Career Downloads

Career Downloads

Manuel Martinez hosts the Career Downloads podcast where he interviews a different guest each episode to learn about their individual and diverse backgrounds, job history, and techniques they use to manage their career. So plug in and download the knowledge.

Episodes

Thirty Years In Consulting, And Nobody Wrote The Job Description with Kim Snyder | Ep066

April 7, 2026 • 74 mins
Episode Information Show NotesKim Snyder graduated with three degrees in accounting, MIS, and entrepreneurship. Companies had no idea what to do with her. They weren’t ready for someone who wanted to do all three. So she built the career herself. Over the next 30+ years, Kim went from QA engineer to tech consultant to finance consultant to business owner, coach, and speaker. Her path wasn’t linear. It was strate...
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From Cold Calls To Consultancy with Parmjit Kaur | Ep065

March 31, 2026
Episode Information Show NotesWhat do you do when you get laid off at the biggest project management conference in the world? You work the room, go home, and build your own company.Parmjit Kaur did not set out to be a project manager. She wanted to be a Bollywood actress, then a doctor, then a teacher, then a radio host. What she became was one of the more interesting career stories you will hear – born in Scotl...
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From Zoology Major to Tech Sales Executive with Rodney Detrick | Ep064

March 24, 2026 • 92 mins
Episode Information Show NotesHe has spent 30 years in tech sales. He has almost never gone through a formal interview.Every major opportunity in Rodney Detrick’s career came from a relationship he had already built. Not a resume. Not an online application. Someone who knew him, trusted him, and opened a door. This episode is about how that happens – and what else Rodney has learned in three decades of selling, ...
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From Secretary to Cloud Director with Rhonda Lemke | Ep063

March 17, 2026 • 84 mins
Episode Information Show NotesThe people you least expect are watching your career. Rhonda Lemke built nearly 30 years in technology on that truth.Her career started at Arthur Anderson, where she worked as a secretary and executive assistant. A mentor asked her at 19 to quit her job, move in with her, and go to college. That moment set everything in motion. From there, Rhonda worked her way through help desk man...
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From Casino Floors to Cybersecurity at 38 with Michael Steffen | Ep062

March 10, 2026 • 92 mins
Episode Inforrmation Show NotesWhat does it take to walk away from a 20-year career in hospitality and start over in tech at 38 with no degree, no certifications, and no hard skills? For Michael Steffen, it started with a jiu-jitsu training partner telling him he was miserable and handing him a Security+ study guide. He passed. He volunteered at DEF CON for three years. He’s now in targeted account sales in cybe...
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From Programmer to CIO with Dennis Moriarity | Ep061

March 3, 2026 • 80 mins
Episode Information Show NotesHis father got tired of him playing video games. So he threw a book at him. Thirty years later, Dennis Moriarity is Chief Information Officer at Link Technologies in Las Vegas, and the book his dad threw “Learn C in 24 Hours” started everything. Dennis grew up in LA and wanted to be a police officer. He applied to the LA Sheriff’s Department at 18 and didn’t get in. He started a business during the dot...
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From Culinary School to Tech Sales Director with Bri Haralson | Ep060

February 24, 2026 • 74 mins
Episode Information Show Notes Bri Haralson wanted to be a chef. Sixteen years later she’s the Director of SLED at Cribl, one of the most connected people in the Southwest public sector tech community, and about to step into her next leadership role. Nobody mapped this out. That’s kind of the point. Bri grew up in Arizona, one of the rare native Arizonans. She started college for culinary studies at Northern Arizona University, ...
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From Building PCs To Protecting A Pro Sports Team with Andrew Ferrall | Ep059

February 10, 2026 • 93 mins
Episode Information Show Note Ever wonder how someone goes from desktop support to protecting a professional sports team’s entire digital infrastructure? Andrew Ferrall’s career path shows that there’s no single route to landing your dream job in technology. As IT Security Architect for a professional sports organization, Andrew protects one of the most recognized franchises in professional sports from cyber threats. But his jour...
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From Division I Athlete to Senior IT instructor with Art Green III | Ep058

February 3, 2026 • 76 mins
Episode Information Show Notes Sometimes the career you’re meant for finds you through the most unexpected path. Art Green III, Senior IT Workforce Programs Instructor at Tech Impact, joins Career Downloads to share his journey from college athlete to tech instructor helping disadvantaged students launch IT careers. His story is a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and finding fulfillment through service. Guest Background:...
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From Art Student to IT Manager with Mike Green | Ep057

January 27, 2026 • 86 mins
Episode Information Show Notes Mike Green didn’t start out planning a career in technology. As a passionate art student in small-town New York, he faced a tough decision: pursue a field he loved with uncertain job security, or pivot to the growing computer industry. He chose computers, and 25+ years later, he’s never looked back. Today, Mike manages the Digital Services Division for Clark County, Nevada IT, leading four distinct ...
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From Rock Bottom to Tech Leadership with Ray Freeman | Ep056

