Hoodies in the Trenches: BowTiedBadger

The story of a regular guy going from average to exceptional

BowTiedCyber

Jan 26, 2023

Hello, Hoodies!

It is with great honor that we kick off this new series - Hoodies in the Trenches

The stories of my students actively pursuing their Cybersecurity Careers IN A RECESSION

Just because we’re in a down economy doesn’t mean we can’t make it!

There are still 700k unfilled Cybersecurity Positions in the US today

The best way to get one is with the Zero to Hoodie Cybersecurity Bootcamp

Ideal for working professionals and those wanting a strong backup plan

Or those with savings wanting/needing a career change

14 weeks
2 certs
2 mentors
0 reasons not to change your life

Starting salary in Cybersecurity is $80k+/y

We’ve already helped our students make almost $2 MILLION DOLLARS

You could be next!

Registration closes 1/31

Class starts 2/1

Use the link below for $2,000 off!

$2,000 off the bootcamp

Today we have a special guest and friend

BowTiedBadger

He has a substack on starting a service business and has ONE HELL of a story:

Former army
Husband
Father
Trying to make his life better and leave a legacy
Actively pursuing a career in cybersecurity

Here it is, in his own words:

This is my introduction. How I went from simply existing to being a business owner/cybersecurity student/content creator/master of my own time/Jungle degen.

I am 38, married, with 4 boys ranging from 8 to 14. I grew up working for my Dad as a mechanic, even earning some ASE certifications as I went. After I got married at 23, I realized this was not the career I wanted. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working on my own cars, and still do, but it is definitely not what I wanted to do for a living. In retrospect, I was primed to take over the business and potentially grow it into my own little empire. Young and dumb I threw it all away and moved halfway across the country. Just to come back a year later and move in with my in-laws while my first born slept in the living room.

I bounced around a few jobs, mostly retail, did some time in the Geek Squad (no I don't have the tie anymore), and finally settled into a somewhat decent gig as a Dish Network installer. After awhile I knew this wasn't working. I wasn't making enough to afford our own place. Things were tight, tensions were high, and my patience was wearing thin. So I did what any reasonable 26 year old would do. I joined the Army.

I spent 10 years total in, almost to the day, before getting medically retired following a failed knee surgery. The first half of my career was spent as a 92Y Unit Supply Specialist. Then I switched to 35L Counterintelligence Special Agent. I spent a year in Afghanistan and Korea (amazing), two six month rotations to Guantanamo Bay, and a very brief stint in Ecuador. Not to mention my various duty stations in the US.

I had the ubiquitous love/hate relationship with the Army. Joining as a Private at 26 presented some unique challenges, as most of my supervisors and commanders were younger than me, and it showed. I struggled with my weight the entire time I was in. Still do to this day, but, I am getting better. Overall, I would not be in the position I am today without having been in the military. I learned self discipline and personal responsibility. Two qualities I was in desperate need of.

So for the first time in over 10 years, I was back in the job market. During June of 2020. The height of Covid panic. I thought for sure, with my counterintelligence experience, I would be able to find a decent job. I started applying before I was discharged. I refused to go overseas as I had spent too much time away from the family already. This was my opportunity to be a more present father and husband. I was about to accept a desk job in Quantico, but the company lost it's government contract while I was filling out HR paperwork. Turns out, we were drawing down our overseas presence in a lot of regions at this time. Overseas contractors were coming back to the states and taking all the local jobs, because they had years of experience. Contracts were drying up, I was offered a position in Afghanistan for $90k. Friend of mine was hired for that exact same position, with the same company, a year prior. He was getting $200k. And I had twice the experience and certifications he did. The money for Intel work was gone.

Now my discharge was complete and we decided to move back home. We moved in with the in-laws, again, while we were house hunting. I had recently interviewed for local position with Northrop Grumman. A crap job reviewing security concerns for employees working on classified projects. I was told that I was overqualified for this position (and I was) and they had a supervisory role opening soon they wanted me for. When they finally opened the slot 6 weeks later, suddenly I was no longer qualified. I had already been rejected by several other defense contractors at this time and I was starting to panic.

This was my crossroads. The entire point of my switching to counterintelligence was so that I would not have to worry about finding work when I was out. 2020 had different plans, for everyone. The major problem I had was I REALLY enjoyed the work. I felt that what I was doing actually mattered. (I no longer feel this way, but that's another story). So one evening, smoking and joking with the extended family, we started pitching the idea of starting a lawn service. Relatively low startup costs, a potentially endless customer base, and simple work we could all do. We talked about it more over the next few days. One morning I woke up and we went shopping for mowers. Within a week, I was staring at a new truck, trailer, and mower in the driveway. I hadn't even closed on our house yet. It is now August 2020. I'll save the entire startup story for another time, but by keeping costs low we were able to turn a profit in the first month. Now, by profit I mean a few bucks. We weren't making money, but we weren't losing it.

