Diamond Forbes: From Homelessness to Security Engineer

About The Guest:
Diamond Forbes is a security engineer at Google with over eight years of experience in the field. He started his career in the Army National Guard as an IT specialist and network engineer. Diamond has worked in various roles, including help desk, system admin, and senior network engineer. He has a passion for learning and has self-taught himself many skills, including coding and cybersecurity. Diamond is known for his resilience and ability to overcome failures, which has led him to success in his career.

Summary:
Diamond Forbes shares his inspiring journey from being homeless and working at McDonald's to becoming a security engineer at Google. He talks about his early interest in hacking and how he joined the Army National Guard as an IT specialist. Diamond shares his experiences in different roles, including help desk, system admin, and network engineer. He emphasizes the importance of embracing failure and using it as a learning opportunity. Diamond also discusses the value of self-teaching and the impact of networking on his career. He shares his transition into security and the skills he developed, including coding and DevSecOps. Diamond encourages listeners to stay curious, put themselves out there, and be well-rounded in their skill set.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace failure and use it as a learning opportunity.
• Don't sell yourself short and showcase your skills and experience confidently.
• Be curious and continuously learn new things to stay relevant in the industry.
• Put yourself out there and develop strong networking skills.
• Develop a well-rounded skill set and be open to learning different things.

Quotes:

• "I failed a lot, actually. But that was like my biggest teacher in personal life and in my career." -Diamond Forbes
• "Don't sell yourself short, especially if you're very ambitious."
• "Don't let imposter syndrome deter you from anything." -Diamond Forbes
• "Broaden your skill set, it's not just about your technical skills." -Diamond Forbes
• "Try to be as well-rounded as possible and you can do anything at that point." -Diamond Forbes

Socials and Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/diamondforbes/