2025-06-19 –, Main Stage
Want to transform your homelab hobby into career gold? This session flips the script on traditional homelab talks, showing you how to build practical experience that catches recruiters' eyes – without melting your electric meter. We'll explore how to design meaningful projects, translate them into powerful resume bullets, and discuss them confidently in interviews. From virtualization to containers, security to automation, learn how to make your homelab work for your career (dancing flamingos included!).
- Target Audience: Early to mid-career IT professionals and career changers
- Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
What's the perfect home lab? It's the one that lands you your next job! Forget about turning your spare room into a data center – this talk is about building a smart, strategic homelab that advances your career and gets you noticed.
We're flipping the script on traditional homelab discussions. Instead of focusing on fancy hardware specs or power-hungry setups, we'll explore how to:
- Build a practical lab environment on a shoestring budget
- Transform weekend projects into impressive resume bullets
- Master key technologies employers actually care about (think virtualization, containers, security)
- Make learning technical skills genuinely fun and engaging
Think of this as your career-boosting homelab blueprint. We'll cover exactly how to document your projects, translate them into resume gold, and discuss them confidently in interviews. Plus, you'll learn why dancing flamingos might just be the secret sauce your homelab needs!
This isn't about hoarding hardware – it's about strategically building experience that sets you apart from other candidates. Come learn how to make your homelab work smarter, not hotter, for your career growth!
Key Takeaways:
- A framework for choosing projects that maximize your career impact
- Templates for translating technical projects into powerful resume bullets
- Strategies for discussing your homelab experience in interviews
- Budget-friendly approaches to building meaningful technical skills
- The secret to keeping learning fun and sustainable (yes, flamingos involved!)
Chicago-based and proudly a natural creature of winter, I thrive on snow, OSS, and just the right amount of chaos. Whether sipping Grand Mayan Extra Añejo or warding off cyber threats with a mix of honeypots, magic spells, and a very opinionated flamingo named Sasha (the BSidesChicago.org mascot), I keep things interesting. Honeypots and refrigerators rank among my favorite things—though my neighbors would likely disagree.