We spent the rest of 2020 learning how to operate a business, gain clients, develop our plan, and build our empire. The intent from the very beginning was that this would be the first of many businesses we started. We honed in on efficiency and went from taking 45 minutes per property to 12-15 minutes average. All while being told by most of our clients that we were the best lawn crew they had ever had. 2021 provided a lot of growth for us. We were able to start taking meager paychecks. We purchased more equipment, a new enclosed trailer, had the whole thing vinyl wrapped, and were running full time by summer. By the end of the year we had roughly 80 properties with definite potential to handle more.

Then I screwed up.

For pretty much the entirety of 2022 I fell into the complacency trap. (I will be writing an article on this in the future). I got comfortable and stopped pushing forward. Just going through the motions without looking at the big picture. The business kept cooking along, no huge leaps forward. Cutting yards all day, drinking most every night. Not learning new skills, not setting up a new business, not expanding the current business. I talked a lot about it, but did nothing.

Enter 2023. No, this isn't some new year new me BS. Just convenient timing. I fixed some personal issues in my life, and started asking myself is this the legacy I want to leave behind? Is this what I want my sons to see? Hell. No. Time to realign my priorities.

I started the year by signing a new commercial contract that will bring in an extra thousand a month for two days of work. The business has become a little bloated. Time to lean it out (Phase 5 in my service industry roadmap). Move the bottom line to increase profit margin. I'm back to working out and losing weight. I also decided to start writing on Substack to show other people that no matter the situation, there is a way to start your own business and work for yourself. Now it's time to learn new skills. I've always had an interest in cybersecurity but never the drive to actually sit down and learn it. I stumbled across @bowtiedcyber in early 2022, and lurked his twitter feed since then. It's time to move.

I subscribed to Cyber's paid substack and discord server. On Jan 13, 2023. Exactly one week before writing this article. I created @bowtiedbadgr and my own substack at the same time. I dove face first into the BowTied Jungle. One week in and I am writing a guest article for Cyber who as almost 18k Twitter follows at the time of this writing. I did NOT see that coming.

More important than any of that, I found a community. A community of anons with more motivation, drive, and support than I ever experienced during my time in the Army. I was immediately welcomed into Cyber's discord and have been speaking with everyone as if we are all old friends. There is a huge amount of support and resources here, worth way more than the measly $20/month subscription. I was shocked. People from all walks of life, coming together with the shared goals of improving their lives and helping everyone else do the same. Cyber himself is ALWAYS in the discord, pumping everyone up. I do not know where he gets his energy but damn is it infectious.

Cyber’s Note: Come join us in the discord!

I even dm'd @bowtiedcyber on Twitter, from my personal account, asking a question about employment opportunities. This was before I created @bowtiedbadger. Dude didn't know me from Adam. He responded immediately with a no BS answer. May not have been what I wanted, but it was the truth. That hooked me. I had to try.

I started studying for my Network+, in between trying to grow a Twitter following, writing substack articles, running a business, and being a husband and father. It is a full schedule. But it is a rewarding one. The point I want to make here, is if my lazy fat ass can jump into multiple new projects at once and maintain a healthy life balance, anyone can. This is for ANYONE.

So why is the “service industry” guy studying for cybersecurity certs?

Passion: Always wanted to. So I will.
Skill stacking: Ever heard the phrase, “jack of all trades, master of none”? Yea maybe before the internet. It's 2023. We CAN master it all.
Relevancy: Try and tell me cybersecurity proficiency isn't relevant to all aspects of life. Ever tried to keep a teenager off of pornhub?
Diversification: Right now I cut yards. What happens if I get injured? I could lose a leg today. Then that business is likely gone. Or at least severely restricted.
Future proof: Who says I can't earn my certs, hire someone to run the lawn business, gain experience, and then start my own cybersecurity firm? People with no vision or ambition say that. NGMI.
Setting an example: Showing my sons that they can do anything if they commit to it.

This is essentially my story. It may not be overly interesting, but there it is. In an effort to improve myself, I found something bigger than me. Something that is driving me to give back before I've even begun. We all have skills, if we can look inside and be truly honest with ourselves. You have skills that I could benefit from. You can benefit from mine. I found a community that puts that in the forefront. We are all going to be better for it.

Now, get off your ass and start studying. Or start a business. Or pick up something heavy. Preferably do all three. Come back in 6 months and see if you recognize the person in the mirror.

-BowTied Badger

This dude is gonna make it.

Not because he already has a cybersecurity career

But because of his mentality

And I have NO DOUBTS that you could too

Upgrade to a PAID HOODIE in the STACK, hop in the discord, and tell us YOUR story

That’s all for this one.

Keep grinding, Hoodies.

WAGMI

Your fren,

-Cyber