Shows
Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalOwn Your Job Search: Be the Captain, Find a Harbor Pilot
Cruise ship captains rely on the expertise of a local harbor pilot to safely dock the ship at a port. What if we as the captains of our careers sought the expertise of a harbor pilot to help us navigate a potential employer and their processes? Not sure how to find one?
This week in episode 317 we explore this analogy of the captain, the harbor pilot, and how the collaboration between them makes for a safe docking event. We’ll talk through what a harbor pilot might look like, how you can be a harbor pilot for ot...2025-03-0439 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPatterns of Iteration: Celebrating Three Hundred Episodes of Career Podcasting
What can you learn from 300 episodes focused on career progression in technology? This week we’ll remind listeners of our show’s mission and share the origin story of the podcast. Listen closely for the lessons we’ve learned, the patterns we have seen in our discussions and guests, the feedback we want to hear from listeners like you, and some recommended episodes if you want to dive deeper in specific areas.
As part of episode 300 we’re also announcing the recent creation of our layoff resources page that you can find at nerd-journey.com/layoffresources. This is a curate...2024-11-0545 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 2024 Official Trailer
This week we are releasing an updated trailer episode which explains the podcast, our vision, and how you can contact us to continue the conversation.
Original Recording Date: 01-20-2024
Topics – Restating Our Goal and Mission, Our Genesis Story, Show Format and Learning from Guests, How You Can Help
0:00 – Restating Our Goal and Mission
* The goal of Nerd Journey is to help you, the technology professional, accelerate your career progression, increase your job satisfaction, and be more effective in your existing role. We’re over 250 episodes in, and we want to make sure newcomers and ex...2024-01-2305 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalCage to Stage: Podcasting and Gaining Brand Influence with Larry Roberts (3/3)
Welcome to episode 256 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 3 of an interview with Larry Roberts, detailing Larry’s discovery of and love for podcasting as a creative outlet, thoughts on personal branding, gaining personal and professional brand influence through public speaking, and some advice for aspiri...2023-12-2645 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalAdapting to and Overcoming Professional and Personal Challenges with Larry Roberts (2/3)
Welcome to episode 255 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Larry Roberts, discussing Larry’s experience as part of the IT group and his work on ERP system implementation, the cultural changes affecting him as a result of corporate acquisitions, his personal s...2023-12-1940 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalA CEO’s Approach to Product and Career Roadmaps with Todd Cochrane (2/2)
Welcome to episode 251 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Todd Cochrane, detailing how his company works through product and service roadmaps collaboratively, how to keep employees engaged in their work, the challenges of being CEO, and thoughts on developing a strategy...2023-11-2133 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPerceptions of Parental Priorities, Pressure, and Profession
Welcome to episode 232 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share a special discussion with Nick’s daughter. She asks our hosts a number of questions about work, relationships, stress, and career. And then John and Nick ask her some questions.
Original Recording Date: 06-17-2023
Topi...2023-07-111h 11Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalA Steward of the Community with Chris Williams (2/3)
Welcome to episode 230 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Chris Williams, discussing how Chris learned to interview people for cultural and technical fit, what vBrownBag is and how Chris got involved, and how being a part of multiple advocacy programs and comm...2023-06-2739 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNegotiating Job Offers and Personal Finance Tips with John Nicholson (3/3)
Welcome to episode 226 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 3 of an interview with John Nicholson with a focus on ways to negotiate offers, some food for thought on different company benefits, levels of risk as it relates to startups, and numerous tips on personal finance...2023-05-3000 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalTake Stock of Your Compensation with John Nicholson (2/3)
Welcome to episode 225 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with John Nicholson with a focus on compensation. We’ll talk through stocks as compensation, how resumes might highlight expensive skills in a manager’s eyes, and how good managers look at employee com...2023-05-2348 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalTech Marketing, Interview Questions, and Executives as Wild Bears with John Nicholson (1/3)
Welcome to episode 224 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of an interview with John Nicholson, talking through the role of a tech marketer and how to progress into that role. We also discuss some of the points in John’s blog on considerations before accepting...2023-05-1600 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalFirst Impressions from a First Time Manager
Welcome to episode 223 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss John’s initial observations of the first 8-9 weeks as a first time sales engineering manager.
Original Recording Date: 05-04-2023
Topics – Episode Context, A Manager’s Onboarding, Overhead for Meetings, Attachment to the Team, One Step...2023-05-0900 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalA Closer Look at John’s Recent Interview Process
Welcome to episode 222 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we probe deeper into the hiring process John went through at Nutanix, discussing the end-to-end process, how John prepared, what he experienced, and the advice he would give to others going through a similar situation.
Original Recording Date: 04...2023-05-0249 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalJohn Got Hired
Welcome to episode 221 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we walk through John’s hiring process after being laid off, the options he considered, the questions he asked in interviews, his mindset, and the end result of the offer he accepted.
