I’m Cole Stafford, the newest Raxis team member, working with Brad Herring, our Vice President of Business Development. Though I’ve only been with the company a short time, I’ve learned quickly that my coworkers are a special group of people with a fantastic reputation in the penetration-testing space. You can learn more about Raxis by watching some of our YouTube videos. If you like what you see, check out our careers page.
Jim: Cole, tell me what you’ve learned in the time you’ve been here at Raxis?
Cole: A lot! The first challenge has been getting to know everyone and understanding their roles. Then, of course, was learning how the process works – from our initial conversations with customers to scoping jobs correctly. To do it right, I’ve had to learn what the job really entails and what kinds of information the engineers need.
Jim: How did you find your way to Raxis?
Cole: Brad Herring (VP of Business Development) is a friend of a friend who told me about the job. The company had been interviewing candidates from all over the country and hadn’t found anyone that quite fit the role. When I heard what they were looking for, it sounded like a great fit.
Jim: Like Brad, you took an unconventional journey into the sales field, correct?
Cole: That’s right. I’m ultimately interested in a career in cybersecurity – hopefully as a pentester. Right now, I’m in college at Kennesaw State, studying computer science with a focus on cyber.
Jim: Is this job giving you some good experience you can apply in the future?
Cole: Yes. This has been a great chance to see how the things I’m learning in class are applied in the real world by a real cybersecurity company. I feel like I’m getting to look over the shoulders of the pros here at Raxis.
Jim: How did you get interested in the technology field?
Cole: It started with building computers for friends and family members. They would order the parts and pay me to assemble them. From there, I got interested in coding and started taking some online classes.
Jim: Now that you’re in college, I guess you’re not doing the online classes as much.
Cole: Actually, I am still taking come cybersecurity courses through https://tryhackme.com.
Jim: Raxis is a remote work company. Does that make the job easier or harder for you?
Cole: Raxis is remote, but a lot of our team members are in the Atlanta area where I am. That’s the best of both worlds because I don’t have a daily commute, but I can meet in person with Brad or others when I need to.
Jim: You live in Georgia, but where are you from originally?
Cole: I grew up in South Carolina, but I consider myself an Ohio native.
Jim: Were you born in Ohio?
Cole: No, I just have a lot of family there, and I spent summers with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It just seems more like ‘home’ to me than South Carolina. I still enjoy visiting there, catching up with family, fishing, and playing golf with my uncle. It’s very important to me to spend time with my family and friends.
Jim: Speaking of family, I understand that you and your dad enjoy restoring old cars and trucks.
Cole: Yep. We’ve restored old Chevy Blazers from 1970 and ’72, and a 1931 Model A Ford that we just sold recently. It’s like building computers in that there’s a lot of satisfaction in working with your hands and seeing your work come to life.
Jim: I realize you haven’t been at Raxis for very long, but what’s your favorite part so far?
Cole: Being a part of this team is really special. It’s obvious when we’re talking with customers that Raxis has a reputation for excellent work. Ones we’re working with tell us how much they enjoy working with our team, and a lot of our new customers are referrals.
Even though I’m fairly new, hearing about the great work our engineers do makes me proud to work for Raxis.