Happy anniversary

dave330i

Oct. 18 will be my 2nd anniversary in IT. Things were looking pretty bleak for me before I started my first IT position 2 years ago. I remember the date because I got the offer letter while in the hospital (son being born).

Getting hired by that company was 1 of the best things to happen to me career wise. Getting laid off by said company 9 months later was another good fortune. Now on the eve of my anniversary, I get to work in an environment where my technical skills should grow faster.

The past 2 years have been a fun & exciting experience. I get the feeling the next 2 years will be even more interesting.

forestgiant

Congrats! Try to take time out to enjoy the beautiful weather and fall foliage in the area. I just visited NoVA this past weekend and already miss the crisp air and Maine ave fish market

Just curious, do you work for a defense contractor? Besides govt contracting what else is there for techies like us in the NovA region?

ptilsen

Remind us, Dave, what did you do before IT and how did you get into IT, but in terms of getting interested, getting the skills to get your foot in the door, and getting an employer to hire you and promote you so quickly with no experience? I feel like you've dropped bits about it in other threads but I don't think I've seen the full story.

boredgamelad

I'd be anxious to hear the story as well. My manager recently told me about how he transitioned from a degree in civil engineering to working in IT and his progression toward his current role, and it was a very interesting story.

Essendon

You are one lucky guy, I tell you that Dave, and your child brought you more luck. But I know you work hard and you know your stuff. Luck alone doesnt get you nowhere.

Like the others said, I'd like to hear your story too.

dave330i

Boring story of how I became VMware SME at gov't agency after 2 years in IT:

I got my degree in mechanical engineering. Spent 14 years as an engineer specializing in system integration. Basically means I got 10lbs worth of stuff to fit inside 8lbs container and play nice with each other. Container varied from military tank, 42U cabinet, boat etc.

After getting laid off, I switched career to IT. Every company need some sort of IT support, while most companies don’t need a mechanical engineer. More potential employer = more job opportunity.

Took me ~2 months to pass ICND1 & ICND2. I used Lammle, CBT Nugget & simulator. Originally started off with real hardware, but wasn't getting the repetition needed to pass the exams. Took another month to pass Sec+. It was mid-July when I completed all 3 certs.

After getting the 3 certs, I split my time between studying for CCNP/MCSE 2003, sending out resumes & attending career fairs. Spent 3 long months getting lots of rejections and few false hopes before landing a job at a small start up as the IT guy.

The start up needed a cheap IT guy willing to learn and grow with the company. My boss was too busy to micromanage, so he wanted someone who can work independently. I fit the bill since I was an IT newb, but not business newb. At the start up, I configured/built firewalls, switches, printers, windows AD, SharePoint, SQL server & VMware.

Start up had big plans so they got me a TS, but they ran into financial problem after 9 months (due Congressional budget impasse), so they laid off every non-billable person which included me. I knew how valuable VCP cert was in DC area (job search for VCP in DC results in 1k+ high paying jobs), so I paid for VMware training out of pocket.

After getting my VCP, I hit the career fair again. I had plenty of interests, but no takers considering I only had 9 months experience. I was willing to work cheap (for a VCP), but most of the jobs were for large environments. Then a mid-tier professional service provider (my current company) needed a VCP to manage a small environment at a gov't agency.

After working there for 8-9 months, I realized I had outgrown that place (studying for VCAP will do that), so I started passively looking for a job at a data center. I bombed my first data center interview, but crushed the 2nd one and got a 6 figure offer. I was about to jump ship when VP of my division made a compelling counter offer, so I stayed.

The VP kept his word and got me interviews at few choice positions. So now I work at a big budget gov't agency working with VMware folks as a VMware SME building virtual infrastructures.

The keys to my success were spending most of my down/free time studying/learning, the shortage of virtualization experts in this area and me taking advantage of it.

NotHackingYou

Thanks for the detailed account! Sounds like the VCP really paid off for you!