Original Recording Date: 04-22-2023
Topi...2023-04-2544 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalJohn Got Fired
Welcome to episode 220 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_) – two technology professionals with backgrounds in IT Operations and Sales Engineering on a mission to help others accelerate career progression and increase job satisfaction by bringing listeners the advice we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss John’s experience being laid off in January 2023 and how he managed to get through it.
Original Recording Date: 04-02-2023
Topics – Context for This Episode, Financial Preparation, Professional Skills, Processing Emotions, Thinking of Options, Res...2023-04-1838 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalAcross the Patterns of Burnout with Cait Donovan (1/2)
Welcome to episode 214 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of a discussion with Cait Donovan, talking all things burnout from what it is and is not, how we miss diagnosing it, burnout prevention and recovery, seeking help, and some patterns and trends.
Original Recording Date: 1-21-2023
Topics – Meet Cait Donovan, Definition of Burnout and Why We Miss...2023-03-0700 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalSeek and Embrace Flexibility with Leah White (1/2)
Welcome to episode 212 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of a discussion with Leah White, detailing her early career and the transition from engineering student to recruiter, getting laid off and finding work at a culinary institute, the value of internship programs, and how through it all she was constantly redefining success.
Original Recording Date: 01-24-2023
...2023-02-2151 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalStructure the Levels of Contribution with Shailvi Wakhlu (2/2)
Welcome to episode 211 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of a discussion with Shailvi Wakhlu, talking through her move to 100% people management, how she’s built strategy, thoughts on job leveling, an explanation of what data science is, and resources that can help with a career move into data science.
Original Recording Date: 01-17-2023
Shailvi Wakhlu...2023-02-1451 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalA Tale of Two Interview Processes
Welcome to episode 207 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode Nick shares his experience going through two different interview processes over the last year.
Original Recording Date: 01-14-2023
Topics – A Personal Slant to the Career Foundations Series, Interview Process # 1 – External Company, Interview Process # 2 – An Internal Role, Resources Nick Leveraged
1:02 – A Personal Slant to the Career Foundations Series
* We are...2023-01-1738 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalRevisiting the Foundations of Job Interviews, Part 2
Welcome to episode 206 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss what to expect in other types of interviews like a technical screen, a team screen, an executive screen, the job offer process, and what to do if you experience delays after the interview process concludes.
Original Recording Date: 12-18-2022
Topics – Continuing the Career Foundations Series, Understanding the Intervie...2023-01-1033 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalRevisiting the Foundations of Job Interviews, Part 1
Welcome to episode 205 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss previous episodes on job interviews, the goal of an interview and some types of interviews like HR screening and first call with a hiring manager.
Original Recording Date: 12-18-2022
Topics – A Focus on Interviews, Your Goal When Asked To Interview, Types of Interviews – HR Screening, Initial Call with the H...2023-01-0333 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalGenerate Depth On-Demand with Yvette Edwards (1/2)
Welcome to episode 201 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of an interview with Yvette Edwards, discussing her early career as a developer, the change to sales engineering, growth through frequent presentations, impostor syndrome, and life as an individual contributor.
Original Recording Date: 11-28-2022
Topics – Meet Yvette Edwards, Pass or Fire, The Unexpected Shift, Impostor Syndrome, Life of...2022-12-0646 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalReflecting on Two Hundred Episodes of Career Podcasting
Welcome to episode 200 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss favorite moments, statistics, and what we learned from 200 episodes of career podcasting.
Original Recording Date: 11-17-2022
Topics – Fun Statistics, Favorite Moments, What We Learned, Underrated Episodes, Gazing into the Future, Opportunities to Improve
1:27 – Fun Statistics
* Should we call this episode 200, two tired dudes, or two highly...2022-11-2952 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalConnected to the Customer Base with David Babbitt (3/3)
Welcome to episode 197 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 3 of a discussion with David Babbitt, discussing agile ceremonies and processes like scrum, how others might get into product management, qualities of a good product manager, and thoughts on the principal title.
Original Recording Date: 10-11-2022
David Babbitt is currently a Principal Technical Product Manager at Amazon...2022-11-0838 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalQuestion Askers and Problem Solvers with Neil Thompson (2/2)
Welcome to episode 194 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Neil Thompson, discussing the entrepreneur’s decisions around outsourcing, application of writing across domains, how to foster curiosity in others, and advice for the content creator.
Original Recording Date: 10-06-2022
Neil Thompson started a business called Teach the Geek several years ago, and this...2022-10-1848 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalDelivering a Conference Talk at VMware Explore US 2022
Welcome to episode 190 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss the preparation for, delivery of, and post mortem on our VMware Explore US 2022 presentation. We’ll share our process to help our listening audience.
