208: From Air Force to Six-Figure Cloud Engineer

Check us out on Patreon: https://patreon.com/techtualchatter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In today's latest episode of The TechTual Talk, Host HD & Cybershortieee interview Equasha, a cloud security engineer and founder of Tech E Consulting. In this unfiltered conversation, the Air Force veteran exposes the reality of breaking into cloud tech, calling out the massive lie that a basic certification guarantees an immediate six-figure salary. She shares her transition from network engineering in the military to civilian tech , why she is purely motivated by money to fund her luxury lifestyle , and her experiences navigating corporate spaces as a Black woman. Equasha also dives into her wild "professional side quests" as a volunteer firefighter and search-and-rescue public safety diver. From calling out incompetent managers to revealing why most company infrastructure is secretly "held together by gum and rope" , this episode is packed with raw truths, career guidance, and free gems. Watch now! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get your It pro career packages here : https://app.techtualconsulting.tech/bundles/ Book a call: https://calendly.com/techtuaulconsulting join the discord here: https://discord.gg/8jryx9CUxw ask your pod questions here: [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ➡️ Follow us on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techtualchatter/ TIkTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@techtualchatter Twitter: https://twitter.com/TechtualChatter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-davis/ Follow Cybershortieee Youtube: @Cybershortieee Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cybershortieee/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cybershortieee Follow the Pod: https://www.instagram.com/techtualtalk/ Follow Equasha: https://www.instagram.com/tech_e_ https://www.tiktok.com/@tech_e_ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Service and Sisterhood Intro 00:00:00 Intro 06:50 Professional Sidequester 10:30 ADHD and Late Diagnosis 18:58 Military to Civilian Pivot 24:04 Starting TechE Consulting 28:20 Yacht Dreams and Discipline 29:29 AWS vs Azure in GovTech 31:40 Health Tech vs Gov Speed 33:14 Cloud Native Reality Check 40:53 Tech Skills in Public Safety 43:01 Delta Mentorship Mission 47:05 Hot Seat Cloud Career Myths 56:48 Black Women in Tech 01:04:10 Networking Fundamentals OSI Subnetting 01:12:20 Volunteer Firefighter Life 01:18:40 Burnout and Self Care 01:25:30 Conference Hacks and Networking