Why is Mike Learning Tech?

In June of 2016, my wife Kristin received an amazing position working with young adults with autism — and I was faced with a choice. Stay at my current job, or jump ship. My employer had a history of allowing people to telecommute, so that was one option, but I wasn't sure what I wanted.

I was nearing my four-year anniversary. I'd spent much of the previous year trying to figure out what was next for me. My employer had few options for lateral moves and even less for promotions. The majority of my coworkers had been doing the same job for years with no real path forward. There were training workshops here and there, but nothing that ever translated into upward mobility.

It was time to take the leap. I quit.

I hate job hunting. It's the worst — a lot of rejection, and you'll probably never learn why another candidate was selected. About a month before I left, I earned my CompTIA A+ certification, an effort to stay engaged and build new skills. With that in hand, I decided to switch careers entirely and find an entry-level IT job.

It took a while. But I eventually found a placement agency that looked at the sum of my resume rather than just my lack of direct IT experience. That brought me to where I am now — a stable job where I'm picking up solid experience to get me where I want to go.

The lesson? Don't settle. I wasn't satisfied with where my career was heading, so I took charge. I tried to make it work where I was, and when I'd exhausted those possibilities, I moved on. Even during the job search I didn't settle — I was fortunate that Kristin's income supported us while I waited for the right opportunity rather than just the easy one.

Many of the projects on this site came from my attempts to learn more about networking, programming, and how computers work. It's been a long, fun journey, and I can't wait to keep going.