Original Recording Date: 09-17-2022
Topics – The Nerd Journey Crew’s Visit to VMware Explore US 2022, Begin at the End, The Session Origin Story, A System of...2022-09-2043 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Surfer of Technology Waves with Joe Houghes (2/3)
Welcome to episode 188 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Joe Houghes, discussing his technical community involvement and what sparked it
Original Recording Date: 07-07-2022
Joe Houghes is a Senior Solutions Architect at Pure Storage, primarily focusing on FlashStack (made up of Cisco UCS, Cisco Networking, and Pure Storage in a single soluti...2022-09-0648 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalDead Ends and Defining Direction with Joe Houghes (1/3)
Welcome to episode 187 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of an interview with Joe Houghes, discussing his early career in tech, the nuances of working with family members, how working in manufacturing influenced him, and some early sales experience.
Original Recording Date: 07-07-2022
Topics – Meet Joe Houghes, Stumbled into Tech, Influenced by Manufacturing, Working with Family M...2022-08-2941 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Unassuming Architect with Phil Monk (2/2)
Welcome to episode 186 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Phil Monk detailing some resources for understanding dyslexia, the story of Phil getting a job offer out of nowhere, Phil’s pursuit of the VCDX certification, and how we can all learn to think like technical architects.
Original Recording Date: 07-23-2022
Phil Monk is...2022-08-2351 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalCrossing the Burnout Fault Line with Bill Kindle (2/3)
Welcome to episode 181 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Bill Kindle, discussing Bill’s experience in multiple technical communities, extracurricular writing activities, experience using PowerShell, and a conversation at a VMware User Group that brought him back from a career crisis.
Original Recording Date: 03-14-2022
Bill Kindle is a Cybersecurity Engineer and has...2022-07-1954 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalMake It Known, Slow Things Down, Don’t Burn Out
Welcome to episode 179 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss what Nick’s been up to while John was on parental leave including some career advice from executive leaders, a burnout revisit, and thoughts on impostor syndrome.
Original Recording Date: 06-25-2022
Topics – Catching up with Nick, Career Advice from Executive Leaders, Almost Burnout, A Disconnected Vacation, The Gift of Fe...2022-07-0549 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBeing a Great Generalist and Finding Your Voice with Stephanie Wong (2/2)
Welcome to episode 178 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Stephanie Wong, discussing her specialty of being a generalist, her approach to content creation, the transition to joining a developer relations team and becoming head of developer engagement, thoughts on diversity and inclusion, and some advice for high school students.
Original Recording Date: 06-13-20222022-06-2847 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalFollow the Excitement, Follow the Challenge with Stephanie Wong (1/2)
Welcome to episode 177 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of an interview with Stephanie Wong, discussing her path into the tech industry, internship experiences, time at Oracle, experience in pre-sales and post-sales roles, saying no to a dream company, and diving into content creation.
Original Recording Date: 06-13-2022
Topics – Meet Stephanie Wong, Getting into Tech, Entertai...2022-06-2158 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPlanning for and Taking Leave as a New Parent
Welcome to episode 176 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss John’s experience becoming a parent, planning for and taking parental leave, lessons learned along the way, and the impact on his career.
Original Recording Date: 06-12-2022
Topics – Context for the Show, Starting a Family, Planning for Parental Leave, Communication and Preparing the Team, Return to Work, Lessons Le...2022-06-1450 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPerform the Discovery with Dominique Top (1/2)
Welcome to episode 174 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of an interview with Dominique Top, detailing her journey from music student to band leader, a stint in consumer electronics, and a move into recruitment in a DevOps vertical.
Original Recording Date: 05-13-2022
Topics – Meet Dominique Top, The Music, Singing vs. Presenting, A Different Type of Work Exp...2022-05-3131 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalExcel by Being Intentional with Andrew Miller (1/3)
Welcome to episode 165 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of an interview with Andrew Miller, discussing his progression from IT help desk as a customer to working as a pre-sales engineer for a partner, how having a side gig helped him progress, and how the way we present ourselves can make a huge impact on everyone around us.
...2022-03-2959 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalA Love for Digital Marketing with Louise Bunyan (1/3)
Welcome to episode 162 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of our interview with Louise Bunyan. We’ll dive into what talent marketing is, how it integrates into the hiring process, and learn about Louise’s early career in teaching and how she got into digital marketing.
Original Recording Date: 12-21-2021
Welcome to episode 162 of the Nerd Journ...2022-03-0850 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBooking the Time to Read in 2022
Welcome to episode 161 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we review our book goals from 2021 and set some book goals for 2022.
Original Recording Date: 02-12-2022
Topics – 2021 Year in Review, Making Reading more Deliberate, Hidden Gems, Goals for 2022, Final Summary
* We don’t have a guest this week. We’re focusing on 2022 book goals and some review of our 2021...2022-03-0151 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalTake Note of Your Time with Josh Duffney (2/2)
Welcome to episode 157 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of an interview with Josh Duffney (a return guest) to discuss how the smart notes methodology can make us all better writers, its impact on a book Josh is writing, how Josh finds the time to take on so many projects, and how life at Microsoft has been since we las...2022-02-0150 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalCommunity, Career Choices, and Retirement with Duwayne Engelhardt (2/2)
Welcome to episode 151 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of our interview with Duwayne Engelhardt, discussing his participation in technology communities, the transition into retirement, and how life has been after retirement.
