In 2008 I started in IT at $14 an hour.
Eighteen years later I’ve worked my way from Level 1 tech to security leadership, earned 14 certifications and a Master’s degree, and more than quadrupled my income. None of that happened because I’m a genius. I figured out how the system works along the way, one cert, one job, and one mistake at a time.
So I wrote down what I learned, to pass it along and help out the next person coming up.
From Computer Geek to IT Professional
It’s a 26-page guide for the help-desk tech who wants to be a sysadmin, the family computer wizard who wonders if this could be a real career, and anyone who knows IT, cloud, AI, and security are the future but can’t see the path from here to there.
Inside:
- Picking your lane. Six IT career paths, the roles in each, and the certifications that actually matter for them.
- The Big Math Problem. How to turn “I want my CCNA someday” into a real number of study hours, a budget, and an exam date on the calendar.
- The 3 Pillars. Why certifications, education, and experience work best together, and what happens when you only have one.
- The stuff nobody teaches. Motivation, a troubleshoot-anything mindset, and the social skills that decide who gets promoted.
- Two printables. A certification study plan worksheet and a goal calendar for your bathroom mirror.
It’s not a get-rich-quick plan. It’s what worked for me, and I think it can work for you too.
If it helps you pass your next cert or land your next job, I want to hear about it.