The Perpetual Student

Category: Certified

  • Achieved Distinguished Toastmaster

    Achieved Distinguished Toastmaster

    I am thrilled to announce that I have earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation, a milestone that marks the culmination of years of dedication and growth.

    How It Began

    From the start, I recognized the importance of mastering public speaking, especially as I took on leadership roles. In 2018, a friend introduced me to Toastmasters, and I saw it as the perfect avenue to enhance my communication and leadership skills.

    Since joining, I have embraced every opportunity to grow, serving in all Toastmasters Club Officer roles and stepping into challenging positions such as Area Director and Division Director. These experiences pushed me beyond my comfort zone and allowed me to lead and inspire hundreds of fellow Toastmasters on their own journeys.

    With the support and guidance of many mentors and fellow Toastmasters, I reached significant milestones along the way, culminating in the achievement of the Distinguished Toastmaster designation.

    Milestones Achieved

    Throughout my journey to achieving DTM, I’ve accomplished the following, among many other milestones:

    • Served all Creating Communicators Club Officer Roles
    • 3 Toastmaster Pathways
      • Innovative Planning
      • Persuasive Influence
      • Team Collaboration
      • Distinguished Toastmaster
    • Speech Craft Coordinator
    • Area Director
    • Division Director
    • Club Coach for Swift Plaza
    • DTM Project (Program Phoenix) – See our project website
    • Mentored several Toastmasters
    • Provided officer training at District Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) Events
      • VP of Public Relations
      • VP of Membership

    Looking Ahead

    I am deeply grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the many people who have supported me on this path. While earning the DTM designation is a significant accomplishment, I know there is still much to learn.

    As a new Distinguished Toastmaster, I am eager to apply the skills I’ve developed to excel in all areas of my life. I am committed to paying forward the guidance and support I’ve received by helping others achieve their goals.

    Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey. Your support has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing this journey of growth and contribution.

    Connect with Duane

  • Marketo Certified Professional

    Marketo Certified Professional

    I am thrilled to announce that I have successfully passed the Adobe Certified Professional – Marketo Engage Business Practitioner (AD0-E555) exam! This certification is a testament to my expertise and dedication to mastering the powerful tools and capabilities of Adobe Marketo Engage.

    Adobe Certified Professional - Marketo Engage Business Practitioner (Logo)
    Adobe Certified Professional – Marketo Engage Business Practitioner

    What This Certification Means

    Earning the Adobe Certified Professional – Marketo Engage Business Practitioner certification demonstrates my proficiency in managing and executing effective marketing strategies using Marketo Engage. The certification process is rigorous and covers a comprehensive range of topics, including:

    • Building and Managing Marketing Programs: Expertise in setting up, executing, and managing various marketing programs and smart campaigns.
    • Email Marketing: Proficiency in creating, sending, and optimizing email campaigns to ensure high deliverability and engagement.
    • Forms and Landing Pages: Skills in designing and deploying forms and landing pages to capture valuable lead information.
    • Lead Management: Knowledge in managing leads, scoring, and lifecycle stages to effectively nurture and convert prospects.
    • Basic Reporting and Analytics: Ability to use Marketo’s built-in reporting tools to track program performance and lead activity.

    The Journey to Certification

    Preparing for the exam required a deep dive into the functionalities and best practices of Marketo Engage. I utilized a variety of resources,

    Why This Matters

    This certification is not just a personal achievement, but also a professional milestone that enhances my ability to develop advanced technical implementations in Marketo. Specifically, it empowers me to:

    • Develop Marketo Custom Objects: I can create and manage custom objects tailored to our marketing team’s unique needs, enabling more sophisticated data structures and relationships within Marketo.
    • Understand Business Requirements: With a deeper understanding of Marketo’s capabilities, I can better align technical implementations with our business requirements, ensuring that our marketing automation strategies are both effective and efficient.
    • Optimize Lead Management: Enhanced skills in lead scoring, lifecycle stages, and data management help in creating more precise and actionable insights.
    • Improve Automation Workflows: By leveraging advanced features and best practices, I can design and implement more robust automation workflows that enhance our marketing efforts and drive better results.