Original Recording Date: 10-06-2021
Duwayne Engelhardt is currently retired. Duwayne was the VP of Network Administration at a bank. During his career he was a...2021-12-2100 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Magic of Building with Chris Wahl (1/2)
Welcome to episode 148 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of our interview with Chris Wahl and discuss Chris’s early experience demonstrating proof of work, advanced certifications, and experience at a startup.
Original Recording Date: 9-23-2021
Topics – Proof of Work, Blogging, Encouraged to Move On, Over the Mountain of VCDX, Into Open Source, Startup Magic and Being...2021-11-3039 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBook Discussion: Deep Work, Part 3 – The Execution
Welcome to episode 143 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 3 of a book discussion series, providing more on practical tips for the execution of deep work focused on the remainder of rule # 1 from Cal Newport’s book.
Original Recording Date: 10-02-2021
Topics – 2nd Half of "Rule #1 – Work Deeply", Format Reminder, Execute Like a Business, Be Lazy, Shutdown Rit...2021-10-2638 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBook Discussion: Deep Work, Part 2 – The Structure
Welcome to episode 142 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss part of the first rule of deep work, delving into tips for supporting the structure and execution of deep work.
Original Recording Date: 10-02-2021
Topics – Book Discussion Format and Some Reminders, Deciding on Your Depth Philosophy, Creating a Ritual, Grand Gestures and Collaboration
00:59 – Book Discussion Format and Some R...2021-10-1937 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBook Discussion: Deep Work, Part 1 – The Why
Welcome to episode 141 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we begin a book discussion of Deep Work by Cal Newport. We’ll help listeners understand what deep work is, why we should do it (based on the book), and share our reactions.
Original Recording Date: 09-26-2021
Topics – Show Format, Overall Reactions to the Book, Introduction to the Deep Work Hypot...2021-10-1200 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalFit to Be Changed with Blake Johnson (1/2)
Welcome to episode 135 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of our discussion with Blake Johnson in which we discuss Blake’s education, early career, how he became obsessed with fitness, and some incremental ways to become more fit.
Original Recording Date: 07-08-2021
Topics – Meet Blake Johnson, The Second Degree and Getting into Sales, Situational Pressures, Strength a...2021-08-3100 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalRiding the Burnout Wave with Jonathan F (2/2)
Welcome to episode 132 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share Jonathan F’s story of being part of the vBrownBag crew, recognizing he was headed toward burnout, and the methodology for stepping back to focus on what was important.
Original Recording Date: 06-16-2021
Jonathan F. has been in technology for about 20 years and at present is focused on suppo...2021-08-1050 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Excellent Advocate with Jon Towles (2/2)
Welcome to episode 130 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of our interview with Jon Towles in which we discuss support and advocacy for neurodiversity and some tips for pursuing a career in mobility.
Original Recording Date: 06-08-2021
Jon Towles started in IT around the age of 29 and has been through many places in the mobility indust...2021-07-2750 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Challenges of a Superpower with Jon Towles (1/2)
Welcome to episode 129 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 1 of our interview with Jon Towles in which we talk through his journey into the mobility field and his challenges and openness with ADHD.
Original Recording Date: 06-08-2021
Topics – Working for Blackberry, Sharing Your Work, ADHD Challenges and Openness
3:30 – Meet Jon Towles
* Jon Towles sta...2021-07-2043 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Process of Stepping Away and Back Again
Welcome to episode 128 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss John’s return as co-host, his experience buying a home and moving, and Nick’s experience flying solo.
Original Recording Date: 06-01-2021
Topics – Stress of Home Buying, Taking a Break and Flying Solo, and Lessons Learned
1:00 – John is Back!
* John and his wife were told by their...2021-07-1300 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalWrite, Interview, Tell Your Own Story with Brianna Blacet (2/2)
Welcome to episode 122 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of our interview with Brianna Blacet in which Brianna shares tips for improving your writing, how we can use storytelling in the interview process, and how she keeps things fresh in her field.
Original Recording Date: 04-21-2021
Brianna Blacet is an Innovation Storyteller at VMware and happen...2021-06-0135 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalA Series of Humbling Experiences with Brad Christian (1/2)
Welcome to episode 113 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss a series of humbling experiences in part 1 of our interview with Brad Christian.
Original Recording Date: 03-16-2021
John has to step away for a few weeks to focus on house hunting. The journey will continue, and he’ll be back with us as soon as he can. This rem...2021-03-3056 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNick’s 3-year check-in as a VMware Solution Engineer Part 1Nick and John discuss Nick's 3-Years at VMware as a Solution Engineer. Part 1 of 22021-01-0531 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalOne-Hundredth Episode – Reflections on Career Podcasting
Welcome to episode 100 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss making it to 100 episodes.
Original Recording Date: 12-06-2020
Topics – Episode 100
1:02 – Reflecting on The Beginning
* John pitched Nick on the idea to start a podcast right before he began working for VMware (November / December 2017).
* The original thesis was following Nick through the transition f...2020-12-0953 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalOne Year as a Google Cloud Engineer Part 1 with John White
Welcome to episode 98 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we check in on John’s lessons learned after one year as a Customer Engineer at Google Cloud.
Original Recording Date: 10-24-2020
Topics – Google Cloud 1 Year Check-in
1:48 – John’s Role at Google Cloud
* John is Customer Engineer at Google Cloud (the public cloud provider part of Google...2020-11-1053 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalReddit Question Roundup – 2020 Week 37
Welcome to episode 92 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss some Reddit threads from the IT Career Questions forum.
Original Recording Date: 09-11-2020
Topics – Popular IT Career Questions from Reddit
1:05 – We’re Testing A New Format!
* We’re trying a new format this week. It’s a round up of career advice threads from the R...2020-09-1534 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBurnout and Recovery with Josh Fidel
Welcome to episode 78 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss burnout and recovery with Josh Fidel @jcfidel.
Original Recording Date: 04-23-2020
Topic – Burnout and Recovery
2:14 – Burn Out and Bail Out
* Josh loved the job and the work he did within the Globals segment at VMware.
* The pressure put on Josh and his teammate...2020-05-2649 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalGlobal Accounts, Job Searches During Recessions, and Organizational Silos with Josh Fidel
Welcome to episode 77 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss covering global accounts, job searches during recessions, and organizational silos with Josh Fidel @jcfidel.
Original Recording Date: 04-23-2020
Topic – Global Accounts, Job Searches During Recessions, and Organizational Silos
02:47 – The Move to Globals at VMware
* Josh loved working with the people at VMware.
* He l...2020-05-2033 min
Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThree-Month Check-In as a Google Cloud Customer Engineer with John White, Part 2
Welcome to episode 67 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have the second half of our discussion with John on his move from VMware to Google Cloud. The first half was Episode 66 if you’d like to listen to it first (or if you missed it last week).
Original Recording Date: 2020-01-25
Topics – Checking in with John White on Life at G...2020-02-1131 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThree-Month Check-In as a Google Cloud Customer Engineer with John White, Part 1
Welcome to episode 66 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode Nick checks in with John three months after his move to Google Cloud.
Original Recording Date: 2020-01-25
Topics – Checking in with John White on Life at Google
2:10 – The New Gig and Making a Move
* What does John actually do at Google?
* John is a Customer Eng...2020-02-0633 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalYour Position Has Been Eliminated with Mike Burkhart Part 2
Welcome to episode 65 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss the interview and evaluation process with Mike Burkhart in the second half of our interview with him about and unexpected job search.
Original Recording Date: 12-03-2019
Topics – Mike Burkhart
03:00 – The First Interview Happened When?
* Mike reached out on LinkedIn to the person he knew had an openi...2020-01-2843 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalManaging Online Communities and Career Path Pt. 2 with Nic Tolstoshev
Welcome to episode 63 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss online community management and career paths with community manager Nic Tolstoshev. Once again, here’s the Nic Tolstoshev fan art Flickr feed we mentioned.
Original Recording Date: 10-26-2019
Topics – Community Management and Career with Nick Tolstoshev
02:35 Community Manager Career Path and Time Commitment
* Do community ma...2020-01-0737 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalMost Influential Books On My Thinking – Nick Korte
Welcome to Bonus Episode 09 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have the second of two bonus episodes about the books that shaped our thinking. This week, Nick talks about his book list.
Original Recording Date: 12-21-2019
Topics – Books that shaped our thinking – Nick Korte
Most book links are Amazon affiliate links. If you’re going to purchase one o...2019-12-3146 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalMost Influential Books On My Thinking – John White
Welcome to Bonus Episode 08 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have the first of two bonus episodes about the books that shaped our thinking. This week, John talks about his book list.
Original Recording Date: 12-18-2019
Topics – Books that shaped our thinking
Most book links are Amazon affiliate links. If you’re going to purchase one of these to...2019-12-2454 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalManaging Online Communities Pt. 1 with Nic Tolstoshev
Welcome to episode 62 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss online community management and its role within an organization with community manager Nic Tolstoshev. Here’s the Nic Tolstoshev fan art Flickr feed we mentioned.
Original Recording Date: 10-26-2019
Topics – Community Management and the Community Management Role
3:20 Online Communities and Community Management
* Nic is currently a...2019-12-1749 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBlogging and the Subtleties of Self-Marketing with Amy Hervey, Pt. 2
Welcome to episode 61 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss blogging and self-marketing in the second part of our interview with Amy Hervey, a marketing professional.