January 20, 2026 • 89 mins
Episode Information Show Notes The Week That Changed Everything Ray Freeman’s tech career includes a chapter most people would rather forget. After the 2008 financial crisis, Ray lost his job, his wife lost hers, and their six-bedroom Houston house became a financial prison. Eventually, Ray spent a week sleeping in his car while working contract IT jobs. Today, Ray is President and Chief Strategy Officer of RTS Premier Solutions,...
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Building a Sales Career Through Authentic Relationships with Rebekah Panepinto | Ep055

January 13, 2026 • 65 mins
Episode Information Show NotesWhat happens when a drummer who played for 10,000 people realizes the music business won’t pay the bills? Rebekah Panepinto shares her unconventional journey from Nashville musician to successful Account Executive, proving that your next career move might come from the least expected place.This conversation goes deep on how relationships trump resumes, why being visible matters more...
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Networking Your Way Into Your Dream Role with Chelsey Bonilla | Ep054

January 6, 2026 • 67 mins
Episode Information Show NotesBreaking into a major tech company requires more than submitting applications online. Chelsey Bonilla shares how strategic networking, intentional preparation, and genuine curiosity helped her land an account executive role at Gartner, despite not having a traditional technical background.Guest Background:Chelsey Bonilla is an Account Executive at Gartner, one of the world’s leading...
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The Career Built on Course Corrections with Ruben Sarino | Ep053

December 30, 2025 • 75 mins
Episode Information Show NotesWhat happens when you stop planning your career and start asking better questions?Ruben Sarino didn’t set out to co-found an AI security company. The path from military kid bouncing between six countries to RiskHorizon AI co-founder included selling car parts, packaging California honey, working Apple retail, cold calling at CrowdStrike, and several stops in between.None of it was p...
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From Geology Research to Cybersecurity Leadership: Aakin Patel | Ep052

December 23, 2025 • 68 mins
Episode Information Show NotesSometimes the best careers are the ones you never planned. Aakin Patel went to school for geology. He spent years studying plate tectonics and doing computational modeling. The plan was academia. But grad school revealed something important. The academic life he imagined wasn’t the reality he wanted. So he pivoted. He took his Unix skills from graduate research and landed a job as...
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Communication Over Technical Skills: Simon Robert’s Journey from Age 7 to MSP Owner | Ep051

December 16, 2025 • 83 mins
Episode Information Show NotesFrom Age 7 to MSP Owner: Simon Robert’s IT Journey Simon Robert’s IT career started earlier than most, at just 7 years old, he was already fixing computers his father brought home. Now, as President of Novbox in Las Vegas, Simon runs a managed service provider that helps businesses stay secure and operational. In this episode, Simon shares the honest reality of running an IT busin...
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Conflict Resolution for Tech Careers with Yvette Durazo | Ep050

December 9, 2025 • 77 mins
Episode Information Show NotesTechnical skills land you the job. People skills determine everything that comes next. Yvette Durazo brings conflict resolution expertise to Silicon Valley tech companies. As a professional mediator and coach, she helps technical professionals navigate the transition into leadership roles. She teaches at universities and works with companies to build conflict intelligence throughou...
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From Small Town North Carolina to Leading Tech for 2.3 Million People with Bob Leek | Ep049

December 2, 2025 • 73 mins
Episode Information Show Notes What happens when you combine curiosity, willingness to take chances, and genuine interest in people? You get Bob Leek’s career story – a journey from a small town in North Carolina to becoming CIO of Clark County, Nevada. Bob didn’t start with a master plan. He got an accounting degree, landed in retail finance, and complained about IT systems so much they moved him to technology. His path through ...
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From Ukraine to Tech Sales Consultant with Vika Nevmyvakova | Ep048

November 25, 2025 • 83 mins
Episode Information Show Notes Episode Summary: Vika Nevmyvakova’s career path looks nothing like she planned. She arrived in the US from Ukraine at 20 with law school dreams. No resources to make it happen. No network. No connections. She took whatever jobs paid bills. Call centers. Customer service. The work most people see as stepping stones, she turned into skill-building. That’s where she discovered she loved talking to pe...
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Breaking Into Tech Without a Degree: From Middle School Admin to Chief of Staff with Jazmin Diaz | Ep047

September 9, 2025
Episode Information Show NotesJazmin Diaz’s career story dismantles the myth that you need perfect credentials to succeed in technology. Her path from middle school administrative assistant to Chief of Staff at a cybersecurity company demonstrates how curiosity, authenticity, and strategic relationship-building can accelerate professional growth.Episode Highlights:Jazmin shares her unique background growing up b...
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