Today, I have officially switched careers. I just signed my first offer letter with a major government contractor as an IT Support Specialist. Words cannot begin to describe the things I feel, but here's a few: joy, relief, pride...
So here's my story (sorry if it turns out to be long):
In the year or so I've lurked around these boards I've seen a large amount of "getting started in IT" or "switching careers, need advice" threads. I havent seen too many success stories; I've looked for them, just to read about them and give myself hope that making such a risky move would pay off greatly. So I thought I'd share my story, just as a way to show all the starters and career-switchers out there that if with a lot of hard work, you can really get there and make it happen.
I've been a high school teacher for the last three years. I went to college and received my degree in Classics (complete opposite of IT), I even did some grad work as a classicist and eventually ended up with public school teaching job. Things were good at first. The job was steady pay, good benefits, and working with the kids was actually kind of fun. But something was missing. It didnt feel right. My heart wasnt in it.
Fast forward to 7 months ago. I'm toying around with my PC and it strikes me like a bolt of lightning. I've always loved technology, I've always loved reading and learning about it. I would spend hours after work toying around, building, and tinkering. I was always the "go-to" person for my friends and family when their machines were down. So I thought to myself, why not turn my hobby into a career? That's exactly what I did.
I immediately googled information on IT careers and found TechExams.net. I read anything and everything on these boards about career switching. I read other blogs and forums. On the recommendations of so many, I went out and purchased my first IT books: A+ certification books. I spent the next week reading the books in between lessons and when I came home at night. I quickly realized I already knew a lot of the information in them, so I thought to myself "I want to learn something I know very little about." A friend recommended looking into networking, so I jumped on the Cisco bandwagon and purchased the CCENT books. I was a machine. I studied every day after work. I studied every moment I could while at work. I read nothing but tech and networking blogs. I listened to podcasts on my way to and from work. I even started a blog to track my progress. IT and networking became my life...and I loved every second of it.
2 months after I began my journey, I sat and passed my first IT certification exam. I was CCENT certified! It felt really good, it was one of the best feelings of accomplishment I've ever had. I immediately jumped back in though and cracked open that CCNA book. By this time, I had already made arrangements to move 200 miles north to a new city and better opportunities for landing and IT job. I sold most of what I had owned just to pay for my way. In the meantime, I put together my resume (with the help of TE members!) and my cover letter. And then I posted the resume on Dice.
A week after posting on Dice, I received a call from a technical recruiter. He saw my resume, was impressed, and wanted to forward it to a big name company that had just won a HUGE contract from the government. 2 days later I received a phone call from the same recruiter saying that they were eager to speak to me; an interview! Great timing! The day after I finished my teaching contract, I arrived at the interview and turned on the charm, the passion for IT, and my optimistic and positive attitude. The interview ended after a half hour and on the way out they told me "hold on a sec." They spoke in hushed voices while I waited outside the conference room. A second later the manager came out and told me she wanted me to talk to someone. Minutes later, I found myself talking to her manager and her manager telling me that she was very impressed with me. I was elated. I was so happy. It was so surreal. Later that afternoon, I got a call from my recruiter and he gave me the best news I'd heard in last 7 months: "You killed it! They loved you and they want to extend you an offer."
So ladies and gents, here I am, a unhappy educator who dreamed of something better and got it. For all the career switchers out there, if there's anything you can take from this ridiculously long story (sorry), let it be this:
- WORK HARD
- STAY POSITIVE
- BE HONEST (with yourself and others)
- NEVER GIVE UP
Fortuna audentes iuvat; ad astra per aspera