Original Recording Date: 10-23-2019
Topics – Amy Hervey On Blogging and Self-Marketing
03:03 – Thoughts on Blogging
* People want to want to blog. It is hard to write something and put it out on th...2019-12-1230 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalCareer from a Marketing Perspective with Amy Hervey Pt. 1
Welcome to episode 60 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss career management from a marketing perspective .
Original Recording Date: 10-23-2019
Topics – Amy Hervey Interview
04:17 – Background on Amy
* Amy is a Marketing Manager for an HR Outsourcing company and has been in the field for over 20 years. Her background is journalism and marketing.
* The role of a Ma...2019-12-0331 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThanksgiving (USA) 2019 Bonus Episode
Welcome to Bonus Episode 07 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss the influence of family on career and the influence of career on family.
Original Recording Date: 11-13-2019
* Note that John sneaks in his top 5 delivery pizza places at the beginning (mentioned in Bonus Episode 2 from last Thanksgiving).
Topics – Thanksgiving, Family, and Career
2:05 – Influence of...2019-11-2651 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalManagement Career Observations, Lessons, and Advice with Kelly Schroeder Pt. 2
Welcome to episode 59 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have part 2 of an interview with Kelly Schroeder about the technical management career and advice for the would-be manager.
Original Recording Date: 10-15-2019
Topics – Kelly Schroeder Interview
02:19 – Kelly’s Current Role as a Manager – Observations and Lessons
* How is this role different than his previous positions?...2019-11-1931 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalThe Path to Management and Hard Resume Lessons with Kelly Schroeder Pt. 1
Welcome to episode 58 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have part 1 of an interview with Kelly Schroeder about the path to management and some hard-won resume advice.
Original Recording Date: 10-15-2019
Topics – Kelly Schroeder Interview
03:09 – Kelly’s Background
* Kelly works for a city government as manager of help desk and all things end user related, overs...2019-11-1250 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPreparing for Unexpected Opportunities Part 5 – Personal Finance
Welcome to episode 57 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss how to prepare for unanticipated career opportunities, part 5, Lessons in Personal Finance.
Original Recording Date: 10-27-2019
Topics – Preparing for Unexpected Career Opportunities, Part 5
A Review of the Series to Date
* Go back and listen if you missed these episodes…
* Part 1 – Preparation
* Part 2 – Conta...2019-11-0652 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPreparing for Unexpected Opportunities Part 4 – Decision Time!
Welcome to episode 56 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss how to prepare for unanticipated career opportunities, part 4, Decision Time!
Original Recording Date: 10-03-2019
Topics – Preparing for Unexpected Career Opportunities, Part 4
1:53 – A Review of the Series to Date
* Go back and listen if you missed these episodes…
* Part 1 – Preparation
* Part 2 – Contact
* Part 3 –...2019-10-2936 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPreparing for Unexpected Opportunities Part 3 – Agreeing to Discuss Opportunities
Welcome to episode 55 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss how to prepare for unanticipated career opportunities, part 3, Agreeing to Discuss Opportunities.
Original Recording Date: 10-03-2019
Topics – Preparing for Unexpected Career Opportunities, Part 3 Agreeing to Discuss Opportunities
01:57 – A Review of Earlier Series Episodes
* Go back and listen to part 1 and part 2 of this series if you misse...2019-10-2242 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPreparing for Unexpected Opportunities Part 2 – Contact
Welcome to episode 54 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss how to prepare for unanticipated career opportunities, part 2.
Original Recording Date: 09-30-2019
* John’s last day at VMware was 10/4/2019. Listen carefully to his reasons for making a change. Do they sound like advice you’ve heard before?
Topics – Preparing for Unexpected Career Opportunities, Part 2
04:10 –...2019-10-1532 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalPreparing for Unexpected Opportunities Part 1 – Preparation
Welcome to episode 53 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss keeping prepared in anticipation of unanticipated career opportunities.
Adrian Cockcroft’s Reading List
Original Recording Date: 09-30-2019
Topics – Keeping Your Resume Updated, Update What You Want In A Work Environment, Keeping a Healthy Network, Handling Unsolicited Opportunities
03:46 Keeping Your Resume Updated
* Get in the routine...2019-10-0142 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalBonus: VMworld 2019 US Discussion
Welcome to bonus episode 06 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have a contemporaneous discussion of our experiences at VMworld 2019 in San Francisco.
Original Recording Date: 08-29-2019
John mentions the post-VMworld interview he did with Ramzi Marjaba of We the Sales Engineers YouTube video or audio.
Topics – Sharing Experiences at VMworld US 2019
4:20 Opening Banter
* John comme...2019-09-1054 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalAmanda Blevins’s Career Happiness VMworld Session
Welcome to episode 48 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss career happiness, as covered by Amanda Blevins in some past VMworld sessions.
