Career Journey & Vision

Statement

Defensive cybersecurity and network automation engineer focused on keeping critical infrastructure online under pressure. I build EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, NGFW/IPS guardrails, and IaC pipelines that satisfy Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) while delivering repeatable pre-flight validation. My recent work blends PyATS, pfSense, HAProxy, GNS3, and Guacamole into containerized training ranges so operators can rehearse before a live cutover.

I am targeting remote-first teams working on defensive cyber operations, contested-spectrum communications, and the resilient technologies being proven on the ground in Ukraine. My ideal role combines hands-on Python/Ansible automation, SIEM/SOAR integrations, and red-to-blue lab environments where lessons learned become source-controlled documentation.

Bring me in when you need someone who treats infrastructure as code, writes the lab manuals, and hardens the network so your mission survives the next incident. Let's talk if that is the kind of defensive posture you want to scale.

Metadata

• Author: Graham Paasch
• Document lineage: Career Journey & Vision
• Primary revision: v0.1.1+c93dfa9 (captured 2025-10-14 14:58:17Z)
• Source entries referenced: Career Journey & Vision (2025-09-07)

Long Form Narrative

Building a Meaningful Future in Technology

What I Love Doing

• Peaceful quiet solitude: Being in an environment where deep thinking is possible without constant distraction.
• Purposeful impact: Tackling critical issues such as AI alignment, environmental sustainability, mental health, obesity, healthcare improvement, and elevating human well-being.
• Deep engagement: Immersing myself in meaningful work driven by genuine passion.
• Leveraging unique talents: Thriving in roles that blend juggling, music, and technology while funding high-quality instruments, an AI home lab, and performance spaces that let me host concerts like John Harbison.
• Continuous growth environment: Learning from respected mentors and happily being the least experienced, skilled, and intelligent person in the room.
• Healthy, resilient culture: Working in environments that promote employee health through science-based training, plant-based diets, adequate rest, and meaningful rewards such as cash bonuses or vacations.
• Collaborative and inspired coworkers: Partnering with colleagues who maintain peak health, pursue meaningful hobbies, and actively engage in personal growth, especially those who love juggling.
• Optimized remote work: Operating in remote-first settings designed for longevity, with minimal unnecessary meetings or commuting, ideally on a 32-hour, four-day schedule, and punctuated by energizing retreats.
• Psychologically advanced organizations: Thriving in cultures that value cutting-edge psychological research, encourage truth-seeking dialogue, celebrate evidence-based decisions, and support mental health.
• Meaningful outcomes: Delivering tangible, impactful results that address critical societal issues.

What I Hate Doing

• Meaningless tasks: Roles with arbitrary goals or false promises of autonomy that erode impact.
• Fear-based cultures: Environments where criticism replaces coaching, or frameworks like performance reviews, design thinking, or agile are weaponized.
• Harmful work: Developing or promoting products and services that damage society, including unhealthy food, environmental harm, isolation-promoting tech, or weaponization.
• Incompetent hierarchies: Navigating arbitrary power structures run by demonstrably unqualified leaders.
• Passionless roles: Teams filled with uninspired individuals who resent the work.
• Toxic micromanagement: Organizations that demand surprise overtime, reward firefighting over prevention, or punish careful, thoughtful execution.
• Replaceable roles: Positions that treat workers as interchangeable and ignore individual craft.
• Unhealthy corporate cultures: Workplaces that glorify burnout, grind culture, and low-return sacrifice.
• Communication challenges: Spaces that discourage open, safe dialogue and refuse to accommodate mental health needs.
• Unrealistic expectations: Ambiguous roles with impossible goals and no interest in recalibration.
• Pointless participation: Any environment that feels like a meaningless cult.

Must-Haves

Work from Home

I want to be a global citizen who attends the European Juggling Convention every year, owns property abroad, builds relationships wherever they flourish, and maintains a location-independent life. Remote work lets me control my nutrition, practice routines, and workplace setup so that work becomes a vehicle for health and security rather than just obligation.

High Salary

Entering my second decade as a technology professional, I must sustain income above 100,000 USD and target 200,000 USD by the decade's close. Without that trajectory I would rather invest in professional viola performance, juggling, or other creative endeavors that better honor my time.

Artificial Intelligence

I am fully committed to the coming AI revolution. I expect an "feel the AGI" moment around 2027 and want to be in the room when it happens, similar to the shift from horses to the Model T.

Diversified Income

I want to work with people who actively monetize their side pursuits. My dream is to be compensated for music and juggling instead of subsidizing them. After significant investment in instruments, education, and practice, I currently pay to perform. I imagine a world where everyday hobbies receive the same cultural and financial support as addictive habits, and I want my workplace to reflect that value.

Respect for the Arts

Fine arts are undervalued in U.S. culture. My next company must actively celebrate and support artists. An ideal example is a robotics firm studying master violinists, or a longevity company using juggling proficiency as a metric for aging.

