From Sawdust to SASE: My Journey from Carpentry to Cyber Security

Hi, I’m Rob Donohoe. Welcome to my blog.

My route into cyber security was unconventional. I began my career as a qualified carpenter and joiner, running my own business until the economic shift of 2008 pushed me to trade my tools for technology. After returning to education to earn a Higher Diploma in Network Security, I found my true specialisation.

I have been working predominantly with Palo Alto Networks technology since 2014. Over the last decade, I have seen the platform evolve from every angle: starting as a Support Engineer, moving into consultancy, and spending several years as a Certified Instructor delivering advanced troubleshooting and management courses.

Since February 2023, I have been in a new role that allows me to apply this deep well of experience to complex security challenges. This recently led to the proudest moment of my career: being selected to work in the Network Operations Center (NOC) at Black Hat London 2024, helping to secure one of the world’s most hostile network environments.

Navigating the New Certification Landscape A major shift is happening in our industry: the legacy PCNSE and PCNSC exams are being discontinued. In their place, Palo Alto Networks has introduced a new role-based certification framework.

I have already navigated this transition and recently passed the new Network Security Professional (NetSec-Pro) and Network Security Architect (NetSec-Architect) exams.

What to Expect from This Blog I created this space to help you navigate these changes and master the technology. My goal is to provide:

• New Exam Tips: I will share deep dives into the new exam domains, including NGFW and SASE Solution Functionality for the Professional track and Zero Trust Architecture design for the Architect track.
• Feature Reviews: Breakdowns of new capabilities and how they work in the real world.
• Tech Deep Dives: Technical posts sharing experience from the field, similar to the training modules and knowledge base articles I have authored in the past.

Outside of the Office When I’m not configuring firewalls, I am usually at a snooker table. I have competed at a high level for years, previously holding a sports scholarship and captaining the Ireland Intervarsities team.

Whether you are looking to pass the new certifications or just need practical technical insights, I hope you find something useful here.