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Overdose Awareness Month August is Overdose Awareness MonthOverdose Awareness Month

R.I.P. 40

End OverdoseOn August 31 of each year, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is recognized globally as a day to remember and grieve those that we've lost, take action to encourage support and recovery, and help end overdose by spreading awareness about drug overdose prevention. Overdose Day

Gone not forgotten

My  2024 Update

Overdose awareness is important
Hashtags: #TogetherWeCan   #IOAD2024   #EndOverdose
International Overdose Awareness Day is the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose.
The goals of International Overdose Awareness Day are to:
Provide an opportunity for people to publicly mourn loved ones.
Tell people who use drugs and people in recovery that they are valued.
Inform people around the world about the risk of drug overdose.
Provide basic information on the range of support services that are available.
Prevent and reduce drug-related harms by supporting evidence-based practice.
This IOAD, we affirm that when we work together to heal and empower communities, we can save lives and end overdose.

Join us as an IOAD partner by using your voice and platforms to spread the message of ending overdose.
After losing someone sometimes it's hard to keep Moving Forward, but that's exactly what you have to do. They are gone, but you are not. They can't make progress anymore, you can. Their story has ended, but you can use it as part of yours to keep it going. It hurts like hell, but you don't die with them. It may feel like you will, but that will fade gradually enough for you to move on.
Until it does,  Never stop taking care of yourself. After spending so much time caring for someone, only to lose them in the end had a strange effect on me. I stopped caring for myself in my dispair. That is a slippery slope that once you start down it's hard to climb back up. I used school to push through the pain. It worked for me because as long as I was studying, the family left me alone. I spent a lot of that study time processing my loss.
There was a lot of processing to be done.
I have a masters degree now. I keep saying it hoping that it will start to sound normal. If it doesn't, I don't mind that either.
It's been 2 years since my brother passed. When he died I only had a GED and a strong desire to reach a goal that I had set.
I'm not going to lie, that event has been one of the most transformative things I've ever experienced. I showed me how short life is. It showed me the true ephemeral nature of existence all in one single motion. Here today, gone tomorrow. I'd heard it a million times, and probably said it just as many. Then on August 12, BOOM! The true meaning of that phrase blew up in my face.
To me it was like a huge explosion that left me shellshocked, but alive. I could see and hear everything happening around me, but it wasn't registering.
The only thing I could do was Keep Moving Forward until the ringing in my head stopped.

Losing my brother in August was a hard hit for me. My birthday is also in August. Just a couple of days after. Ever since then, I observe Overdose Awareness Day on August 31 and National Recovery Month in September. This is a time to acknowledge those who have lost loved ones to drug overdose and to recognize the ongoing efforts of people working toward recovery from substance use disorders and mental illness. It’s also an opportunity to commend the work being done to support people in their recovery journeys. Overdoses are preventable, and recovery is possible.
Too many lives have been taken and too many people have been personally affected by overdose. Overdose can be attributed to many factors. For example, it can happen when an individual uses a substance that has been contaminated with highly potent opioids or other drugs or when the person misunderstands the dosage of the medication they are taking. Irrespective of the cause, overdose can have devastating, long lasting impacts in our communities and lives, but we also know that overdoses can be prevented.
Every community across our country has been impacted by the overdose crisis. And behind all of the statistics are families, friends, and communities that will be forever changed. Everyone has a role to play and observing Overdose Awareness Week and International Overdose Awareness Day provide an important opportunity to remember those who have been lost and recommit to doing everything we can to prevent substance use and overdose.

GED to Masters Degree

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You can do a million things correctly, but people will only remember that one thing you did wrong. I have way more than one thing for people to remember. I wasn't trying to give them anymore. The Ne'er-Do-Well Nerd was back and he wanted that degree. I ate very little, skipped way too many family events, I'm Sorry but I had to do this. I still love you Guys , but I had to chase that dream while I could.
I watched very little TV, and stayed up way too late on some nights writing papers. I didn't answer phone calls or text messages. I Still Don't for that matter. The Playstation built up a layer of dust so thick I thought it was gone. I cut myself off from the world. I was a man on a mission, the world be damned.
The hard work and sacrifice did pay off. In October 2023 I completed my BSCSIA. I wrapped up the MSCSIA just a few days ago. Fueled by grief I was able to propel myself from GED to Masters degree in 21 months, and spent less for both degrees than most people pay for 1 year at other schools.
WGU LOGO

The Ne'er-Do-Well Nerd is now the Do-Well Nerd.
I have graduated from Western Governors University with a Master's Degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurrance along wtih 15 active IT certifications.

I did it you guys!! After all the downs I finally got some ups.



  • CySA+ Certifications

    CompTIA CySA+ ce Certification Issued by CompTIA
    Earners of the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certification have the skills and knowledge to perform incident detection, prevention and response through continuous security monitoring. Includes analysis of indicators of malicious activity, threat hunting and threat intelligence concepts, appropriate tools and methods to manage, prioritize, and respond to attacks and vulnerabilities, performing incident response processes and understanding related reporting and communication concepts.

