I have spent many years in the field of Information Technology, but I spent many years working in fields besides technology. It has been my dream to work in this field, I enjoy the challenges it provides and the sense of accomplishment I get from solving problems. My work in other fields, such as sales, contractor, and hardware installations has given me a unique perspective.
My sales and field work allows me to see problems from other perspectives that someone who has worked in an office their entire career may not be capable of seeing. I managed a small IT department for approximately 1 year and was exposed to many things that I had no experience in but had to learn quickly. This included administering Active Directory and Domain environments and maintaining MySQL databases.
Having many years of sales experience across many different markets and products has given me the ability to tailor the way I communicate with my audience. When dealing with technical professionals, I can speak in a technical fashion, focusing on the technical aspects of the conversation. When speaking with salespeople I can focus on the value proposition. When presenting to people from diverse backgrounds at the same time, it is important and necessary to be able to communicate efficiently and effectively to each group.
In working with multiple levels of government from city, state, county, and federal, taking into consideration their restrictions and regulations is necessary to do business with them. This can take the form of only using specific pieces of equipment, ordering from specific vendors, or using only specific software even if it can be cumbersome. As IT professionals, we can make recommendations and propose changes to the regulations, but in the end, we need to follow the established rules.
When I worked in sales, it was mostly a solo exercise. Each salesperson was responsible for their own sales, however working together was not prohibited. Working with my fellow salespeople helped sell the value of the product if the customer was in doubt. In IT roles, working as a team becomes second nature. You lean on your teammates to help solve problems by covering your weaknesses and giving you different perspectives that may be helpful. When leading a team, it is important to not just provide direction, but to also help each member of the team grow and learn so they can be more effective in future projects.
In my role as an engineer, I designed many networks, from IP schemes to hardware choices to security implementation. I designed and managed firewall policies for multiple hardware-based and software-based firewalls. I have had the opportunity to work with new networking technologies such as software defined networks which simplify and enhance the security of networks. The formal knowledge and experience gained by completing my degree program is enhanced and enriched by the many years of on the job learning and growth and I intend to continue educating myself in as many aspects of technology, business, and management as I can.