🛡️From "CLI Anxiety" to Firewall Dominance

We’ve all been there. You’re the on-site engineer at an MSP, the client’s network is acting up, and you’re staring at a firewall interface that looks like a flight simulator dashboard.

Back in the day, my firewall skills weren't where I wanted them to be. My company at the time gave me a clear ultimatum: "Ramon, learn Sophos. Get the cert. Be our guy." It sounded like a plan, but something felt off. I realized that if I just memorized where Sophos hid their "Allow" button, I’d be a technician, not an architect. I didn’t want to be a brand specialist; I wanted to dominate the logic of the network itself.

🐧 The Linux Turning Point

Instead of hitting the Sophos manuals, I went "under the hood." I started labbing in Linux environments.

When you learn firewalls via Linux (think iptables or nftables), there are no fancy icons to save you. You have to understand:

• The Flow: Exactly how a packet enters, traverses, and exits a chain.
• The Logic: The difference between a "DROP" and a "REJECT" (and why it matters for security).
• The NAT: How traffic actually translates across the boundary.

The result? When I finally picked up Ubiquiti gear, it was like reading a book I already knew the ending to. Because I understood the physics of the firewall, I could dominate pretty much any hardware I touched.

💡 The "Generalist" Value: Why This Matters for You

If you're starting out or feel stuck in "Cert Hell," here is the value of learning the Logic over the Brand:

Export to Sheets

🐸 My "Coqui" Philosophy on Learning

At Coqui Cloud, we don’t just "click buttons." We build solutions. Certain companies will absolutely pay you more for having that specific Sophos or Fortinet badge on your LinkedIn—and hey, get that money! 💸

But remember: The cert gets you the job; the fundamental knowledge keeps you the job. Don't let a vendor lock your brain into their ecosystem. Learn the Linux way, understand the TCP/IP stack, and you’ll find that every firewall—from Ubiquiti to a custom-coded script—starts to look exactly the same.

🔥 Pro-Tip for the On-Site Engineers:

Next time you're stuck, stop looking for the "how-to" for that specific brand. Search for the network principle of what you're trying to do. Once you understand the what, the how is just a menu click away.

Keep building. Keep securing.