DEV Community: Layne Walker

7/27/26

Layne Walker — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:10:07 +0000

I did a bit more work in LabEx today. I'm getting really good at moving files in Linux. Not sure what the hell to do with them, but I can move them around.

Waiting on 3 emails so I can make a move toward classes.

7/24/26

Layne Walker — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:44:56 +0000

Today I played around with CiscoNet (this is just what I'm gonna call it, it's easier) module 4 and did my first Packet Tracer exercise. That took most of the afternoon and made me very tired. I couldn't figure out why one part wasn't working, but the instructions had left something out. I was so proud when I finally got it. I'm not finding this stuff especially hard yet. I hope it stays that way. I did ok on the quiz I took without taking any notes, but I will go back and copy more stuff down when I am less fried.

Yup. Here I am.

Layne Walker — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:35:10 +0000

I spent more time in Cisco academy today. It was simple stuff like how to set up Bluetooth and how to get your device hooked into the wifi. I did learn that tethering was a thing, but I need to look into it a bit more to understand it properly.

Sent a few more emails to the college. May have finally found the correct advisor. Hooray.

more self study

Layne Walker — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:21:40 +0000

I have spent 2 days in the Cisco networking basics track. I have been through modules 1 and 2.

I learned (including but not limited to):
Bandwidth and throughput
Connectivity options
ISP services/connection types
End devices
Network infrastructure
Network components
Bits and bytes
Network types

Fried brain, time to knock off for today.

Log, self-study

Layne Walker — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:57:16 +0000

I FINALLY found what it is I need to be doing. I'm pretty sure I'm going into networking/sysadmin, possibly cloud. Maybe both if I can pull it off. I am seeing an advisor this weekend.

I want to play around on the CISCO website but I'm otherwise occupied this week. One day at a time, man.

Self-Study Log

Layne Walker — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:13:33 +0000

I've been busy doing life stuff today, but I did sit down with some CompTIA practice questions and didn't do too bad. I could only do a few free ones before I hit the paywall, but they made a good bit of sense to me. I didn't get them all right, but even for the ones I didn't know, a lot of times I guessed correctly with a little thought. I actually got excited when I had the correct answer.

So my goals are:
CompTIA A+
Linux
SQL

I will see an advisor at the local community college probably this weekend.

Self-study day 5

Layne Walker — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 21:29:22 +0000

I spent today playing around in Linux. I spent some time on coddy.tech and learned how to get around in folders and start a portfolio.

I didn't spend much time on KQL today. After doing more research, security isn't for me. I think I would do better as a sysadmin or data analyst. I will pivot to SQL starting Monday.

I hate AI. Hate. It. I'm still using it to teach myself the basics, but it does like to run in circles. I may not progress as quickly as I'd like.

I got one step closer to speaking with an advisor. I'm ready. Tired of being broke.

KQL Self-Study Day 3

Layne Walker — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 20:14:30 +0000

Still working through the KC7 content. More of the same: following breadcrumbs through ADX. I think the biggest hurdle is fighting their interface - I will have the answer, but if it isn't typed in just exactly right, I get the question wrong. That is...frustrating.

I finished their Security Analyst I curriculum and got some badges.

I installed WSL/Ubuntu on my machine late this afternoon. Now I will need to learn how Linux works.

TIL - VirusTotal

Layne Walker — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:02:24 +0000

Today I learned about Virustotal.com and how to get around in it. I have yet to learn what all the information actually is and how it's all related, but I can get around in it.

I also learned about attack.mitre.org. That's a huge database and it's gonna take me a minute to learn to navigate it. I understand automation is possible, but that's a lesson for far down the line.

I spent some time this morning doing another mock ADX investigation. I'm starting to get the hang of KQL and actually find it enjoyable, but timestamps gave me such a headache I had to set it aside. I couldn't get it to show me timestamps when all I had was a date (10/8/24). I was able to get the information I needed, but I had to sort the table rather than call up a specific date.

My brain is fried, so I am stopping for the day.

Starting KQL

Layne Walker — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:10:21 +0000

I have always liked to twiddle with computers and dig around in files. It's time for me to do a career pivot, so I'm teaching myself what computer concepts I can to prepare for further education and a future career.

I have to start somewhere, so I have decided to learn KQL. Last week, I started the free curriculum at kc7cyber.com. As of this writing, I have finished 5 modules of 44. I'm not going to go into what everything means just yet, but so far I have learned:

The 9 basic tables that map out an enterprise network.

Core operators like ==, contains, !contains, has, take, distinct, and count.

How to use the let command to define variables.

How to take notes and comment inside the Azure Data Explorer (ADX) interface.

From what I can tell, it's not super different from using filters in Excel, you can just get more specific in what you're looking for.