CompTIA Volley

Carolyn and Seth talk about AI with Mechie Nkengala, CEO and Chief Data Scientist at Data Products LLC and Vice Chair of CompTIA's AI Advisory Council. The group starts with some thoughts on the hype surrounding ChatGPT and other large language model tools, then dives into a broader discussion about AI. The best way to think about AI is as an enabling technology that can drive strategic goals, and it's important to recognize that good AI output means good data input. As for the lie, the headlines around AI wiping out all the jobs aren't in line with historical trends around technology innovation. There will be disruption, but AI is more likely to create jobs that use new skills to do new things.

The Career Spotlight segment features Joseph Marchis, who found a career in technology after struggling with a traditional education pathway.

Carolyn and Seth take a look at the complex landscape of technology careers. With so much recent focus on layoffs in the tech sector, there have been questions about the demand for tech workers. CompTIA's research shows that demand continues to be very strong across a wide range of industries, making technology jobs a promising choice for starting or switching careers. There are different types of individuals considering a tech career journey, from career-intent to tech-intent to those already in a technology role, and a career progression has three stages. First, education around the fundamental fields in technology careers. Second, building the necessary skills to take an initial role. Finally, ongoing breadth and depth of skills in order to reach more advanced positions.

We are also launching a new segment for Volley. Career Spotlight features individuals working in technology, focusing on specific aspects of the career journey. The first Career Spotlight features Eduardo Gijon, who moved into a cybersecurity role after leaving the military. Check out comptia.org for much more on industry profiles and career resources.

Carolyn and Seth take a look at online marketplaces, which have changed how technology is procured and implemented, and the platforms used for these marketplaces, which offer companies ease of building while potentially creating lock-in. Online marketplaces are built to reduce friction for the end user, whether that is a client of a technology services provider or an employee within an organization. But building these marketplaces is a complicated task, especially when e-commerce is involved. Using a platform can allow the marketplace to be built quickly with a rich set of features, but it also creates a dependency on the platform provider that can become inefficient over time.

Carolyn and Seth wrap up the 2-part series on the changes in the technology industry by looking at the last 2 factors that shaped technology over the past 15 years. First, the evolution of the internet has driven digital strategy, and recent stumbles in the Web3 space raise questions about the exact use of digital ledger technology and the actual potential for decentralized networks. Beyond that, the concepts of Web 2.0, which were assumed to be relatively solid, are also being re-examined as companies struggle with ad-supported models and content moderation. The second major factor is perhaps the biggest question of all--what problems are left for technology to solve? Most of the low-hanging fruit has been claimed, and innovation will increasingly come from the intersections of technology and other fields, demanding multi-disciplinary expertise.

Carolyn and Seth kick off the new year with a 2-part series looking at the evolution of the technology industry over the past 15 years and the new paradigm for the industry heading into the future. There are four major drivers that shaped technology from 2007 to 2022. This episode looks at the first two: the growth of technology into a major industry that demands regulatory attention and social scrutiny, and the historic financial scenario where incredibly cheap capital allowed a higher degree of speculation on business ventures.

Carolyn and Seth take a look back at 2022, talking about the biggest stories and the impact on the technology industry. Technology was not the most important part of the year's top stories--the war in Ukraine and skyrocketing recession had critical humanitarian and societal concerns. The tech industry still had to still with ripple effects, though, such as supply chain disruption and the reality of higher interest rates. In addition, technology had a few stories of its own, including the crash of crypto, the reckoning of social media, and the difficulties of large-scale mergers.

Carolyn and Seth welcome CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux to talk about the new concerns businesses have heading into 2023. CompTIA's IT Industry Outlook 2023 predicts that business as usual will get a reality check, and Todd walks through the many hurdles businesses face that will prevent them from simply returning to pre-pandemic operations. The threat of recession, the challenges of managing remote workers, and the importance of technology adoption are all factors that will shape business strategies in the future.

Carolyn and Seth go over the highlights from CompTIA's IT Industry Outlook 2023, the annual report looking at the major trends for the year ahead. Companies are recognizing that business as usual means something different now, as workforce dynamics and economic uncertainty drive new behaviors. The metaverse will likely not be restricted to VR, but will define a new way of providing holistic digital experiences. IT channel firms will continue exploring business model changes, including both the shift to services and a shift toward becoming a strategic business consultant. Finally, IT pros will leverage a wide variety of training options to build skills, finding new opportunities to assist with digital transformation efforts.

IT Industry Outlook 2023: https://www.comptia.org/content/research/it-industry-trends-analysis

Carolyn and Seth welcome CompTIA CISO Randy Gross back to the show for the annual holiday episode. As always, the group talks about one thing in technology that is frightening (the failure to anticipate consequences of scaling), one thing they are thankful for (the open nature of technology professionals), and one thing on the wishlist (economic stability supported by tech innovation).

Carolyn and Seth talk with James Rocker, CEO of Nerds That Care, about his experiences implementing cybersecurity for clients. James talks about the need for education, especially as zero trust becomes an overarching framework for cybersecurity posture. The group also discusses the need to include business executives in cybersecurity discussions and the "onion approach" to cybersecurity architecture using a wide array of different tools.