Paul Stewart

Author Archives: Paul Stewart

The Importance of Setting Expectations

One of my first experiences dealing with a technology customer involved a request to deliver and install a new PC and printer. During the process I expected I would need to educate the user on the features of Windows 3.1. This was before I ever really started working in technology in a full-time capacity. While […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post The Importance of Setting Expectations appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

10 Tips for Daily Time Management

Those in technology realize that a day of work can vary greatly and can change without warning. Additionally, many try to build elaborate project plans and organizational goals. However, what is sometimes overlooked is the importance of daily execution of tasks. Those in technology must individually address the need to stay on task each and […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post 10 Tips for Daily Time Management appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

IT’s Not Just About Technology

There’s a lot of great blogs and resources that get really deep into specific areas of tech. While it may sound really strange, this site is decidedly not one of them. The focus of The Tech Interview is quite different. Instead of focusing on the bits and bytes of technology, we look at the un-tech […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post IT’s Not Just About Technology appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Balancing Complexity and Simplicity

I’ve been in tech for several years. Over time, I’ve configured things that I’m proud of and I’ve built things that I’m not so proud of. Most of the things that I’m less proud of involve unnecessary or unwarranted complexity that has created operational challenges. In some cases this was a result of a small […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Balancing Complexity and Simplicity appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

There’s No Stupid Question, But…

While I’m a big proponent of people asking questions, there are a few considerations that I’d like to address. These considerations are not about looking (or sounding) “stupid” or otherwise inhibiting the necessary free flow of information. These points are about the appropriateness and reasons for asking a question or series of questions. This article […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post There’s No Stupid Question, But… appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Why Blog?

I have been involved in various technical social networks and blogging for quite a while. Beginning in about 2008, I started spending a lot of time helping others over at the Cisco Learning Network. About the same time I launched PacketU.com. In May of 2013, John Harrington and I coordinated the site that you’re currently […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Why Blog? appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

7 Tips For Improving Your Communications Skills at Work

In my last article, I identified the importance of effective communication in the workplace. Today’s article is a follow-up that offers several suggestions meant to help individuals improve these skills. Some tips may be more or less relevant to the situations that are specific to an individual’s role. As I mentioned in my previous article,l […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post 7 Tips For Improving Your Communications Skills at Work appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

The Importance of Effective Communication at Work

There are many different personality traits found in individuals in our industry. One trait that I’ve found dominant in technical roles is that of introversion. This trait is one that often manifests itself by creating challenges with verbal communications. Depending on an individual’s role, or desired role, this can prevent a technology rockstar from reaching […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post The Importance of Effective Communication at Work appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

The Illusion of Perfection

I spend a lot of time commuting. During that commute, I listen to technical podcasts and lots of different leadership and career oriented audio books. One of the topics that experts seem to have differing opinions on is defining what is good enough. I’ve heard many refer to Nike’s ad campaign, Just Do It, and […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post The Illusion of Perfection appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Preparing For Technology Trends

I spent most of last week at Cisco Live. This is a large and well-known technology conference. While attending the keynote sessions, I kept wondering how many people take the time to future-proof themselves. I know we all have a lot of work just educating ourselves on the technology of today. However, I have to […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Preparing For Technology Trends appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

5 Reasons to Consider Working For a Technology Reseller

For the first several years of my career, I worked for a smaller technology reseller. These types of organizations are often known as value added resellers, or VARs. The role of a VAR is to combine their expertise with some technology they sell in a way that solves the challenges of their customers. The expertise […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post 5 Reasons to Consider Working For a Technology Reseller appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Have Respect For The Work You Do

The other day I was called in to assist with issue that had been open for a few days. The primary reason for my involvement was to confirm network connectivity was permitted as required by a recently installed application. After an initial look, it was apparent that the application wasn’t even trying to access network […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Have Respect For The Work You Do appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

How Can The Tech Interview Help Fill the Technical Career Gap?

It’s only been a couple of short weeks since this site officially launched. I have to say that I’m thrilled with the initial ‘buzz’ around the site. Many friends from various other technical blogs and social networking circles have shared The Tech Interview with their friends. In addition to thanking everyone for sharing this site, […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post How Can The Tech Interview Help Fill the Technical Career Gap? appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Networking at Cisco Live for Your Technical Career

Cisco Live is a wonderful opportunity to meet people and have in-depth technical discussions. For me, I find this event to be a great venue to finally see those that I have had numerous online interactions with. It serves as a way to elevate these relationships to a new level. In John’s article entitled “Build […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Networking at Cisco Live for Your Technical Career appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Packet Pushers Show 149 – Discussion of Real World Problems with Entry Techs

When I refreshed my pod catcher today, I found that Packet Pushers had just released an episode that deals with career issues. This particular episode is a discussion between Greg Ferro and two less experienced technicians. Of these two gentleman, one has two years of experience and the other has only about one year of […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Packet Pushers Show 149 – Discussion of Real World Problems with Entry Techs appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Salary Negotiation For Technical Jobs

I wanted to take just a moment and share a video that one of my twitter friends shared with me. This video is of the final stage of the interview process and outlines the negotiation required to come to a mutually agreeable compensation level. Of key importance, it highlights several items that should be understood […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Salary Negotiation For Technical Jobs appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

The Important Question for a Technology Fresher

After spending a considerable amount of time on forums like the Cisco Learning Network, it is apparent that there are many challenges for those entering the field of technology. Freshers, as they are known in the industry, have many challenges. Some of these challenges stem from the gap between the education process and the real […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post The Important Question for a Technology Fresher appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Identifying Introverted Tendencies

It’s no secret that our industry is full of those with interesting eccentricities. These characteristics are found in varying degrees with those we come into contact with daily. The extremes of these often manifest themselves as a general perception of those in technology. This even happens as technical characters are portrayed television. One example of this […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Identifying Introverted Tendencies appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

The Technical Mind

I have worked in technology full-time for nearly fifteen years. Prior to this, I built PCs and was somewhat of a technical hobbyist. Occasionally, I am faced with the question, “How does one get into computers?” or “How can I get into computer networking?” There are many paths and correct answers to these questions. The […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post The Technical Mind appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.

Your Job Hunt is YOUR Responsibility

Earlier this week, I read the article below. This article took a strong stance that a recruiter works for the employer, not those seeking employment. I think there are some valid points made. However, my views are a little less extreme than that of the author. NEWSFLASH: A Recruiter is Not a Job Finder!. Frankly, […]

Author information

Paul Stewart

Paul is a Network and Security Engineer, Trainer and Blogger who enjoys understanding how things really work. With nearly 15 years of experience in the technology industry, Paul has helped many organizations build, maintain and secure their networks and systems. Paul also writes technical content at PacketU.

The post Your Job Hunt is YOUR Responsibility appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Paul Stewart.