  • PenTest Certification

    CompTIA PenTest+ ce Certification Issued by CompTIA
    Earners of the CompTIA PenTest+ certification have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform hands-on penetration testing to identify, exploit, report and manage vulnerabilities on a network. CompTIA PenTest+ professionals have demonstrated the hands-on ability and knowledge to find vulnerabilities in newer environments such as cloud and hybrid, web applications, embedded devices, as well as traditional desktops and servers. These skills help organizations comply to regulations.

  • CNVP Certification

    CompTIA Network Vulnerability Assessment Professional – CNVP Stackable Certification Issued by CompTIA
    Earners of CompTIA Network Vulnerability Assessment Professional (CNVP) certification have the knowledge and skills required to scan applications and systems to identify vulnerabilities that can be used as a blueprint for improvements.

  • CIOS Certification

    CompTIA IT Operations Specialist – CIOS Stackable Certification badge image. Issued by CompTIA CompTIA IT Operations Specialist – CIOS Stackable Certification Issued by CompTIA
    Earners of the CompTIA IT Operations Specialist (CIOS) certification have the ability to manage the flow of a workplace and optimize day-to-day activities. These IT operations specialists have demonstrated the ability to analyze business operations and identify customer needs.

2024 Updates

I started my studies at WGU in May of 2022 and finished my Master's degree in August 2024. I took and passed 42 courses along the way. Some of them were easy, some of them very difficult. One thing I noticed though is that the easy classes were only easy because I had been using the technology they were teaching for over 20 years.

It took me 17 months to complete all the classes in the Bachelor's program and another 4 months to complete the Masters. I took a 6 month break between the two programs to try and prevent burnout. Some of these classes were intense and really stressful.
People have said that it could not have been that hard if I was able to do it so fast. To those people I say, read the above.
Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), they are not just giving out degrees. For almost 2 years straight I have been at my desk studying. While my family was out having fun, I stayed home and studied. When everyone else in the house was asleep, I was writing a paper. I was taking test when everyone else was at the movies. I made sacrifices to complete my degrees in the timeframe I did. I have a family that supported my efforts. It took that perfect storm of events for us to do this.
To the people who say this, I say; "Talk is Cheap." You do it and see how easy it is.

If I were trying to become an accountant or change my career to a new field I would still be studying. I think of it this way, if you ask a cab driver to get a degree in driving they will do it a lot faster than a pedestrian that doesn't have a driver's license yet. I didn't spend time in classes that I could pass right away.

I've had some of the CompTia certs for a long time. Getting them again was not as challenging for me as it would be for someone who is learning these concepts for the first time. My first operating system was DOS 6. I use Linux as a daily driver. I dabble in websites. I like to play with networks. I've been building computers for what seems like a lifetime.

My first set of COMPTia certs (A+, Network+, and Security+) are lifetime and don't expire. They also did not count for credit at WGU. When I had to take another A+ course I was a bit annoyed. Then I realized that passing this class would get me closer to the degree. It got much easier after that realization. I now have 2 sets of CompTia certs, but I only have to renew one. WGU is a great school for people who have expierience and need a degree. You set the schedule. Take classes when you have the time, live your life the rest of it.

If you are new to IT (i.e., you've been an accountant and want to transfer into IT) in general it can be done, but it's going to be a much heavier lift for you. I wouldn't count on finishing in 17 months, but it can be done.

If you need hand holding in order to learn, WGU is probably not for you. It is based on the compentency model where you show what you know. You only spend time learning things you can't test out of. Why spend time in a class that you can pass right away?

WGU BSCSIA Description

The following information is from the WGU BSCSIA program guide.

Bachelor of Science, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance

To meet an increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals, the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance (BSCSIA) degree program prepares IT professionals to apply knowledge and experience in vulnerability management, risk management, incident response, and cyber defense to safeguard data. Courses deliver proven methods for information security in the topics of penetration testing, network security, cloud security, scripting, intrusion detection, digital forensics, security operations, project management, cryptography, and Identity and Access Management (IAM) to prevent, detect, and mitigate cyberattacks. This program features nationally recognized, high demand certifications in the field of cybersecurity.

Understanding the Competency-Based Approach

Practically speaking, how do competency-based programs like those offered at Western Governors University (WGU) work? Unlike traditional universities, WGU does not award degrees based on completion of a certain number of credit hours or a certain set of required courses. Instead, you will earn your degree by demonstrating your skills, knowledge, and understanding of important concepts

Progress through a degree program is governed not by the amount of time you spend in class but by your ability to demonstrate mastery of competencies as you complete required courses.

The benefit of this competency-based system is that it enables students who are knowledgeable about a particular subject to make accelerated progress toward completing a degree, even if they lack college experience. You may have gained skills and knowledge of a subject while on the job, accumulated wisdom through years of life experience, or already taken a course on a particular subject. WGU will award your degree based on the skills and knowledge that you possess and can demonstrate—not the number of credits hours on your transcript. (WGU, 2023)

AplusNetworkPlus SecurityPlus CySaPlus PenTestPlus

IT Certifications Obtained as part of the Degree

ProjectPlus isc2 SSCP Axelos ITIL Linux Essentials