Automation engineer

For me, working in IT was a 180-degree switch. I was a trial lawyer for 16 years and felt that I had done and tried nearly everything. I was having a conversation with my husband, who works in IT, and I asked him, “What do you think I should do?” He said, “You should do what I do. I think you’d be really good at it.” I took that to heart and started looking into what makes IT go ‘round. I was literally asking, “I don’t know what a router is. What do you mean by a switch?” So, I basically started my tech journey as an IT learner.

Along the way, I met this great community in Cisco Learning Network (CLN). I wrote about a dozen articles on the CLN about data center networking. As I kept creating content, I realized that it was showcasing my ability to break down something complex into something simple and digestible. Eventually somebody said, “Hey, I could use those skills.” It made my transition from a volunteer to getting paid.

It pays to learn and get certified

When I decided to switch careers and pursue certifications, I did lots of research as to what the certifications were in the IT industry. So, I started my studies knowing which certifications I wanted to get. I started with the curriculum for CCNA and thought it was intellectually challenging in a way that law hadn’t been for me for a very long time. I just kept going and I got the certificate that I set out to get. Then I got a few more certs. By that time, I had gotten to the point where I thought, “I have all these certifications. I contribute valuable content to the CLN. Now I need to get a job and do this for money.”

Eventually, I was referred to a hiring manager who had read some of my articles on the CLN. He decided that we didn’t even need to talk about my technical expertise. He just wanted to make sure I was a fit on his team. That was how I had the interview for my very first paid IT job.