Organic Intelligence

I want to collaborate with intelligent people who default to the smartest action without unnecessary drama, and I have no interest in working with self-proclaimed nightmare people.

Impact

I want to do something big and be part of the AI revolution.

Must-Nots

• Authoritarianism or "because the boss said so" directives, especially last-minute overtime that corrects preventable mistakes.
• Penny-pinching cultures that flatten performance, pile on hierarchy, or create meaningless title inflation.
• Teams with anyone proudly identifying as a nightmare person.
• Work that is evil, grifty, exploitative, or cruel, even if I remain curious about responsible drone tech.
• Companies that perpetuate needless problems, such as health insurers resisting systemic reform.
• Standard American culture rewards like pizza parties, wings, and cake in place of real recognition.
• Any environment where my uniqueness is undervalued and my voice does not count.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Technical ability: Genuine passion for technology and rapid upskilling in service of the mission.
• Deep network engineering expertise: Ten years in networking, CCNP Enterprise and JNCIP Service Provider certified, with a JNCIE attempt logged.
• Software development: Professional Python experience and personal tooling projects (for example, simpleharmonymaker.com); active "vibe coding" habit backed by a strong GitHub heatmap.
• Lifelong learner: Nearly 1,000 educational videos on YouTube covering networking, Python, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.
• Leadership and mentorship: Volunteer coach with the Agile Learning Institute and former networking school teaching assistant.
• AI realist: Clear-eyed assessment of the coming decade, active on Hugging Face, and daily AI use for personal well-being.
• Community engagement: Core member of the Texas Juggling Society and the Central Texas Medical Orchestra.
• Self-awareness: Open about disability diagnoses and engaged in ongoing treatment with licensed professionals.

Weaknesses

• Social connectedness: Mental health challenges, including excoriation disorder, can make me the odd one out; I seek environments that actively support health.
• Limited cloud experience: Primarily on-prem networking background; closing AWS, Azure, and GCP gaps through self-study despite motivational hurdles.
• Software best practices: Much of my past coding has been glue work; I am actively leveling up testing and engineering rigor.
• Selective opportunity focus: Strong preferences around remote work, values alignment, and health-compatible schedules narrow immediate market fit.

Career Goals

Short-Term Goal: Pivot Away from Traditional Network Engineering

Transition into modern, future-proof roles such as AI engineering, AI infrastructure, cloud engineering, or cybersecurity.

Long-Term Vision: Entrepreneurship and Leadership

Build a tech company that reflects my values with a people-first, remote-first culture that redefines what work can be. I want to explore lucrative niches powered by AI, such as AI-enhanced adult music education that delivers personalized, flexible instruction.

Short Form Snapshot (2025-09-14)

Values

• Evidence-based, health-positive, respectful collaboration.
• High-signal communication with minimal meetings.
• Continuous learning and mentorship.

Constraints

• Limited synchronous availability; prefer asynchronous workflows when possible.
• Require clear agendas and documented outcomes.

Red Lines

• No grifting, exploitation, or harmful use cases.
• No handling or storing of sensitive PII beyond necessity.
• No authoritarian or fear-based cultures.

Collaboration Style

• Direct and concise, with citations when relevant.
• Favor measurable outcomes over vague claims.

---

Copyright 2025 Graham Paasch
For Agents | Agent Manifest | Agent Card
Revision v0.1.1+c93dfa9 | 2025-10-14 14:58:17Z

Contact

• Graham Paasch
• Austin, TX (Madison-first, remote OK)
• 608-620-4651
• grahampaasch@gmail.com
• linkedin.com/in/grahampaasch
• youtube.com/channel/UCg3oUjrSYcqsL9rGk1g_lPQ

Professional Summary

Senior network engineer and automation specialist with 10 years building and securing service-provider and enterprise networks. Blend deep Juniper and Cisco expertise (MX, SRX, Catalyst, Nexus, ACI) with Python and Ansible pipelines that deliver pre-checks, canary releases, auto-rollback, and observability guardrails. Recent projects include PyATS-based FTTH lab automation and a 40-hour NetDevOps curriculum backed by homelab validation. Targeting roles where EVPN-VXLAN segmentation, NGFW/IPS, and infrastructure-as-code improve reliability, security, and velocity.

Core Skills and Technologies

• Service-provider networking: Juniper MX/SRX, Nokia OLT/BNG, GPON/XGSPON, DWDM, SONET
• Cisco engineering: ACI underlay and overlay, Catalyst, Nexus, ASR 9000, IOS
• Automation and tooling: Python (PyATS, Netmiko, Paramiko, ixnetwork_restpy), Git, CI/CD, REST/JSON/XML/YAML, basic Ansible
• Routing and switching: BGP, OSPF, MPLS, LDP, VXLAN/EVPN, HSRP/GLBP, PIMv2, IGMP
• Security and VPN: IPsec, RADIUS, TACACS+, NGFW/IPS lab exposure (Palo Alto, F5 BIG-IP)
• Observability and documentation: SolarWinds, SevOne, Splunk, automated Visio builds, standards authorship
• Cloud fundamentals: Coursework and labs across AWS, Azure, and GCP networking

