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Can You Start Tech at 41? + Why Certs Still Matter + Cloudflare Goes Down

Author

Michael Bowden
December 06, 2025

THE_LOG_FILES#SHOW LOG

IN TODAYS EMAIL:

  • Cloudflare Outage Shakes the Web — Here’s What Happened

  • 📑 Breaking Into Tech in Your 40s

  • Why IT Certifications STILL Matter in 2025 (The Truth You Need to Hear)

INDUSTRY TRENDS & NEWS:

Cloudflare Outage Shakes the Web — Here’s What Happened

⚙️ 

Ping

The internet had another rough day this week — and Cloudflare was at the center of it. A major outage knocked out access to LinkedIn, Zoom, and several other platforms, reminding everyone just how fragile the modern internet can be.

📑 

The Log

A Cloudflare service disruption on Friday temporarily broke access to major platforms including:

  • LinkedIn

  • Zoom

  • DoorDash

  • Medium

  • Shopify

  • And several high-traffic SaaS tools

The outage lasted around 25–30 minutes, but the impact was huge because Cloudflare sits in front of a massive portion of the internet.

🔍 What Caused It

Cloudflare confirmed that the issue came from a misconfigured firewall rule, not a cyberattack.

But one small change cascaded into widespread failures.

The incident highlights something every IT pro already knows:

The internet depends heavily on a small number of infrastructure providers — and when one goes down, everybody feels it.

🌐 Why It Matters

This outage is a real-world lesson for anyone studying networking, cloud, or cybersecurity.

Here’s what it reinforces:

  • Redundancy matters — single points of failure will always burn you.

  • Cloud is powerful but fragile — convenience comes with risk.

  • Outages are part of the job — and knowing how to diagnose them is a valuable skill.

  • Networking + cloud knowledge becomes more important every year.

Even big companies aren’t immune to downtime.

📎 Source

Read the full story here:

Key Takeaway

The internet is only as strong as its infrastructure — and outages like this prove how critical cloud, networking, and cybersecurity skills are becoming.

ADVICE AND TIPS:

📑 Breaking Into Tech in Your 40s

1. The Age Advantage — Why 41 Makes You a Safe Investment

At 41, you bring maturity, reliability, and real-world experience that companies value.

You’re past the job-hopping phase, and employers see you as a safer, more stable hire than many younger candidates.

You’re not too old — you’re actually an advantage.

2. Tech Is Built for Career Switchers

People enter tech from every background — retail, driving, hospitality, warehouses, military, security, and more.

At 41, you still have 20+ years to:

  • break into IT

  • grow into a specialty

  • increase your income

  • build a full career

You’re not late — you’re right on time.

3. If You Start a Bootcamp, Finish It

Bootcamps move fast and challenge you.

Most people fail because they start… but don’t finish.

If you invest your time and money, commit to:

  • completing every module

  • understanding the fundamentals

  • finishing the final projects

The real value of a bootcamp is at the end — not the beginning.

4. The Truth About Job Placement Programs

Bootcamps may offer job placement help, but nothing in tech hiring is guaranteed.

Your bootcamp should be your support, not your whole strategy.

You should still be:

  • applying on LinkedIn

  • attending job fairs

  • networking

  • practicing interviews

  • submitting résumés consistently

Your hiring timeline may be different — and that’s normal.

5. How to Make a Bootcamp Actually Work for You

1. Learn the material — don’t just check boxes.

You still have to interview and explain what you know.

2. Use every resource they offer.

Résumé help, mock interviews, coaching — take it all.

3. Apply while you’re learning.

Don’t wait until graduation.

4. Expect the process to take time.

Five months is great.

Eight or nine months is still success.

If you stay consistent, tech will open up for you.

Key Takeaway

41 isn’t late — it’s strategic.

Tech rewards:

  • discipline

  • focus

  • consistency

  • skill-building

If you finish what you start and stay committed, you can build a strong, long-term tech career starting today.

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:

My Amazon Store — books + gear to help you get started in IT

RECENT EPISODE:

Why IT Certifications STILL Matter in 2025 (The Truth You Need to Hear)

⚙️ 

Ping

Today we’re taking a real-world look at IT certifications — what they actually do for your career, why they still matter in 2025, and how they can help you break into tech or level up into higher-paying roles.

Certifications don’t guarantee a job, but they do give you something just as valuable: fundamentals, confidence, structure, and visibility. In a competitive job market, that’s what gets you in the room.

⸻

📑 

The Log

What Certifications REALLY Do for Your Career

If you’re debating whether certifications are worth it, here’s the breakdown of why they still move careers forward:

🚀 1. Certifications Create a Fast Path Into Tech

Certs are one of the quickest and most affordable ways to break into IT — no degree required.

You learn → you pass → you apply.

It’s direct, beginner-friendly, and perfect for career changers.

🌟 2. Certifications Help You Stand Out

Degrees are common.

Experience is common.

But certifications + experience? That’s where you separate yourself.

Hiring managers know that certs require discipline and real knowledge. They instantly boost your credibility — especially in competitive markets.

💰 3. Certifications Increase Your Earning Potential

Certs unlock new lanes:

  • Networking → CCNA, CCNP

  • Cybersecurity → Security+

  • Cloud → AWS, Azure

  • Systems → Linux+

Each cert makes it easier to pivot into specialty roles — and specialty roles come with specialty salaries.

📩 4. Certifications Attract Opportunities Automatically

Recruiters actively search for certs on LinkedIn.

When they see CCNA, Security+, AWS, Linux+, or CCNP on your profile, opportunities start finding you — even if you aren’t job hunting.

Better pay. Better roles. More visibility.

🧭 5. Certifications Give You Structure & a Clear Roadmap

Most beginners don’t fail because of motivation — they fail because of confusion.

Certifications fix that:

  • Clear exam objectives

  • Structured learning plan

  • Labs, videos, and practice tests

  • A defined path from 0 → job-ready

Certs replace guesswork with direction.

🔑 

Key Takeaway

Certifications won’t hand you a job — but they’ll give you clarity, confidence, structure, visibility, and leverage.

If you stack the right ones and stay consistent, they’ll move you much closer to the tech career you want.