[Cialug] Talks this month

[Josh More]

Hey everyone,

I'll be coming back to Des Moines in time for the LUG meeting this
month, as I'm presenting at B-Sides Iowa on Saturday.  If you like, I
can give either of those talks at the LUG too.  One of them is the job
talk you've all seen before, but revised since I wrapped up the book
on it.  The other is more thinky-related and about metaphors.

Let me know if you'd like me to do that, otherwise I can just show up
and hang out.

Here are the summaries:

Security Metaphors, Josh More
There is a divide between the so-called "security/technical" people
and the "business" people. We've all heard about how we need to "speak
the language of business" and "get soft skills" to succeed. However,
even after decades of trying, the divide still exists. Why does it
seem that we never make progress? Are we truly not improving? Is the
goal receding as we chase it? This presentation posits that we've been
making a fundamental error in trying to explain things to people
outside our field. One thing that people-oriented people do naturally
and technically-oriented people do not is communicate with others
using the target's metaphors. By taking this approach and translating
issues into different frames of reference, more time is spent
exploring the issue instead of arguing over why it matters.

Hacking the Job Market, Josh More
There is considerably more skill in the IT and security communities
than is reflected in the jobs people are able to attain. Most people's
limiting factor in their ability to get better jobs is not technical
skills or even the soft skills necessary to do well in a new job. It
is that getting a job is a completely different skill set and one that
most people only practice every few years. We live in a world where
our personal data is no longer ours to control. Fortunately, that
applies to our prospective employers as well. It's time to turn the
world's proliferation of data to our advantage. This presentation
explains the job hunting process, why the most commonly followed
models fail and how to better approach the search. It covers deciding
to leave your current job, researching new possible job opportunities,
targeting your new boss, controlling the job interview process and
negotiating your new compensation and the departure from your current
job.