We are excited to welcome Betty Dubois as a delegate at the upcoming Tech Field Day event in September! Betty is the Chief Detective for Packet Detectives and an active member and SharkFest presenter in the Wireshark community. You can see more about Betty on Twitter at @PacketDetective, on the Tech Field Day Website, or at her personal site, https://bettydubois.com. Without any further ado, let’s learn a little more about Betty!
How did you get into technology and IT?
I started out in Accounting. Our company was bought and suddenly my boss (who ran the network) had way too much work to handle. He asked me, “you seem good with computers, do you want to run the network?”. That was back in 1993 and I never looked back.
What do you do now? Tell us a little about your current role.
I’m an Instructor/Consultant. I teach network and application troubleshooting with Wireshark. Then, about a quarter of the time, I consult for companies who are experiencing network or application slowdowns. Sometimes I go onsite, which is very fun. Sometimes they send me pcaps to analyze. It’s a good blend, teaching gives me the joy of that “aha” moment when a student sees the power in the packet. Then there is nothing like telling a customer, “well there’s your problem right there”. The answer had been in the packets all along, they just weren’t sure where to look.
What are your biggest challenges currently?
My business is feast or famine. I have to plan for the dry months.
Where do you see IT going in the next three to five years?
Who knows? Five years ago, SDN was the big thing. While it is a major player in certain vertical markets, it is not ubiquitous.
What was your first computer? What was great about it? What is your go-to computer now?
I can’t even remember my first computer. I just got a new Macbook Air yesterday. I was going to wait for the M2 chip. I was going to order one that was loaded for bear. I just couldn’t justify the additional cost. You have to quash your geek lust when you run your own business.
How do you manage your work/life balance?
When I’m not teaching or with a customer, I only work 10 hours a week. That way I can catch up with my family and have some downtime. Before the pandemic, I traveled for business quite a bit. My husband is a school teacher, so if school was out, my family just came with me. That helped with the balance quite a bit.
If you weren’t working in IT, what would you be doing instead?
Sleeping!
What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?
I spend most of my spare time with my family. I’m pretty boring.
What are you most excited about seeing at the event?
What the vendors are bringing to the table. It is always nice to get answers from the source.
What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now?
I’m not at liberty to say.
Who inspires you?
Laura Chappell.
As a child, what did you want to do when you “grew up”?
Sing on Broadway.
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Helping people understand a complex topic. Goes back to that “aha” moment.
If you won the lottery and could retire, what would you do with your time?
Ironically, travel. But it would be nice to do the fun stuff all day vs work. Especially when my family would tell me all about what they did that day.
Thank you for sharing, Betty! We are excited to have you on board as a delegate and are looking forward to seeing you in action at Tech Field Day!
Betty will be attending Tech Field Day, September 1-3, 2021, as a delegate, so be sure to tune in to see her in action!
