Welcome to My Cybersecurity Journey

Hi! Welcome to hexedef.dev. This website will serve as my documentation of my latest journey into the world of cybersecurity. At this point, I don't have extensive hands-on experience in what I'd call "doing the work."

A Bit About Myself

Let me tell you a bit about myself. I've been an IT professional for 12 years, spending about 8 of those years working for local government. What began as just another job quickly became a passion due to the rewarding nature of helping my local community improve in various aspects.

My IT Journey

The Beginning: College Years

My IT career started in college as a Residential Technician for about three years. In this entry-level role, I assisted college students living on campus with printer issues, Wi-Fi problems, game system installations, and more. It wasn't glamorous, but it was honest work.

First Real Job: Team Nurse Inc.

After graduating and moving back to Southern Virginia, I landed a job with a local company called Team Nurse Inc. As the sole internal IT staff member, I contracted with a small local IT shop to handle:

  • Software installations
  • Computer replacements
  • Network management
  • Software management
  • Budgeting

The fast-paced environment and chaos were overwhelming for a recent graduate, so I eventually sought something more stable.

Growth Phase: City of Danville

That's when I found a position with the City of Danville as an IT Applications Support Specialist. This role pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way. I quickly realized that my knowledge of hardware and networking was just the beginning.

I was trained to maintain software beyond just resetting user passwords—dealing with:

  • API integrations
  • Database management
  • Vendor management
  • System upgrades and patches
  • Internal and web security

I stayed in this position for about 11 months.

Current Home: Roanoke County

Then, I found my current home in Roanoke County. I took this position to be closer to home after moving to be with my girlfriend (now wife 😊).

My progression:

  • Business Systems Analyst II - Started supporting Public Safety with a small team of two, managing software and hardware needs for about seven local agencies
  • Business Systems Analyst III - After team changes, I was thrown into the deep end as the only analyst for a while. About two years in, I was promoted to lead my small team in all projects, implementations, and planning
  • Supervisor - As of 2024, I was promoted to a supervisory role, and my team grew from two Business Systems Analysts to three, with me as their supervisor

What's Next?

Anyway, that's a high-level overview of my work history. These posts will be weekly, and I'll keep you updated on what I'm working on next.

All I know is that it involves:

  • A lot of Linux and experimenting with different distributions
  • Kali Linux just got installed on my wife's old MacBook Air from the 2010s

Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into! 🔍

Thanks for Reading!

Stephen (HexeD) out.

Ready to follow along on this cybersecurity adventure? Get in touch and let's connect!