Once a new technology rolls over you, if you are not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.
– Stewart Brand
Careers are hard. When I was a kid in school, I naturally gravitated to finance and related topics. I was good in math, and I found the world of finance and business fascinating. But I wasn’t studious, so instead of going to college, I went off to make my fortune.
That, of course, was harder than it at first seemed. But eventually I ended up working for a bank as a teller, and after some schooling and time, I was able to secure the job of Financial Planner. It was a great job. I made good money, I talked to a ton of interesting people about their family life, their goals and plans, and I got to exercise my math chops doing financial plans and forecasts.
Despite all that, I never really felt like I fit in with my co-workers. Regardless of how it may seem, financial planning is, in many cases, really just a highly skilled sales job. And I was never really comfortable with sales culture: the corny sales meetings, ridiculous targets, and the never ending pressure that said: “You’re only as good as your last week’s sales numbers.”
So after many years I quit, and let my financial planning credentials expire (so the bridge was well and truly burned). For the last few years I’ve had a great job doing sales, IT and admin for a small company in an interesting field. I also had some success blogging about financial planning topics and investing, but that just wasn’t resonating with me, so I let it go.
What had been chewing away at me for a while, though, was to really understand the world of information technology and how it works. I just loved tech, and I wanted to know more about it. Since I didn’t have kids at home, and I had capacity in terms of both my time and finances, why wouldn’t I pursue something I am passionate about more fully? So in 2021 I set a goal: I’m going to learn about different roles and functions in the IT space, and pursue one that feels like the best fit for me going forward.
By now (February 2022), I’ve decided that I like the “hands on” technical parts of the IT world. My immediate goal is to get a job in deskside support (or something similar). But I have an awful lot of learning to do. So this site isn’t about making a bunch of money, or changing the world, or even changing someone’s mind. It’s about tracking my learning, my progress toward a new career, and sharing what I’m learning with others.
I hope a few folks will decide to come along and enjoy the journey with me.
– Graeme Hughes
My Current Certifications:
