– MENTORSHIP AND GUIDANCE · HANS STUDY · ONTARIO, CANADA
Mentorship is free. Time is limited. Reach out anyway.
For practitioners learning networks, OT security, or physical security platforms. For people looking for a sounding board on a specific decision. For someone weighing a career move into this field. There is no fee, no minimum scope, and no formal engagement. Time is genuinely limited, but if the ask is sincere, time gets found.
Why this is free
Hans spent his early career being mentored by people who answered the question without sending an invoice. The list is long. Returning the favour is the entire reason this offer exists.
This is not a discounted version of the consulting practice. The consulting work pays the bills, and that work has its own scope, contract, and rate. Mentorship sits separate from that. It exists for individual practitioners and small teams who are trying to learn, sense-check a decision, or get unstuck on something specific. If the conversation grows into something where a deliverable is being produced for an organization, that is a different conversation, and it gets a proposal.
Who this is for
Practitioners learning the field
Networking, cybersecurity, or physical security. Working through a CCNA, an OT security study path, or trying to break out of being the person who runs cables and into someone who designs the network. Mentorship that starts where you actually are.
People asking a specific question
You are about to commit to a vendor, a design decision, an architecture pattern, or a career step. You want a second voice that has actually done this before. Send the question.
Career moves and field transitions
Moving from IT to OT. Moving from physical security integration to consulting. Moving from a junior role into something more architectural. Honest read on whether the move makes sense and what it takes.
Teams without a senior technical voice
Small teams running real infrastructure without a seasoned architect on staff. Occasional sounding-board access for the design decisions that come up. Not a substitute for a paid engagement when the work is heavy, but a helpful pressure valve in between.
How it works
Send the question or the situation through the form below. A few sentences is enough. If a longer conversation makes sense, we set up a call. The format from there is whatever fits the question. A 20-minute response by email. A 45-minute call. A back-and-forth over a couple of weeks while you work through something. The structure serves the goal.
Two things to set expectations on:
- Time is genuinely limited. Some weeks the response is fast. Some weeks it takes a few days. Sincere asks always get a real reply, but it might not be immediate.
- This is not a paid engagement. If the ask becomes "design my network" or "review this submittal package and write me a report," that is the consulting service, with a scope and a rate. Reach out anyway. We will figure out which one fits.
Topics that come up
- Cisco CCNA, certification path and the working knowledge under it
- Network architecture, design patterns, segmentation, refresh planning
- Wireless design, predictive site survey, validation, controller architecture
- OT and ICS security, segmentation, remote access, monitoring strategy
- Physical security platforms, Genetec, C-CURE, Milestone, Avigilon, Axis, Bosch
- CMMC and CPCSC, defence industrial base alignment
- Career direction, moves between IT, OT, and physical security
- "Should I take this job", honest reads from someone who is not your future employer
Send a mentorship question
A few sentences is fine. The more specific the question, the more useful the answer.
Common questions
Wait, this is actually free?
Yes. There is no fee for mentorship. Time is the constraint, not money. If you are genuinely trying to learn or thinking through a decision, send the question.
Where is the catch?
There is none. The consulting practice has a scope and a rate, and that work is the business. Mentorship sits separate. The only catch is that time is finite, so responses are best-effort and sometimes take a few days.
Is there a minimum size or topic?
No. A specific question by email is fine. A 20-minute call is fine. An ongoing back-and-forth while you work through something is fine. The format follows the question, not a template.
What if my question turns into something bigger?
If a question turns into "design my network" or "produce a deliverable for my organization," that is consulting work and gets a proposal. We figure out which side of the line it sits on as we go. Reach out anyway.