Original Recording Date: 07-13-2019
Topics – Amanda Blevins and Career Happiness, VMworld 2018 Throwback
0:55 – Background on Our Topic Selection
* This is a follow up discussion from something we mentioned in Bonus 01.
* This week we’re s...2019-08-2035 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey Bonus Episode #05: VMworld US 2019 and Choosing an IT Conference to Attend
Welcome to Bonus Episode #05 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we briefly discuss our plans for VMworld 2019 in San Francisco, then focus on the more general case of attending IT conferences.
Original Recording Date: 08-11-2019
Topics – VMworld 2019 Plans and Attending IT Conferences
1:03 Attending VMworld 2019 in San Francisco
* John and Nick both first attended VMworld before becoming e...2019-08-1550 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 047: You, Your Health, and the Datacenter With Keiran Shelden Pt. 2
Welcome to episode 47 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss Keiran Shelden’s article, "You, Your Health, and the Datacenter".
Original Recording Date: 07-05-2019
This discussion is partly a follow up to Keiran’s blog on You, Your Health, and the Datacenter.
Topic – Keiran Shelden’s Blog Post on Experiencing Burnout
01:46 – Context of the Blog post
...2019-08-0457 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 045: Career Conversations With Your Manager
Welcome to episode 45 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss how to prepare for a career conversation with your manager.
Original Recording Date: 06-29-2019
Topic – Preparing for a Career Conversation with Your Manager
1:03 – The Genesis of This Idea
* We touched on the idea of a career 1-1 with your manager in Episode 12.
* Nick recently nee...2019-07-2341 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 044: The Nerd Journey First Anniversary Review
Welcome to episode 44 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss the one year anniversary of our podcast launch, a review of topics we have covered, and where we plan to go from here.
* Check out Nick’s one year reflection post for more insight on what the past year co-hosting a podcast has been like.
* Check out John’s one...2019-07-161h 00Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 042: Ethan Banks and the Journey to Career Self-Awareness
Welcome to episode 42 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we talk to Ethan Banks, co-founder of the Packet Pushers technical podcast network about his early career path and journey to career self-awareness.
Original Recording Date: 05-28-2019
Topics – Ethan Banks and the Journey to Early Career Self-Awareness
2:11 – Ethan’s Early Career Path
* Ethan Banks is co-owner and operator o...2019-07-0251 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 041: Presentations
Welcome to episode 41 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss tips for constructing and giving presentations.
Original Recording Date: 05-25-2019
Topic – Presentations
2:56 Reasons People Present
* Some people do it for the glory (i.e. to be nerd famous, get attention, etc.).
* Educating or informing an audience is John’s favorite reason. This requires people to be...2019-06-2548 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 040: Enterprise Architect Mindset – Paul Woodward Jr and A.J. Kuftic Part 2
Welcome to episode 40 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we chat with Paul Woodward Jr. and A.J. Kuftic about the Enterprise Architect mindset and career paths.
Original Recording Date: 05-14-2019
This podcast is a follow up to Episode 14 of the ExploreVM Podcast on Making the Move to Enterprise.
1:51 Business vs Technology Goals
* John points out the...2019-06-1941 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 039: The Transition to Enterprise with Paul Woodward Jr and A.J. Kuftic Part 1
Welcome to episode 39 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we chat with Paul Woodward Jr. and A.J. Kuftic about the transition from smaller organizations to the Enterprise.
Original Recording Date: 05-14-2019
This podcast is a follow up to Episode 14 of the ExploreVM Podcaston Making the Move to Enterprise.
Topics – Paul Woodward Jr. aka @ExploreVM and @AJKuftic on the tra...2019-06-1140 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 036: Customer Advocacy Programs
Welcome to episode 36 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss the pros and cons of customer advocacy programs.
Original Recording Date: 04-23-2019
* This episode naturally follows our episodes with Tony Reeves.
* Tony Reeves Interview, Part 1
* Tony Reeves Interview, Part 2
Topics – Customer Advocacy Programs
2:43 What are customer advocacy programs and their...2019-05-2239 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 034: Jimmy Tassin – Career Path
Welcome to episode 34 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss career paths in the first part of our discussion with Jimmy Tassin.
Original Recording Date: 04-16-2019
Topics – Part 1 of Our Discussion with Jimmy Tassin
* Nick and John know Jimmy through the Spiceworks community, and Nick had the opportunity to meet Jimmy in person at Spiceworld.
* Ji...2019-05-0744 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 032: Tony Reeves Part 1- Career Path
Welcome to episode 32 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss career paths in the first part of our discussion with Tony Reeves.
Original Recording Date: 04-15-2019
Topics – Tony Reeves of Gigacast on Career Path
02:37 – The Gigacast
* Tony is the co-host of the Gigacast podcast
* In 2017, Britton Johnson approached him about starting a podcast.2019-04-231h 02Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 031: Scaling for a New Endeavor
Welcome to episode 31 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss scaling for a new endeavor.
