The Education Road

Interview with Jaclyn Manishen

Hustle never stops! In this episode of The Education Road, we explores the wild adventure of Jaclyn Manishen, a creative professional whose career has spanned advertising, freelance producing, and business development. Jaclyn shares how her childhood ambition that was inspired by the movie Sweet November and encouraged by her grandfather that led her to pursue a career as a creative director. Her path took her from a communications program at the University of Ottawa to a specialized postgraduate copywriting certificate at Humber College, where she eventually found her people and began the rigorous process of building a professional portfolio. The conversation dives into the often brutal reality of the advertising industry, as Jaclyn describes her early experiences navigating high-stakes internships at major agencies like Leo Burnett. She speaks candidly about the steep learning curve of receiving harsh creative feedback and how those formative years taught her to build a thick skin. Today, Jaclyn balances roles as a freelance producer and the managing director of Good Counsel, a business she co-founded with her father to create educational video content. Her journey serves as a powerful reminder that the hustle never stops and that being open to pivots can lead to unexpected and rewarding opportunities.

Interview with Julian Nasielski

The Name of the Game! In this episode of The Education Road, we connect with Julian Nasielski, a level designer at Ubisoft Montreal whose career path was defined by what he describes as a "bumpy road with a couple of detours". Julian shares how his childhood passion for games, sparked by surreal and whimsical titles like Earthworm Jim and Rayman 2, eventually transformed from a hobby into a professional mission. Despite knowing he wanted to design games since he was eight years old, he reveals the internal and external pressures that nearly led him toward a career in medicine before he fully committed to his creative roots. The conversation dives into Julian's academic transition at John Abbott College, where he initially struggled with sciences like calculus and chemistry before finding his stride in the Creative Arts program. He reflects on the formative power of the CEGEP system in Quebec, which allowed him to experiment with everything from radio production and filmmaking to horror film classes and digital media. This period of exploration was crucial in helping him to see behind the curtain of the gaming industry, moving him closer to the specialized field of level design as he realized that the industry was much more vast and varied than he had initially understood as a child. Beyond his personal history, Julian offers a candid look at the modern landscape of game development, discussing the differences between what makes for a great level and what doesn't. He emphasizes the accessibility of the industry today, noting that free tools and Game Jams provide a low barrier to entry for those willing to persevere. The episode concludes with advice for aspiring creators to never give up and to keep making games, serving as an inspiring roadmap for anyone navigating their own non-linear path into the technical and creative arts.

Interview with Ross Lazerowitz

The Journey from Staples to Founder In this episode, we explore the career journey of Ross, co-founder and CEO of Mirage Security. Ross traces his origins from his early days as a local IT handyman and a retail associate at Staples. He emphasizes the value of retail work for anyone entering the tech field, arguing that it builds essential empathy and a first-hand understanding of the corporate structures that dominate the professional world. This early exposure to the human side of technology eventually led him to Syracuse University, where a cybersecurity internship at JP Morgan Chase convinced him to switch from a general IT track to more rigorous software engineering. Ross explains how his unconventional academic background, which paired software engineering with a minor in cognitive science and entrepreneurship, became a unique professional asset. Today, his work at Mirage Security focuses on defending the "human element" against sophisticated social engineering and AI-generated deepfakes, recognizing that while technology has deterministic controls, people remain the final and most vulnerable path for modern attackers. The conversation concludes with a deep dive into the AI revolution and its disruptive impact on both the workforce and the classroom. Ross shares his perspective on AI as a "universal tutor" capable of providing individualized instruction, while also addressing the growing challenge for junior developers who now find themselves mentoring AI agents rather than learning through traditional boilerplate tasks. He reflects on the rigor of academic weed-out courses like functional programming in Haskell and offers a final piece of advice for the next generation: in an era of generalist AI, specialized expertise in technical fields like engineering or math is a far more secure foundation than a general business degree.

Interview with John Ailes

From being a nerd to being even a bigger nerd, a journey through Costco In this episode of The Education Road, we chat with John Ailes, an Incident Response (IR) specialist, to explore the high-stakes world of Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR). John shares his unique journey from a computer-loving kid, whose father taught him powers of two as nursery rhymes, to becoming part of the first graduating class of George Mason University’s Cybersecurity Engineering program. John breaks down the "umbrella" of Digital Forensics and Incident Response, explaining how it functions as a technical fact-finding mission for everything from corporate data breaches to wrongful death lawsuits. He shares insights into the value of a technical degree and certifications like Security+. John also pulls back the curtain on his intense study process for advanced SANS/GIAC certifications. John reflects on his transition from an individual contributor to a manager, emphasizing the importance of supporting your team and finding mentors early in your career. Whether you are a cybersecurity student looking for career advice or a seasoned professional interested in the nuances of incident response, this episode offers a deep dive into the technical and human side of defending the digital world. Plus: A side tangent on the "small world" history of Elgammal encryption and why every city needs a Costco.

Interview with Michael Shulman

Thinking about going into sales? Listen to this podcast! In this episode of The Education Road, we sit down with Michael Shulman, whose career path is rooted in sales! Michael’s academic road began at York University, where he completed an Honours BA in Business Economics with a specialization in finance. Along the way, he discovered a strong aptitude for accounting and economics, skills that would later prove invaluable. Although he originally envisioned a future in investment banking, his career took a different turn. After starting in corporate finance at Bombardier, a moment reviewing sales commission structures sparked a realization: he wanted to be on the revenue-generating side of the business. That decision launched him into tech sales, first through finance roles in major organizations like Sun Microsystems, then progressively closer to end-user enterprise sales. Throughout the conversation, Michael breaks down what sales really looks like at the enterprise level. It’s not quick transactions or movie-style theatrics. It’s long sales cycles, strategic account planning, navigating budget cycles, building C-level relationships, and sometimes waiting years to close a deal. He shares how understanding accounting, balance sheets, international economics, and stakeholder dynamics allows him to have meaningful conversations with CFOs, CIOs, and CISOs. The episode also pulls back the curtain on compensation structures (base + commission, quotas, accelerators), the realities of prospecting, and the discipline required to consistently perform. One lesson that stuck with Michael from his mentor: “Always be prospecting.” In enterprise sales, if you’re not planting seeds today, you won’t be harvesting deals tomorrow. For students curious about sales, Michael offers candid advice: there’s no single required degree, but understanding business fundamentals helps. And if you want to get into sales, there is a more conventional path than the one he took, starting as an SDR and building from there. At its core, this episode explores how an education in finance and global affairs can translate into a high-impact career in enterprise technology sales and why the ability to understand systems, incentives, and people is what ultimately drives success.