Greg Bell: Answer the question of "why?" [Open Source] [Career Notes]
Nov 24, 2024
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Explore Greg Bell's diverse career journey, from human rights to Hollywood, before returning to his tech roots. He emphasizes the significance of mentorship and the power of open source communities in shaping a fulfilling career. Greg shares insights on navigating changes and finding joy in learning, offering guidance to newcomers in cybersecurity. His mission-driven approach aims to improve the world, making his journey an inspiring tale for anyone looking to make their mark in the tech industry.
Greg Bell highlights the importance of mentorship and organizational culture for young professionals starting their careers in cybersecurity.
His career journey illustrates the value of embracing diverse experiences and prioritizing personal fulfillment over traditional success metrics.
Deep dives
The Journey of a Multifaceted Career
The speaker shares their diverse career path that includes various fields such as human rights, academia, and technology, showcasing a preference for change and learning over consistency. They reflect on how early experiences with programming influenced their return to a technical career after exploring different avenues, including a PhD focused on conspiracy beliefs. Currently, they work with an open-source cybersecurity company that thrives on the symbiotic relationship with open-source communities, emphasizing the importance of engagement and inspiration in their mission. This career evolution highlights a personal insight: valuing career fulfillment and impact over traditional success metrics like pay or title.
The Significance of Mentorship and Career Exploration
The speaker emphasizes the critical nature of mentorship and the choice of impactful organizations, especially for young professionals starting their careers. They argue that selecting jobs based on the quality of mentorship and organizational culture can lead to meaningful career development during the formative years. Acknowledging the current uncertainty young individuals face regarding their career paths, they advise embracing the unexpected elements of professional growth and valuing skills and lessons learned along the way. This perspective encourages a more flexible approach to career planning, promoting enjoyment and learning in the journey rather than anxiety over future uncertainties.
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Navigating Career Paths: Embracing Change and Meaningful Work
Enjoy this encore episode where we are joined by Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Corelight Greg Bell, as he describes the twists and turns of his career bringing him back to his childhood joy of computers. Working in a myriad of fields from human rights to Hollywood to writing a history of conspiracy belief before pivoting back to technology. Focusing on the relationships within the open source community, Greg works to change and improve the world through his mission-based organization. For those looking to begin their career in cyber, Greg offers that great mentorship and working for great organizations where you can soak in the culture are really important. And, we thank Greg for sharing his story with us.