Original Recording Date: 04-06-2019
* This episode is a natural extension of Episode 30 on adapting to a new team.
Topics – Scaling for a New Endeavor
2:11 Examples of Differences in Scale When Moving up / Moving on
* Moving from a team of...2019-04-1644 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 030: Adapting to a New Team
Welcome to episode 30 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss adapting to a new team.
Original Recording Date: 03-19-2019
Topics – Adapting to a New Team
4:02 Joining a New Team at the Same Company
* Your old position is going to be backfilled (taking a new opportunity)
* Transition period
* Who will carry your forme...2019-04-0949 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 029: Internal Conferences
Welcome to episode 29 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss organizational benefits of company meetings.
Original Recording Date: 03-06-2019
Topics – Organizational Benefits to a Company Kickoff
3:53 Why have a company meeting / kickoff?
* It could be for an internal talent showcase.
* Take VMware’s RADIO conference for example, which acts as a catalyst for innovati...2019-04-0248 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 028: Asking For More Money
Welcome to episode 28 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss asking for more money!
Original Recording Date: 2019-02-26
Topics – Asking for more money as a raise and when you’re being hired
4:52 Asking for a Raise
* Source: 4 Tips For Snagging More Than A Cost-of-Living Raise
* Stand Up And Stand Out
* Do the job that...2019-03-1257 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 027: Ramzi Marjaba Interview
Welcome to episode 27 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we interview Ramzi Marjaba of the "We the Sales Engineers" podcast.
Original Recording Date: 2019-02-22
Topics – Ramzi Marjaba of the "We The Sales Engineers" podcast
* Nick and John were on We The Sales Engineers Episode 41: New and Experienced Perspective of Sales Engineering
* Ramzi might be doing the podcas...2019-03-051h 08Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 026: The Generalist/Specialist Divide
Welcome to episode 26 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss the generalist vs. specialist divide.
Original Recording Date: 2019-02-16
Topics – The Generalist vs. Specialist Divide
* We’re recording this in sickness because we’re both under the weather this week. This episode is brought to you by the letters DM and PE.
* How does John like the...2019-02-261h 00Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 025: Adapting to a New Manager
Welcome to episode 25 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss tips for adapting to a new manager.
Original Recording Date: 2019-02-07
Topics – Adapting to a New Manager (The Silver Episode)
* Check out our Nerd Journey Coffee Experiment video. This was recorded while John was visiting Fort Worth, TX.
2:50 Scenarios that could lead to working un...2019-02-1944 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 024: John’s 3-Year Check-In at VMware Part 2
Welcome to episode 24 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss John’s 3 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 2.
Original Recording Date: 2019-2-2
Topics – John’s 3 Year Check-in at VMware, Nick’s Questions
1:55 Topics Begin
* Check out part 1 of John’s 3 Year check-in if you missed it last week.
* John mentions sports research. Was he prepared for wha...2019-02-121h 14Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 023: John’s 3-Year Check-In at VMware Part 1
Welcome to episode 23 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss John’s 3 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 1.
Original Recording Date: 2019-1-26
Topics – John’s 3 Year Check-in at VMware, John’s Observations
1:30 Topics Begin
* How did John fare at Michael Jordan trivia since this is episode 23?
* John and Nick have hire dates that are roughly 2 years...2019-02-051h 01Nerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 022: Nick’s First Year at VMware Part 2
Welcome to episode 22 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss Nick’s 1 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 2.
Original Recording Date: 2019-1-19
Topics – Nick’s 1 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 2, John’s Questions
4:04 Extracurricular activities
* How has the new role affected the frequency of and type of engagement in community groups?
* Nick is still the co-lea...2019-01-2941 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 021: Nick’s First Year at VMware Part 1
Welcome to episode 21 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss Nick’s 1 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 1.
Original Recording Date: 2019-1-19
Intro
* John couldn’t remember the name of the AeroPress coffee maker.
* Nerd Journey 001: Career Advancement and Nick’s First Week at VMware
* Nerd Journey 010: Seven Month Check-In and Impostor Syndrome
Topics...2019-01-2241 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalEpisode 020: Reasons to Quit, Area of Destiny, and Finding Your Area of Destiny
Welcome to episode 20 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss "Four Reasons to Quit Your Job", "What Is Your Area of Destiny", and "Can You Find Your Area of Destiny".
Original Recording Date: 2018-11-27
Topics – Four Reasons to Quit Your Job, What is Your Area of Destiny, Can You Find Your Area of Destiny
3:00 Four Reasons to Quit Yo...2019-01-1547 minNerd Journey: Career Advice for the Technology ProfessionalNerd Journey 001: Career Advancement and Nick’s First Week at VMwareWelcome to episode 1 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solutions Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. Today’s episode discusses career advancement (Committing to it and Evaluating Options) and Nick’s first week … Continue reading "Nerd Journey 001: Career Advancement and Nick’s First Week at VMware"2018-07-2442 min