Every day on social media we see the status change of friends and colleagues to #OpenToWork. These banners may indicate a big, happy change in someone’s career, but can also be the dreaded “business folded” “laid-off / made redundant” or “my firm got acquired” situation.
We just could not sit by and do nothing, so we are creating a podcast spin-off segment to showcase talented professionals looking for their next role.
Drawing on our own experiences with career transitions, we know firsthand that a resume does not always reveal a person’s full potential. But it also isn’t always possible for every candidate to be interviewed, so we thought a mini podcast session might be the ice breaker.
By connecting these professionals and their conversations with our network of recruiters and executives, we aim to bridge the gap between great people and great opportunities.
Sometimes the best way to help is simply to share someone’s story. Please continue to share. Or, if you would like to book a segment for yourself, please contact us ConnectToWork@mtmg.eu
The ConnectToWork podcast
We know firsthand that a resume can’t capture a person’s full potential. Drawing from our own experiences with career transitions, we’re creating a free platform where talented professionals can share their authentic stories through our podcast infrastructure. By connecting these conversations with our network of recruiters and executives, we’re helping bridge the gap between great people and great opportunities.
It’s our way of strengthening our community, one story at a time.
Episode Synopsis:
This episode explores the unconventional career of Kandice Hendricks, who transitioned from the high-pressure world of NHRA drag racing mechanics to becoming a director ofDevSecOps. Kandice details her journey from a marketing role to IT leadership, emphasizing the impact of strong mentorship and the self-discipline she gained as a state powerlifting champion. Listeners will discover how she navigates complex cloud architectures across AWS, Azure, and OCI while maintaining a focus on empathetic leadership and the emerging challenges of AI and post-quantum cryptography.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:💡The process of pivoting from a non-technical role into IT by identifying organizational needs and seeking professional mentorship.
✅Strategies for maintaining multi-cloud fluency and high-level certifications in strictly regulated industries like healthcare and government contracting.
🎯Why modern organizations must prioritize preparation for agent AI and migration strategies for post-quantum cryptography.
Key Quotes:
🎤”I have been very fortunate. I've done a lot of, amazing things in my life, and partly because fear isn't something that I really possess, it, I just jump in.”
🎤 ”You don't know what someone's going through or what someone's past is, so the way that they're reacting to you, youcan't take that personally because it may have absolutely nothing to do with you.”
🎤 ”Agent AI is like AI in, action and automation with no human intervention . . . you have to understand these beforeyou go implementing them because you're opening up security doors if you don't know what you're doing.”
Meet The Interviewee:
Kandice Hendricks is a seasoned DevSecOps architect and cloud strategist with extensive experience delivering secure, scalable solutions across AWS, Azure, and OCIenvironments. A certified Azure DevOps Engineer Expert and AWS Solutions Architect, she has successfully managed complex technical projects within the healthcare, financial services, and government contracting sectors. Her uniquebackground as a former NHRA crew mechanic and Texas state powerlifting champion informs her disciplined approach to technical problem-solving and her commitment to empathetic, effective leadership.
Target Next Role:
Seeking a PreSales Solutions Architect role at a commercial consulting company with fewer than 200 employees.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Radical Candor by Kim Scott,
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
How to Connect LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kandicehendricks/
Email: kandicelhendricks@gmail.com
MTMG’s Pay-It-Forward Mission
With ConnectToWork, we amplify real career stories to inspire and connect professionals. If you or someone you know is navigating a career transition, we’d love to hear your story.
✔️ Want to be featured? Contact us at ConnectToWork@mtmg.eu
✔️ Know someone who could benefit from this episode? Share it with them!
Let’s build a stronger professional community together.
Subscribe & Share
✔️ Follow & Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
✔️ Leave a Review to help others find the show.
✔️ Share This Episode with colleagues & friends.
