Christopher Johnston 👨‍💻's Linkedin Analytics

I built my first website in 1997 using a text editor and a VAX/VMS system to access the server and retyping all the code I had written the previous night in a paper notebook. To view my site, I had to go to another computer, likely running Windows 97 and Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. I've been involved in technology my entire adult life and dove deep into networking and troubleshooting IT systems. I'll admit I should have pursued that as a career, but I was distracted by visions of dollar signs and fast Italian sports cars and pursued a career in financial sales. I was neither very good nor happy in that career, but I kept updated on the latest tech developments and gear. In 2019, I decided the time was right to go back into tech, and I attended an online coding boot camp. I got a good refresher on HTML and CSS and learned Javascript, React, and Python. I completed the boot camp in March 2020, and we all know what was happening then 😢. My kids came home from school and college, and I got a ton of experience as the unpaid help desk for two local school systems and a university 😂. I utilized the rest of 2020 to apply for developer jobs and teach myself Linux. I've spent the last few years beefing up my cybersecurity skills with the help of the amazing folks at Black Hills Information Security and Antisyphon Training and countless Youtubers in the cybersecurity field. My goal now is to use my skills and experience to transition to full-time cybersecurity.