Julian Waits: From Minister to Serial Entrepreneur in Cybersecurity

Early Aspirations and Career Pivot

• 💡 Julian Waits initially aspired to help society through a career in the military or as a Baptist minister and musician.
• 🎯 Recognizing the practicalities of professional musicianship, he pivoted towards technology, leveraging a knack for math and science.

Entry into Tech and Cybersecurity

• 🚀 His career began at Texaco, working on early computer networks and maintenance programming, which led to becoming a network-certified engineer.
• 🧠 At Compaq, he excelled in systems engineering, but his ADD led him to prefer client-facing roles over coding, moving into pre-sales and a passion for providing secure computing solutions.
• ⚠️ Even before the term 'cybersecurity' was common, he recognized the importance of security and compliance in digital environments.

Entrepreneurship and Diversity in Tech

• 🏙️ He moved to Washington D.C. seeking a diverse high-tech environment, which led to his first CEO role and co-founding a startup, Bradian.
• 🧩 Now a serial entrepreneur, he enjoys working with early-stage companies and bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to mature organizations like Rapid7.

Core Philosophy and Advice

• ❓ Waits emphasizes understanding the 'why' behind customer problems in cybersecurity, focusing on risk mitigation and rapid detection of compromises.
• 🤝 His key advice is to "You can't be it unless you can see it", encouraging individuals to find mentors and build relationships in their desired industries.
• 🚫 He challenges the fallacy that computer science and cybersecurity require superior math skills, highlighting the field's diversity gap and the vast number of job openings.

Legacy and Impact

• ❤️ Ultimately, Waits hopes his legacy will be defined by his desire to help and protect people, enabling them to live better lives through the knowledge and connections he shared.