Professional Experience

Google Fiber Lab — QA Automation Software Engineer (Networking) (via Insight Global)

Austin, TX (Remote) | Jan 2024 - Oct 2024

• Built PyATS-based automation that validates FTTH lab environments spanning Juniper MX/SRX, Nokia OLT/BNG, GPON, and XGSPON platforms.
• Developed Python tooling with ixnetwork_restpy, Netmiko, Paramiko, and Polatis SCPI to drive pre-flight checks and regression suites.
• Established GitHub workflows with pull requests, branching policies, and Jira integration; coached peers on rebasing, merging, and code review hygiene.
• Delivered recurring slide reviews and live demos via Google Meet, translating complex test results into actionable decisions.

Amazon — Network Engineer III (via Apex Systems)

Cupertino, CA (Remote) | Nov 2022 - Apr 2023

• Gathered, validated, and published configuration data into AWS version-control repositories to support hyperscale datacenter turn-ups.
• Configured Linux hosts and Juniper TOR switches using Python-driven automation aligned with DevOps practices.
• Diagnosed routing and optical issues by applying expertise in BGP, OSPF, DWDM, and SONET to maintain availability targets.

Arm — Network Administrator (via Hays)

Austin, TX (Hybrid) | Jun 2022 - Nov 2022

• Racked, stacked, and configured an internal Cisco ACI lab while documenting the build and earning 40 Cisco continuing education credits.
• Maintained monitoring, runbooks, and configuration hygiene across a follow-the-sun operations model.
• Partnered with global peers to resolve incidents quickly and keep business-critical services stable.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise — Senior Network Engineer (via Mainz Brady Group)

United States (Remote) | Jun 2020 - May 2022

• Supported management networks for legacy supercomputers, redesigning topologies to eliminate spanning-tree loops and proposing Clos architectures.
• Authored Python tooling to generate configurations from spreadsheets, reducing deployment effort across multiple supercomputer families.
• Guided stakeholders through architecture choices, capacity planning, and resiliency strategies using Git, Bitbucket, and GitHub collaboration.
• Engineered temporary resource-sharing overlays that kept R&D teams productive despite global supply constraints.

Spectrum Enterprise — Network Developer II

Austin, TX | Aug 2019 - Jun 2020

• Delivered CI/CD pipelines and automation for Blue Planet MDSO to enable zero-touch service lifecycle orchestration.
• Added Cisco ASR 9000 automation features and Python-based telemetry collection to cut troubleshooting time.
• Operated within a full agile cadence (sprints, standups, demos, retrospectives) to align network engineering and software delivery teams.

Spectrum Enterprise — Network Engineer II

Austin, TX | Jul 2017 - Aug 2019

• Planned, designed, and deployed network infrastructure, leading complex configuration and troubleshooting efforts for Metro Ethernet Forum services.
• Hardened Cisco ACS command restrictions, preventing outages tied to switchport trunk misconfigurations.
• Trained and mentored 20 engineers on advanced routing, TACACS failover, and packet analysis.
• Co-developed JavaScript-based configuration forms and Git workflows that improved consistency across teams.

Charter Communications — Network Specialist I

Madison, WI | May 2015 - Jul 2017

• Created Python automation to generate Visio diagrams and enable TACACS on CPE, reducing manual effort from hours to minutes.
• Led field technicians through RFC 2544 testing, failover drills, and recovery of a core router supporting government networks.
• Served as a primary project resource for MP-BGP, MPLS, QoS, IS-IS, and OSPF initiatives, partnering with principal engineers on provider-edge turn-ups.

Education

• Associate of Applied Science, Information Technology (Network Specialist) | Madison Area Technical College | 2015

Certifications

• Cisco Certified Network Professional Routing and Switching (CCNP-RS) | Issued 2016, expired 2022
• Juniper Networks Certified Internet Professional Service Provider (JNCIP-SP) | Issued 2019, expired 2022 | Completed prerequisites and sat for JNCIE-SP

Projects

• juggling_coach: Python video-analysis toolkit that applies the Claude Shannon juggling theorem to deliver actionable feedback; includes CLI and demo video.
• Austin Events Today: Web-scraping project that reorders local event listings chronologically, showcased on YouTube for educational outreach.
• TechYes Public Learning Channel: Produced nearly 1,000 videos spanning networking, Python, AI tooling, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Community and Volunteering

• Mentor | Agile Learning Institute | 2023 - Present | Provide pro bono coaching for underrepresented software engineers through accelerated curricula.
• Juggler | Texas Juggling Society | 2017 - Present | Perform at community events to fund a free and open juggling collective in Austin, TX.

Honors and Awards

• Charter Achievement Award (2018): Recognized for large-scale Python automation that secured 25,000 CPE devices and prevented trunking outages.
• International Jugglers Association Numbers Medals: Multiple awards for 10-club passing performances.