30 Years ago today my IT journey started

Thirty years ago today, I started working in a little corner computer shop. I'd floated from job to job, before that from being a chef to being a heating engineer’s mate or working in a fitness shop. The truth was I didn't know what I wanted to do.

?I knew I liked computers; I was one of those people with a ZX-80 and then 81, who was typing out the basic code from the Sinclair magazine to try and get some very basic program to work. But it piqued my interest enough to stick with me. So, when the opportunity came to start at the computer shop - on terrible money- I thought why not.

?I didn't do well at school for a number of reasons, the main one being terribly bullied for the last three years I was there. This meant I didn't want to be there, and I couldn't focus on it. I also didn't feel I could tell anyone because I was too ashamed to.

I'm sharing this because the start that you have, doesn't have to define where you finish in the race.

So after drifting through jobs in my late teens and early twenties I think had the daunting prospect of becoming a father at 22. Looking back now this was a blessing for me in a number of ways. I love my son dearly but at the time I needed my ‘why’. He was it. Now I had someone else that I needed to look after and provide for apart from myself and then partner. I wanted more for him than I had when I was younger, this drove me to want to do more and be more for him and myself.

?When you get to a senior position later in your life people will almost always look at what you have now and not what you had to go through to get there. I feel that is the case for me. It hasn't been easy. Nothing has been given to me. I've never felt entitled.

?Anyway, within the corner shop we started doing dial up Internet back in the early days of modems. This started in our local area but quickly spread over the next couple of years to be national and we were doing in excess of 10million minutes a month of people and their 28.8 and 56k modems dialling in. For people that didn't have to do this and only know broadband speeds of 10mb+ you don't know how lucky you are.

?This then progressed onto web hosting which again was in it's infancy and even then I learnt how to create (basic) websites for people because my interest in programming and computers was carrying me along with the changing trends. It was and always will be a fast-paced industry, change is always coming, and I love that. Bruce Lee talked about (not his original concept but a childhood hero so he gets credited with it) being like water. Ebbing and flowing, sometimes calm and sometimes crashing with energy when needs be but never being static. That's how I can feel about the IT industry.

Fast forward to my mid 30's and I decided to do a business degree. ’With 10 years of management experience, I leveraged that instead of my poor school results to gain admission into an MBA program - while being a father of three children. To me, this was invaluable. I was suddenly around people in much more senior positions and being pushed outside my comfort zone massively. While I have had the opportunity to meet highly skilled individuals in our industry, I came to realise that they weren't 'special' or any 'better'. I just needed to adjust and see what I was good at and capable of. Three years (part time) later and I had the qualification and now the confidence to accelerate my career.

?From there I moved from an operational role to sales focused and running the channel business to then taking over the direct sales arm. All the while understanding the product technically enough but not by being technical. I thrived in understanding what I'm good at and focusing on that and letting other people do the same thing in their roles. You can't be good at everything! (Although some people feel they are!)

?I now find myself running a business doing in excess of ￡150m a year in revenue and sitting on the board of directors at a ￡4bill business. If I went back to my younger self and told him that this was going to happen, he'd never have believed me in a million years. He would never have felt that capability was inside him or believed in himself enough.

?Where you are now doesn't define where you will end up being. There's a theme here. See it?

?What's next in IT? It hasn't slowed down! AI is on the cusp of causing massive disruption inside the industry (and outside) in the same way that the Internet did 30 years ago. Should we be concerned? Of course, sometimes change has negative impacts too that aren't realised until it's already started. But it can also have massive positives that come with it when in the right hands. I'm firmly in the positive camp and excited for what the future in IT brings[SE1]?.?

?AI will help automate some very mundane tasks that people currently do and will reduce the potential errors in there too. Computers don’t usually have ‘bad days’ or get distracted by colleagues. ?? (I know there will be someone out there that will think ‘but computers crash!’ I know, I mean typically)

?Also the data that can now be leveraged in a much more intelligent way to spot trends, identify issues or potential security issues can be much more efficient. Jobs will evolve for people, AI isn’t here to replace. It’s here to supplement and enhance in my view.

?In summary

• Thanks IT for being a great career choice. You've looked after me well.
• Thank you to all the positive people I've met along the way who have influenced me to become who I am.
• Change is a fundamental lesson in life. Learn to embrace and celebrate it all the while building your anchors when things get choppy.
• Surround yourself with people that see your value. There will be plenty that either don't or will make you feel you don't have it.
• Experience is a wonderful thing! Both good and bad. It helps us build resilience and make better choices for the future (hopefully!)
• Find your own ‘why?’
• You never know how good you are at something until you try. Don't be scared of 'failure'. It’s a great lesson.

If I can ever help, share or positively help you on your journey then please do reach out. I might only have advice or something small to nudge you in a direction. But I'd always be happy to do so.

?Thanks again IT. Not sure I'll make another 30. ;-)