying that tecnology was just a tool, and that he didn´t want the "state of art" in it; his business was another one.

Being afraid of tendinitis, something that visited me sooner than I would like, I got away professionally from the terminals, but without letting my passion go away. In each job, the knowledge, which I continued to improve in personal studies, home labs and even sharing, on blogs and on my YouTube channel, always bring me back to the technology. I one of my jobs, I got responsible for the servers, in another one, I became team tech support, or helped solving tech problems while delivering telecommunications services. You cannot really let go what gives you life!

And then, last year, after so many years, I understood that I dropped what I loved, because of fear that the daily use of computer could hurt me, but, in all my jobs, I ended using computers everyday. Better late than never! In face of the demand of the market for certifications, I ended asking myself about which one could be interesting, and came to the conclusion that it was not worthy to invest more time in something that I would not like. At that time I got contacted by a colleague that had just moved to Portugal, telling about a job as System Administrator, but that was not what I wanted.

Cybersecurity, hacking, understanding how things work, try to find flaws and improvements in everything. I don´t know if it attracts you, but I always liked to understand what exists behing things. Which was not my surprise, when searching things in a targeted way, when realizing what was avaiable about cybersecurity! So many good blogs, YouTube channels, books, structured courses, so many people willing to share quality knowledge! Besides that, global conectivity, without limits to learn and get qualified; a real technological playground!

For those of you that has seeing how things was years ago, maybe before even me, I think you understand how much things changed, and how fast! Cloud did not existed like today, and maybe you could try to work from a homeoffice, when ADSL came, but it would not be a reality for everyone. Today we have supercomputers in our pocket, with fast conections everywhere, a device that so many people don´t even use to make calls, because it is not the main function anymore. And, in this era os everything fast, the knowledge also renews itself all the time.

Do you know what does it mean? That you can learn new things, like I am doing, be it to improve what you already know, or to start from the scratch. In one year, is you learn a little bit everyday, it is likely that you will be ahead of those that you now call specialists, if they do not do the same. And, most important, it is not focusing on the wrong decisions done in the past, but understand where to improve. Disassemble things, understand how they work, and do better. My tendinitis is still here, but I understood that the path was not to give up, but to exercise myself everyday, to make my mind and body stronger.

Does it worked? I am on my way! I already got an AWS Cloud Pratictioner certification, got a scholarship in CISCO Cybersecurity programa, and I am almost three months exercising everyday. This website is in the cloud, with a server configured by myself, this site was written by myself, and the "vi" editor (that so many people love and so many people hate), which is a tool that I use since 1996, is still working, helping me to write this post.

More than 20 years ago I traveled to Teresina, teching a tech course in the NTE (State Technological Core), half presencial, half remote, in a partnership between MEC and UFG. I think I can say that I participated in the begginings of online education. Today I am preparing to begin my first course as an instructor on NetAcad, from CISCO, in another Cybersecurity Maraton! I will give back a little of what I already got in knowledge and help others that want to grow as myself!

Do you want an advice? I you feel like to begin something new or come back on studying things you already did in the past, don´t waste your time and go on! It is one day after another, each day a little more. In a year from now I will be rocking it, and you can too!