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Scope Creep

Scope creep: When the scope of the project exceeds the original instructions and additional features get added in the sprint. Be mindful of this because its very common in various places. Ways to protect yourself: Document every meeting. Don't just take notes, identify action items, who's responsible for them and a summary of what's expected. I usually email them to the team as well, so I have a paper trail of the discussion to be referred later. Identify the full scope to the best of your ability. What will it take to get started? What will it take to completion? Are there any blockers? Are there any dependencies? Where are the blind spots in the project? Stick to the immediate task of the sprint. I have historically been really bad about this because I want to be able to do everything including deliver the moon! However, when assigned a task for a sprint, its important to stick to the ask at hand to avoid having added responsibility mid-sprint and then being ...
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Getting Started with IT

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I've had a lot of folks around me say they are jumping from their current careers and wanting to get into IT, but don't know where to start. My advice: JUST START. Just like learning a new language, any new skill is going to take time. There's no perfect entry point. With something and rapidly changing and evolving as IT, you will never find solid ground that will give you a lift off more stable than your own workstation or home lab and whatever documentation you can throw together for yourself. You will be your biggest blocker to learning anything. The very first thing you need to do is Dispel, Dismiss and Disprove is the idea that you are stupid and because you don't have any exposure to this you can't learn it or get to know any of it. Let's get one thing clear: you are smart, intelligent, and you CAN do this. I believe in you. And if you don't believe in you, believe in the me that believes in you! (yes, I totally took that from Gurren Lagan, for...
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Location: Dallas, TX, USA
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CompTIA Linux+ and AWS Cloud Practitioner Certified!

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 YaY! Test pass!!! Photo is from last week. As of last Thursday, I renewed my CompTIA Linux+ Certification As of an hour ago, I'm now AWS Cloud Practitioner Certified! Now to study for the next step in the certification path. AWS Certs I am aiming to complete: - Foundational: AI Practitioner - Associate: SysOps Administrator, Developer, ML Engineer - Specialty: Security, Advanced Networking, Machine Learning Other than AWS, coming soon: more AWS certs, CCNA (Cisco Certification Network Administrator), and CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and finishing my Bachelors in InfoSec. Man, being sober is so amazing 🥳🤩 You can see my badges and certs here:  https://www.credly.com/users/mark-e-harris-jr
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Martha Beck on DOAC

There were several moments during this interview that brought tears to my eyes; either thru realization, self-acceptance, beauty or by realizing self-love. I've lived the majority of my life thinking thoughts of self termination. The roughest were the last 3 months where I had planned some of it out while recovering from cannabis abuse. Thankfully, I'm over the worst of it and glad to be on the other side. This interview... I really hope will be the key to preventing those thoughts again.... permanently. I had been seeking all my life a means by which I could end that and just live my life's purpose. I know what it is and I know what I want to do with my life. I just need to go live and do that. I'm ready to embark upon that journey, but now ... with kindness. I've always been kind to others, but absolutely ruthless with myself. This also has not been an overnight journey for me. 3 years ago, I started a journey of self-love and compassion. This just solidifies and ...
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Screen record your desktop and audio sources FOR FREE!

Recently, I found out there's a software that you can pay for that will record your screen. Sources: Loom Medal ScreenRec For one, I am shocked at how anybody, somebody will pay for anything these days. I'm here to save you from the carpet munchers of your wallet and give you a cheaper alternative. It does require a little bit of thinking, so if you're like me and not afraid to use your brain for something other than how much something costs, then this is for you. Free alternatives to these solutions include OBS which includes options for streaming to stuff like Twitch, YouTube, and even TikTok among a plethora of other built-in platforms. Oh, and it's also cross-platform, so doesn't matter if you're on Windows, OSX or Linux. I'm a personal huge fan of Linux and open-source software. I also personally love using ffmpeg which is another cross-platform solution. It's command-line based so if that's your cup of tea, then you'll love the s...
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Do The Thing

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 Do the Thing! Quote from an essay I heard on Chris Williamson's YouTube: “Preparing to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Scheduling time to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Making a to-do list for the thing isn’t doing the thing. Telling people you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Messaging friends who may or may not be doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. Writing a banger tweet about how you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Hating on yourself for not doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. Hating on other people who have done the thing isn’t doing the thing. Hating on the obstacles in the way of doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. Fantasizing about all of the adoration you’ll receive once you do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading about how to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading about how other people did the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading this essay isn’t doing the thing. The only thing that is doing the thing is doing th...
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My thoughts on working remote as of 2024

Before I ever had a job working remote, I always aspired for it to be my dream job! I looked forward to the days when I would no longer be doing the rat race, driving to and from an office every day, spending ridiculous amounts of money in gas, time, stress, Pandora subscriptions, just to go to an office to be distracted by mindless coworkers that were there just sapping up the free paycheque and socializing all day. I just wanted to get my work done and to be a good employee. However, being distracted all day with countless "Hey, can you look into this?" and "So, at my daughters ball game last night..." was not only a drain on my time, but also my productivity. After working the industry for some time, gaining experience and schmoozing with the right folks, I finally found my dream role: Working remote! I loved the position not only because they made use of my full skillset, so it was a nice mental challenge. They also helped pay for regular trips to the office. ...
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