My manager asked me to put together a walking deck.
The classic version is a PowerPoint that introduces who you are: your story, your principles, what you do outside of work, what you've done professionally, and where you're headed. It does the job, but once the meeting is over it just sits in OneDrive and never gets touched again.
I wanted to do something a little different with mine. Same goal, less fluff, and a page I can actually keep adding to.
Senior Security Solution Engineer, MicrosoftCharlotte, NC
A deliberate reinvention from sales into security — earning the associate's and bachelor's while working full time.
A decade of selling, leading, military service, and running my own hometown gym.
Sold the gym before the pandemic and rebuilt deliberately around security depth.
CPCC Cloud and Virtualization opened Azure Networking Rapid Response. A SANS B.P.S. in Applied Cybersecurity, earned on nights and weekends, pulled me into the Security STU.
Sales judgment, now backed by technical depth.
I can connect the customer problem to the full Microsoft story.
Charlotte native, back in uptown two blocks from the Belk Theater. Sports junkie: Panthers, Hornets, Yankees. Married my wife in Banff on 7/11 (her birthday plus mine). Our adopted mutt Lloyd handles the household charisma.
Select a chapter to see what I learned.
Sales taught trust. Ownership taught risk. Teaching taught clarity. Microsoft is where they compound.
A decade in sales and service: Enterprise Branch Manager at the largest non-airport location, Paychex seller, hometown gym owner, and Army National Guard infantryman. The through-line was operating discipline: customers first, team development, growth, then profit.
Sold the gym just before the pandemic. Took an MSP role and started studying IT certifications at the front desk. Earned an Associate of Science in Cloud and Virtualization from Central Piedmont Community College in July 2021. By night I taught a cybersecurity bootcamp, which forced me to explain the work without jargon.
Contractor in April 2021 on Azure Networking Support. FTE that October into Azure Rapid Response and Support Escalations. Now Senior Security Solution Engineer with a SANS B.S. in cybersecurity. Doubled down on technical depth on purpose so the move back to sales lands with credibility, not a learning curve.
Sales taught trust. Ownership taught risk. Teaching taught clarity. Microsoft is where they compound.
Sphere recordings. Captured from Microsoft leadership, sales peers, and cross-org partners.
Thor consistently operates at the next level, demonstrating strong judgment and independence in complex, ambiguous environments. He translates emerging requirements into scalable, repeatable mechanisms that drive measurable impact across teams. His cross-functional influence and ability to create clarity where none exists elevate both execution and strategy.
Erfan SetorkSr Solution Engineer MgmtIt is a privilege to work with Thor Draper as my Sr. Solution Engineer. Thor has excelled in his role as a Senior Solution Engineer specializing in security. Thor consistently demonstrates a deep understanding of complex security challenges and offers innovative solutions that deliver measurable results. His technical expertise is complemented by exceptional communication skills, allowing him to effectively translate technical concepts to stakeholders at all levels.
Chad KrantzSr. Security SpecialistYour technical knowledge, easy-going personality and dependability — I know that if I reach out to for help with a customer of mine, you'll make yourself available to engage as needed. And likewise, I know that you have no hesitation in reaching out to me when you're seeking my input or opinion on a customer matter.
Kevin UyPrincipal Cloud Solution ArchitectAE is the seat I want most. I want to carry Microsoft's full story, connect customer priorities across the portfolio, and own the commercial outcome. I'm also confident I can perform in Security, Cloud & AI Platforms, or AI Business Solutions specialist roles. That range also prepares me to be a stronger AE.
The starting point came from Carson Heady's post on LinkedIn about what a walking deck is actually for. I kept those objectives, tightened mine into seven sections, and added recognition earned during my time as a Security Solution Engineer. A few things stuck with me:
I shaped those objectives around the conversation I actually want to have: who I am, the range I bring, how I built it, what others have seen, and where I want to go next. Keeping it on the web means I can update the evidence as the work changes and pull it up whenever the conversation happens.
The part I'm proudest of is the forks. Your career isn't just the path you walked. It's also the versions of you that didn't happen, and why. Naming the paths I turned down (the Paychex ladder, the empty pandemic gym, heads-down at the MSP) makes the one I actually walked make a lot more sense.
Looking back, the chapters actually line up — as long as I'm disciplined enough to carry the right lessons forward. Sales taught me trust. Ownership taught me risk. Teaching taught me how to be clear. Microsoft is where all of that finally starts to compound.
If you're reading this and thinking about building your own version, have fun with it. Tell your story however you want. The format is yours to invent. Just keep the parts that are true, make the pattern obvious, and put it somewhere it can keep growing.