    What’s Next?

    With this certification under my belt, I am excited to continue leveraging Marketo Engage to its fullest potential and exploring new ways to innovate in the field of marketing automation. Stay tuned for more insights, tips, and best practices that I’ll be sharing on this blog as I continue my journey in the world of digital marketing.

    Thank you for your support, and here’s to many more milestones ahead!

  • CISSP Achievement Unlocked

    CISSP Achievement Unlocked

    Certified Information Systems Security Professional – CISSP

    Achieving the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification has been a defining moment in my career, underscoring my dedication and commitment to the Information Technology field. After more than two decades immersed in the industry, this achievement marks a pinnacle of my professional endeavors and a significant milestone on my continuous journey of learning and growth.

    The road to CISSP was arduous but immensely rewarding. The certification process involved an extensive period of study that required not only a deep understanding of various security principles and practices but also the ability to apply them in complex, real-world scenarios. The journey from preparation through to the final application and eventual certification tested my resolve, pushing me to harness all my accumulated knowledge and experience.

    The CISSP is recognized globally not just as a standard for IT security professionals but as a symbol of excellence and achievement in the field. It covers critical topics such as risk management, cloud computing, mobile security, and application development security, among others. Mastering these domains has provided me with a comprehensive view of information security and a robust framework to tackle the dynamic challenges of today’s technological environments.

    Earning this prestigious designation was not just about personal growth; it was also about setting a benchmark of professional excellence and leadership in cybersecurity. It represents the culmination of years of hard work, late nights, and continuous learning. Each step of the process reinforced my commitment to my career and the IT community at large.

    This milestone is not just a personal achievement but a stepping stone to further contributions in the field of information security. It encourages me to continue striving for excellence, sharing my knowledge with peers, and staying at the forefront of technological innovation. As I reflect on this journey, I am grateful for the opportunities to grow and the challenges that have shaped my path. I look forward to what the future holds, ready to tackle new challenges and continue making an impact in the ever-evolving world of technology.

    Contact Duane
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  • Provisionally Passed the CISSP 🎉

    Provisionally Passed the CISSP 🎉

    Update 2024-04-11: I am officially a CISSP

    I am thrilled to announce my provisional passage of the CISSP examination! This milestone is not solely my own but a testament to the incredible support I’ve received throughout my IT career. With the CISSP credential, I am now poised to engage with a broader audience, championing the criticality of Cybersecurity in our interconnected world.

    I appreciate the curiosity many of you have expressed regarding the resources and strategies that facilitated my success, particularly as I navigated the journey of undertaking the examination for the second time—embracing the ‘peace of mind’ option that allows for a retest, ensuring thorough preparedness and confidence.

    Planning and Scheduling the Exam

    Before I scheduled the exam, I thought to myself: What’s the most effective way to ensure (to some level of degree) I have a high chance of passing? I found out that we could get a voucher for a 2nd attempt at the test should I fail the first attempt.

    With this opportunity, I created a 2 step study plan that is detailed in the following sections.

    Phase 1: First Attempt

    I used the following before attempting the first test:

    • 30 mins to 1 Hour most days, 1 year off/on study.
    • FRSecure
      • Mentors who helped guide me on important subjects.
    • ISC2 CISSP Official Study Guide
      • Read the first 2 domains, then used it as reference.
    • ISC2 CISSP Official iOS App
      • 10-25 questions a few times a week.
      • Full mock exam at the library during weekends to simulate test center.
      • Scored 60-70s on average
    • CISSP Exam Cram Full Course (Pete Zerger – YouTube)
      • Listened to it while on the road or walking my dog.
    • Work projects related to Software Engineering security.

    In this attempt, I had to drive almost 4 hours to the test center and didn’t have a full night sleep, affecting my test results possibly. I stopped at 175 questions.

    Phase 2: Second Attempt

    For the 2nd attempt, I needed a new strategy. I tried several more things that were outside my comfort zone, such as giving public speeches about the importance of Cybersecurity, WannaPractice, and Thor’s videos.

    On test day:

    I did a lot more focus study in this phase and much more resources. Compared to the first attempt, I had the opportunity to have a great night sleep.

