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I often find myself in conversations about career successes/failures, getting started in IT, and moving up/around (whatever that means). Very regularly I hear people explain their success without mentioning anyone supporting them along the way, yet failures are a crowded space..
This omission bothers me. There's nothing wrong in acknowledging that alongside the long-nights/weekends, persistence and hard work, sacrifices to family time and financial hardships to study and learn that you had help; luck was involved and someone took a chance on you when...
they didn't have to. We are all where we are because someone along the way gave enough of a shit and gave us a chance. It is important to acknowledge and celebrate that. People helping people is a wonderful thing. For me, that person was @SimpsonianT.....
who gave me my first job in IT. I knew shit about enterprise IT, networking, etc. I was as green as they come, but I was willing to learn and do the un-sexy work to improve my situation and learn. I am still, and will always be ever grateful for the chance I was given...
For years I supported the senior engineers doing low-level work on nights/weekends/holidays: rack/stack, cabling diagrams, ILO/DRAC/OOB configs, hw replacements - you name it as a task in the DC, I did it. Repeatedly. What I also remember is how those individuals took the time..
.. to explain why I was being asked to do the work, why it mattered, and what it solved/improved. They didn't have to do any of this. For this, again, I am truly grateful. It allowed me to build a base set of knowledge to learn more on my own, ask for more work, harder work...
All that is to say - any success I've had in my professional career have been because of these individuals, and others like them along the way that took a chance and took the time to help someone improve and get opportunities. I try to pay it forward every chance I get...
.. We all should. You never know the positive impact you may have one someone's life by extending an opportunity to them, and giving them a chance to succeed.
