**Disclaimer: This is my story. These are my opinions. I feel strongly about them, since I have lived these words, and they’ve served me well. I’m telling my story not to boost my own ego up, but to help others attain the same satisfaction as I’ve attained. Ultimately it comes down to this: I like helping people. So I’m trying to help. If you don’t need help, or don’t care to hear my story..read no further. Else…enjoy!**

At 16, I had my first job. KFC. It is the only job I can think of where I didn’t learn anything. I was only there three months until my family moved.

Shortly after leaving KFC, I got hired at Pizza Hut as a cook. Within 6 months, at 16 years old, I was a shift manager. Right after turning 17, I was promoted to assistant store manager. I learned a lot of valuable lessons here. Most important, hard work does pay off sooner or later. If I hadn’t been a hard worker, there’s no way as a 16 year old I would have been promoted to shift manager. Sure, it’s only Pizza Hut, but it’s more than that. I gained the trust of senior management, because I delivered. They could see past my age, and look at the results I delivered. Unfortunately, not all employers are like this, but the good ones are.

Right before I became the Asst. Store manager, I dropped out of high school to get my GED. Long story short, I homeschooled for one year, and the school board refused to give me credit, It was either GED, or extra year in high school. I got my GED 2 weeks later, and began thinking of college. While being the Asst. Store manager was great at 17, I needed to go to school. I was already into networking as a hobby, but had no experience. All the job postings for entry level positions required experience. One day, I drove an hour to register at a technical college. I was ecstatic. I then met with the financial aid counselor, and learned they would not provide enough money for me to afford going to school there. I left the college devastated, rethinking every decision I made up until this point.

On the way back home from the college, I stopped to use the restroom at a gas station. On the way out, a yellow flier fell off the wall, and gently landed right at my feet (cliche..but it really happened). I picked it up, and it was a U.S. Army Reserves flier. They could pay for my school, and I could work on getting a networking job. GREAT! I called the recruiter, and scheduled for him to come over. A few days later, he showed up. We talked, and after he left, I thought about it for 2 months before making a decision. I gave my notice at Pizza Hut, and left for the Army shortly after.

I won’t go into the details of joining the Army, because it’s not really relevant. I worked hard there, just like I did at Pizza Hut. I strived to learn new things each day, and to help others along the way.Fast forward a few years in the Army, I was on active duty, a 25B (Information Systems Analyst), but pretty much stuck to networking, because I got my CCNA while deployed to Iraq. Once I got my CCNA, my peers (and leadership) instantly recognized me as “the network guy,” which helped me immensely. At this point in my life (about 22 years old), I learned that sacrifice is a key part to success. Whether I was studying for promotion, or more certifications, or just to learn- I sacrificed free-time for the greater purpose (my future). For example, I’d have friends begging me to go partying, and I’d pass, to study OSPF. I didn’t WANT to study OSPF, but I didn’t WANT to be a failure even more. So, the fear of failure overpowered everything. I studied, studied, drank a little, studied some more.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a life. But the point is, I made select sacrifices in order to hopefully one day make it to the life I imagined for myself.

I then got assigned to Tampa, FL, in what basically amounts to a NOC Manager job. It could have sucked bad. Initially, it did suck. A lot. I was spending my time reporting to leadership on network events, doing trend reporting, and pretty much acting like a manager instead of an engineer. I then re-evaluated my situation. I had never had this view of a network before. I then realized, the ball was in my court. So, I got my CCNP. When I got my CCNP, I then became the guy the network folks would turn to for advice..essentially getting myself more experience. Additionally, I realized one day: most engineers cannot relate complex concepts to customers and/or leadership. So, I made it a point EVERY DAY to get better at this. By the time I left this job, I could explain anything to anyone.

It was during the previous job, I was preparing to get out of the Army. I knew I needed to make at least 65k to survive, preferably 75k to be in good shape, and ideally, 80-85k/yr. I got a lot of hits on my applications, and I attribute most of that to my resume writing skills. Eventually, I picked a job with a large service provider who basically makes mobile data work between telecom carriers. The pay was 70k/yr, but I could work from home, and I got a lot of perks. I jumped at it. There’s a few points I’ve learned up until this point:

• Take all the advantages you can get. A good resume, dressing sharply, knowing how to speak well, understanding business objectives..these are ALL free (well, minus the clothes if you don’t own them)..why not take every advantage you can get when seeking employment in the IT field?
• Do what you say. If you tell a potential employer you’ll get back with them tomorrow, get back with them. If you don’t, this says “I’m unreliable, and you haven’t even hired me yet”
• Learn how to translate previous experiences into resume candy. For example, if you have experience running cable, don’t leave it at “ran cable for X company”- instead, something like: “Experience performing Layer 1 installation/troubleshooting for customers, ensuring the availability of key IT services”..some crap like that at least. The point is, speak like management. If you speak like you’re a minimum waige worker, why should they hire you for this 65k/yr job?
• If you don’t have experience, don’t lie. But don’t just say “no experience” either. If you’re a new CCNA, with no job experience, get some equipment if you don’t have it. Setup a network at home with domain and all if you have to. Volunteer. Do what you have to do. Articulate all of this very well on your resume, and stress that “although I don’t have production experience, I have done everything I can to gain experience on my own, including working in my home lab, and volunteering to provide IT services to so-and-so’s small business. Given the opportunity, I will absolutely learn everything I can, and excel at it”
• Ask questions in your interview. By saying “nope, no questions at all,” it’s easy to come across as uninterested. You want them to realize you’re just as interested in the company as they are in you. There should be a mutual interest.

So moving forward, I’m at this great service provider job, and I hit a major roadblock with management. Long story short, they expected me to be on-call 24×7 365 days a year (not agreed to prior to hiring), and have articulated several times to me, that family should come AFTER work. No thanks. As soon as my manager said these words (roughly), I started looking elsewhere. The days are gone of “get a great job stay at the same company for 20 yrs“, the market is too unstable for that. Now, it’s “get the best opportunity you have, add to your resume, and keep your eyes open.”

So I found a position that seemed to fit, so I submitted my resume. The next day, a phone call. I ended up not showing up to the interview, because I had cold feet about leaving a brand new employer. Once I came to my senses, I called them back, and went for the interview. After nailing the interview, I was offered the job on the spot. I accepted, for a 40% raise, which put me just shy of making 100k/yr.

So if anyone is keeping track, I went from making 48k/yr in the Army, to 70k 2 weeks later, to almost 100k onemonth later. Was it luck? Partially. Was it skill? Arguably. Could I have gotten the same position if I had not worked hard for the 6 years that built up to it? Possibly..but the bottom line is, I will never know. All I know, is I did everything I could, and the end result is this amazing opportunity.

It should be noted, that I do not have the mindset of “I’ve made it,” on the contrary- I have a LOT of work to do now. I’m stepping up the CCIE studies, and setting my sights on two, hopefully. I once heard successful people are generally pessimists by nature, because they never think they’re doing good enough. I tend to believe this.

Only one day after I landed this new position, I have the urge to do more, because I don’t want to become obsolete- so to speak. So that’s it. There’s a lot of details left out, but I’ve included the pertinent details/lessons I could think of at the time I wrote this. I hope someone else gets something out of this, and does well for themselves.

Regardless of the state of the economy, the state of IT, whatever..there will always be jobs for the right candidate. Make yourself that candidate. Be the solution to that companies issues.