Welcome to my digital sandbox! This blog is where I document my homelab experiments, cert prep struggles, and everything I learn as I navigate my way through the ever-evolving world of networking. But before we dive into the nerdy stuff, let’s rewind a bit—because my path to IT wasn’t exactly conventional.
For the first 13 years of my career, I was a mechanic, turning wrenches and getting covered in grease. Eventually, I decided I wanted a change—so I did the most logical thing: I started welding instead. I taught myself to weld, earned some certifications, and spent the next seven years melting metal.
Pat was a coworker who asked me one day why I was there. “Welding this pipe, same as you,” I shrugged. His response? “You’re too smart for this. Get out while you can.”
That stuck with me. And after Pat passed away, his words weighed a little heavier on my mind. I needed a change—something bigger, something different.
Now, my brother-in-law had been nudging me toward networking for years, but I always brushed it off. But after losing Pat, I decided to buy a Udemy course and take a leap.
Every night after work, I dove into a world of subnet masks, port numbers, and protocols that sounded alien. It was frustrating. It was overwhelming. But after six months of late nights and endless notes, I earned my Network+ certification.
With little experience and one IT cert I sent my confusing resume to every open job posting I saw. A former mechanic turned welder trying to break into tech? I’m sure some thought it was a joke because my inbox quickly filled with rejection emails.
But I wasn’t giving up. I told anyone who would listen that I was looking for an IT job. Someone had to know someone willing to take a chance on me.
This is the second job my wife has landed for me through her hair salon. The first was my first full-time welding gig. This time, through a client’s connection, I landed an interview—and then my first help desk job.
Now I’m working with kids younger than my oldest daughter, the old man in the group, grayer and a little slower on the keyboard. People at that age are all potential, like a rubber band, stretched, ready to be shot into life and attack anything. When you’re young you have time to try something, hate it, change direction. I have been flung a few time, not as flexible as I once was. I do have a couple things going for me, direction and motivation. I might not fly as far but my aim is allot better this time. I’ve picked a lane and driving as fast as I can, because I have a lot of miles to catch up on.
Fast forward a year and a half into IT, I have my Net+, CCNA and the CCNP Wireless is next in my sights. I don’t know where this stacks up with others in the field but I’m satisfied with what I’ve accomplished so far and am excited to see how far down this road I can go.