About

The route I took into IT

I didn’t start in tech. I started as a Marine, then spent years doing electrical work, fabrication, and carpentry. Eventually I landed on a repair bench as a repair engineer for a medical device manufacturer, leading the repair team for another manufacturer’s product line.

That job was IT-adjacent. I troubleshot electronics all day and built networks at home at night, but I didn’t have the credentials or the job titles to get hired in IT.

So in 2020 I made a plan: finish an associate’s degree, start a bachelor’s in cybersecurity, and stack certifications until someone gave me a shot. I started this site the same year to keep myself accountable.

What happened next

• 2021: Earned an AAS in Multidisciplinary Technology plus CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and Apple ACSP. Hired as a help desk analyst at a managed service provider.
• 2022: Promoted to Level 3, about nine months to a year after starting.
• Next: Help desk manager, then central services administrator. Added CySA+ and Microsoft AZ-900 along the way.
• Now: Senior systems administrator at another MSP, with more than 80 client organizations supported so far. Studying for AZ-104 and finishing a BS in Cybersecurity.

Why this site is anonymous

This site is about the route, not about me. You don’t need my face or my name to use a cert roadmap or a home lab parts list. Everything here comes from work I’ve actually done.

What you’ll find here

• Career guides: turning trade and military experience into IT job titles, resumes, and interview answers
• Cert roadmaps: what to get, in what order, and what to skip
• Home lab builds: more than 12 years of networking at home, written up so you can build experience before anyone hires you

If you’re coming into IT the long way, start with the free roadmap.