    I stopped at 160ish questions.

    Additional Resources Used

    The following helped me manage my time and processes for the study:

    • Pomodoro Technique
    • Bullet Journal
  • Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps) Specialization

    Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps) Specialization

    I’m excited to share that I have successfully completed DeepLearning.ai program in MLOps Specialization!

    This will help me deploy ML models proficiently and understanding the processes required to support the Models in production.

    Machine Learning DevOps Engineering
    Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps)
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  • Graduated from Udacity AI for Trading

    Graduated from Udacity AI for Trading

    Inspired by many of the algorithmic trading and capabilities of Machine Learning in the finance industry, I started a year ago at Udacity’s AI for Trading program.

    After many study sessions completed, I have finally completed the AI for Trading program 😀

    I learned a lot about trading and also learned a lot in Machine Learning. I am looking forward to applying this newfound knowledge at Warrior Trading.

  • Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (I PASSED!)

    Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (I PASSED!)

    As of January 18, 2021 I am a Certified Kubernetes Application Developer!

    I scored much higher on my 2nd attempt. I attribute that to the following:

    • My test environment is MUCH better. I moved to a new home and I had a guest room that I prepared a day before the test. Had a comfy chair and all 🙂
    • I took the test at 9am in the morning. I did not have any interruptions at home compared to last time.
    • For a few months, I spent about 30 minutes to 1 hour each day on kubectl commands and documentation. 1 week before the test, I did an hour a day with imperative commands.
    • I made bookmarks to knowledge gaps I had with Kubernetes to the Kubernetes official documentation.
    • I have Kubernetes applications in production.

    Resources I Used

    I used the following materials that helped me with CKAD:

    • CKAD Exercises by dgkanatsios/CKAD-exercises
      • I did this, at minimum, 30 minutes a day for a couple of months.
      • You need a complete mastery of the kubectl without needing to look up commands often during the test.
    • Udemy CKAD with Tests by Mumshad Mannambeth
      • 3 months before my 2nd test attempt, I went back and watched several videos to revamp some of the knowledge gaps I still had with CKAD.
    • CKAD Labs by Mumshad Mannambeth
      • The Udemy course provided by Mumshad, he created labs to help aspiring CKAD professionals 🙂
      • I went through many of the labs and even revisited some of the labs to fill in my knowledge gaps.
      • There are some practice tests in here that can help you master the kubectl much more efficiently.
    • kubectl Cheat Sheet from Kubernetes Documentation
    • Kubectl Reference Docs from Kubernetes Documentation

    1st Test Attempt

    I’ve noted my previous attempt I did back in March 2021. Click Here to view the post.

  • MIT Cloud & DevOps: Continuous Transformation

    MIT Cloud & DevOps: Continuous Transformation

    I just received my certificate from MIT for completing their Cloud & DevOps: Continuous Transformation program!

    I am so excited to have learned tons from industry experts and with all the new ideas, I am especially excited to put them into practice.

    MIT Professional Education – Cloud & DevOps: Continuous Transformation

    Check out their program if you are interested in it as well: Online Program in Cloud & DevOps: Continuous Transformation

  • Certified ScrumMaster® – CSM®

    Certified ScrumMaster® – CSM®

    Continuing on my commitment to continuously learn as a DevOps Engineer, I’ve re-certified my ScrumMaster certification with Scrum Alliance.

    Certified ScrumMaster®

    I have used the knowledge attained from this training and experience to provide better iterations of tasks with my team. Because of the Agile approach of Scrum, I’ve completed many projects and helped many project stakeholders attain their goals.

    To learn more about ScrumMasters, click here.

  • Marketo Training – Core Concept I

    Marketo Training – Core Concept I

    I just completed Marketo’s training program 😀

    Marketo Core Concepts I

    I went through the program to provide support to my Sales & Marketing team at my job. I learned a lot from this course and how to use the Marketo platform.

    I am responsible for the administration and programming behind Marketo at our organization and the applications developed around it to support external automation.

    To learn more about the course, click here to visit the Marketo University page on Marketo Core Concepts I.