Many students and professionals often share with me the challenges they face in pursuing a technical career. These challenges range from finding study content challenging to grasp, to having personal and family commitments that make it challenging to dedicate the time needed to pursue technical subjects. Some even ask me: 'What should I study?' So I thought it might be a good idea to share some lessons I've learnt over the years. I remember when I first started working as an IT Engineer many years ago. I was in my 20s, and even though I enjoyed my role in Tech I was uncertain about the career choice I had made. You see I also loved art and I was in two minds. Tech was challenging, I had to learn constantly, and could not seem to learn fast enough, I thought I would never be able to do what other Engineers do. I lacked self-confidence. I've never been someone to settle, and so I pushed ahead and decided to finish what I started. You see, changing direction constantly is an ineffective method in trying to reach excellence. So I decided that I would stick with Tech and find something that I really enjoyed and had a passion for, and move in that direction. I settled on Network Technologies as the subject I really enjoyed. So I started to try to learn Networking. However, it was a huge challenge. I didn't have money! Certifications were expensive, courses were expensive, and I found that trying to study on my own was just not effective (perhaps I was not focusing enough). But I always tried to involve myself at work in anything Network-related. If there was a project going I would do it to the best of my ability, and I made it known to my managers that this is the direction I want to grow in. No one can help you if they don't know you need help or what you need help with. I want to stress that even though my role was IT support, and I wanted to work in Networking specifically, I did my core role so well that my managers wanted to support me. They wanted to help me because I did a good job. So advice I give is to do your BEST in everything you do even if you know you have a passion for something else. My hard work paid off and soon I got the support I needed. I was given access to courses, labs, and more importantly TIME to study and to develop my skills. I did a Cisco CCNA course through Solarwinds and it was a great foundation. I never thought I would ever be able to master Subnetting. But I did! And as I was learning I was gaining confidence in my abilities. But I always had this negative voice telling me I can't. It really took someone else telling me that I can do it for me to start believing that I can. So I stayed the course and I was soon given a chance to work as a Network Operations Engineer. This was the break I had been working for and praying for! It was a rocky start... I felt like I knew nothing. But I was determined! It took another year for me to finally get my ICDN1 certification. I was so nervous. All through the exam I was sure I was failing. But I got the equivalent of 94% in the exam. I was shocked but so proud. Soon after I completed my CCNA exam, and it was such a huge achievement for me. I felt like I had finally done something I wanted to do for so many years. And as you may know, once you achieve one goal you always have another. In my role I noticed that there is a need to automate the 'boring stuff'. Network checks that we did in an operational team over and over again. I started reading about Network Automation. This was a new concept for me and I soon realised that I would need to learn programmability skills if I wanted to stay relevant as a Network Engineer. This all happened a few years before Cisco announced their DevNet exam, and needless to say, when the exam was released I was going to be on that bus!! So after 2 failed attempts, many hours and nights of hitting the books and labs, I attained my DevNet Certification. I can tell you that once again this opened doors for me. Because now I wanted to work in a team where I can grow and develop my automation skills. Because I had gained new skills and new understanding, I was able to move into a team where I can practice and be in touch with automation which I am super thankful and happy about! The major lesson is: Don't expect success or rewards to happen overnight. Stay the course, keep chipping away at your learning, and moving towards your goals! In Summary: - Find something you enjoy and pursue that. (Focus your energy!)
- Tell others what you want to achieve. Look for mentors. Ask your Team Leaders for help!
- Do your current job well, no matter what job you have.
- Going for small wins like passing an exam, gives you confidence! Small wins = BIG GAINS.
- Keep your eye on the prize!
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