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Wireshark, Certs & Getting IT Experience Without a Job 🧠

Author

Michael Bowden
July 19, 2025

THE_LOG_FILES#SHOW LOG

IN TODAYS EMAIL:

  • No Experience? No Problem. Here’s How to Get It.

  • đź’Ľ My Amazon Tech Store

  • WCA: WireShark Certified Analyst

ADVICE AND TIPS:

🧠 No Experience? No Problem. Here’s How to Get It.

Too many aspiring IT pros hear this after applying:

“You look good on paper, but you don’t have experience.”

Let’s fix that.

đź’Ľ 6 Real Ways to Gain IT Experience

  1. Internships & Work-Study

    Still in school? Target internships or on-campus IT jobs. Bonus: many of these lead to full-time roles post-grad.

  2. Volunteer Locally

    Churches, community centers, and non-profits need tech help. You gain experience—they get support.

  3. Network Like It’s a Job

    Go to tech meetups, mixers, or simply talk to folks. Your next opportunity might come from a conversation, not a resume.

  4. Home Labs & Personal Projects

    Build a home lab or code a small app. Tangible proof of skills > buzzwords on LinkedIn.

  5. Shadow IT Teams

    Already working somewhere with an IT department? Ask to shadow. You’ll learn and get known—both are valuable.

  6. Freelance on Platforms Like Field Nation

    Set up tech, troubleshoot hardware, and get paid. Every ticket is résumé gold.

⚡ Real Talk

Getting started takes hustle. It won’t always be easy.

But every ticket, lab, and conversation stacks up.

You are building experience—one step at a time.

🧰 Resource of the Week:

đź’Ľ My Amazon Tech Store

Everything I recommend to level up your lab and study setup.

🛒 Browse gear I trust → https://www.amazon.com/shop/debtfreeinitwmike

OUTRO:

WCA: WireShark Certified Analyst

This week, we’re talking about a tool every IT pro should have in their back pocket: Wireshark.

If you’ve ever dealt with a slow network, suspicious traffic, or just wanted to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes—Wireshark is your go-to.

🔍 What’s in the Episode:

I cover the basics and something new:

✔️ What Wireshark actually does

✔️ Real-world use cases (yep, including troubleshooting + security)

✔️ The Wireshark Certified Analyst (WCA) cert

✔️ Who should consider it, what it covers, and the cost

✔️ Whether it’s worth adding to your cert list

🎥 Watch here → Wireshark + WCA Breakdown

⚡ Quick Take:

Wireshark isn’t just for packet nerds.

If you’re in IT—especially networking or security—this is a skill worth learning and a cert worth knowing.

Let me know if you’ve used Wireshark before or if the cert’s on your radar. 👇

— Mike

DebtFreeinIT