This is a little off topic, but I am writing about this because I have found how to do what I love – which is working with computers and their related technologies. It took me quite a while to get here. I had a twenty five year career in sales and sale management before I decided to learn what I needed to know to make a move into information technology. I started my career change in 1999, at the tender age of 45. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to make this change – anybody remember the Internet collapse of 2001-2002?
There were clues as far back as the 70’s, when I was in college. I was facinated by the guys in the computer lab, the programers. In my career, I always found a way to involve myself in computer projects at the various companies I worked for. In 1990, I started my first job for a telecommunications company, the first of many. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.
I started playing around with computers in 1990, an Intel 286 running Windows for Workgroups 3.11. I bought my first PC, a 386, in 1994. The more I played, the more I wanted to know.
In 1997, I started working at USWest, and went through more technology training than I had ever experienced anywhere. When I had an opportunity to take Microsoft certification classes at night through USWest, I jumped at the chance. I spent a year in the classroom, two nights a week, 3 hours a night, learning about things Microsoft. It took another year an a half to study for and pass the six certification exams.
And now I get to do what I love! It took a serious commitment, and lots of persistence in the face of many obstacles, a relentless pursuit of a goal, and a total refusal to quit.
The link to the excellent article by Paul Grahm, titled How To Do What You Love, is at: http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html
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About the Author:
I am a cybersecurity and IT instructor, cybersecurity analyst, pen-tester, trainer, and speaker. I am an owner of the WyzCo Group Inc. In addition to consulting on security products and services, I also conduct security audits, compliance audits, vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. I also teach Cybersecurity Awareness Training classes. I work as an information technology and cybersecurity instructor for several training and certification organizations. I have worked in corporate, military, government, and workforce development training environments I am a frequent speaker at professional conferences such as the Minnesota Bloggers Conference, Secure360 Security Conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, the (ISC)2 World Congress 2016, and the ISSA International Conference 2017, and many local community organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, and several school districts. I have been blogging on cybersecurity since 2006 at http://wyzguyscybersecurity.com