Career.. The Long Journey..

I have been considering an article for those questioning their career journey, if my story helps, it’s worth publishing. So, wherever you are in your life journey.? A tale for you.

I have always been fascinated by new and evolving technology.? It’s who I am.? From the Sinclair ZX81 that I was gifted back in Christmas 1983.? From the overnighters typing in code from computer magazines and hoping my parents wouldn’t catch me out.? I was hooked.?

Whilst enthusiastic as a student, as a youngster, I was more distracted by the outside life than academia inside.? Spending more time in the local rivers and climbing trees than studying (see the photograph above as one of the many locations from my childhood).

In my teenage years, I didn’t quite grasp that I could turn my hobby into a career, whilst I enjoyed my Computer Studies lessons.? They never came alive for me.? The lessons were more focused on Kimbal Punch Cards (pre-barcode inventory management.. literally punched.. cards), BASIC programming, and worse, mathematics which was inherently the assumed gateway for anyone wanting to progress in technology.? Yet, the glowing screens were magical for me. The BBC Model B’ and various Commodore PET models.? I was hungry to learn and progress.

All set to study Computer Studies at CCTA Llanelli.? I completed my GCSE in a staggered fashion as my father passed away in the middle of my exam time.? Distraught, I managed to complete the remaining exams without any real additional study in the school office on my return from bereavement and fortunately, managed to get by enough to start the course the following September 1988.? However, success eluded me.? I wasn’t focused, clearly distressed and grieving, lodging in Llanelli was heartbreaking and I realize now that, was the first brush I had with depression.?? I made some great friends but clearly; my head wasn’t in the game, and I needed time out.? The kind lecturers there even staged what I would now call an intervention to make sure that this 16-year-old took time out to figure out the next move.

Heartbroken, I returned home and worked in a video store in Llandovery.? My weekend job became a full-time one.? There I had a great opportunity to take stock, and within a year I was on a Business Studies course.? Thinking I would open my very own store, to the extent of creating a business plan (Bearing in mind.. Disney+ was 30 years in the future at this point).? I was set!? Enjoying academia though, I wanted more.? Encouraged to continue the business line for my studies, I opted instead to study Media for a year, if anything to learn about photography and video, another interest of mine.?

My Llanelli time had put the fear into me about ever working in IT!? I was bitten by the creative bug, and this took me to Surrey to complete my BA in Media.? My thought at the time, was to work on the business side of the creative arts.? Yet, during that time, I remained fascinated by technology, computing, and the evolution in general of systems.? It was during this era in the 90s that Windows NT/Apple Mac interface use became commonplace.?

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Technology finally became in the main, accessible.?

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Surrey left me with a crippling Student Loan and Overdraft, so made ends meet, I moved into management, got more adept in technology, and started to get over my fear of understanding technology, which I always fortunately found intuitive for me.

I realized; I could do this!? My initial student fears were over.? Continuing with management.? It took me to offshore finance in the Isle of Man for Barclays Wealth.?

A single man then, I took the opportunity to broaden my skill set and with the view, to continue technical study.?? I moved to that role in 2006 and then in 2007, we were all engulfed by the world financial crisis.? I had been made redundant in my former role as a bank manager, then with my Isle of Man move, things proved very quickly to be no less safe.? At that point, I had the opportunity to take on LEAN training and support Continuous Improvement initiatives.? In these pre-AGILE times, I was hooked.

Returning home to Wales to marry and set up a home, in the Credit Crunch time, required a course correction and we landed home, hard. Continuing in management, I realized how unhappy I was.? What was missing?? I realized that it was time that I needed to follow my gut.? In turn, I stepped out of working for an airline and took effectively a demotion to start again at Virgin Media and I loved every second.? Working with their technical support team, and eventually managing the faults teams, I finally felt like I was in my element.? Plus, I was able to join projects and develop these skill sets further.

From there on out.? I kept a strict line on how I wanted my career to continue.? Technical Project Management and Lead.? Building on that time, working hard to get accredited plus building on my business knowledge.? There were several opportunities to deviate from the path into Sales, but this wasn’t for me, not my wheelhouse.? Keeping current and setting my compass.?? Working with some truly clever and inspiring people where I see the culmination of this path, to my move into consultancy.

I write this as I happened to be in Llanelli a little while back.? The first time in many years that I had the time to drive around and look at the town again with my eyes 36 years later.? I drove over to Alban Road to take a look at the CCTA IT Campus there.? To reflect on the journey since my heartbreak back in the 80’s.? I remember sitting on the wall of the college, thinking that I would never get anywhere in technology.? Maybe I should have listened to the careers advisors and taken up a career in trades.? Indeed a great and worthy career but it didn't capture me the same way as technology.?

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Then... Driving over I discovered... CCTA IT Campus is now a housing estate.

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And there it is... Things change... The world changes... Parked up looking at where the college ‘was’.. The home of the then newly installed 1988 VAX machine (The state of the art mainframe with 32-bit instruction set architecture (ISA) and virtual memory.. Your phone is more powerful today.. and yes.. even that Nokia if you still keep one).?

I laughed and even gasped.? The college for me was the gateway to what I thought was an impenetrable industry for a country boy like me without the money and the connections.?

And yet.. Leaving there was the best thing that could have happened to me… which eventually led to the path I had always wanted to work from childhood.. The long way round.

I went into business studies and took the time to follow a different passion in media, this moved me to management led to offshore finance in the Isle of Man to then... returned home to Wales... to follow the North Star of project and technology management.

This North Star has led to my working and researching technologies that were downright fanciful to the younger me, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Automation.? Having the opportunity to work with marvelous insightful and creative teams.? Being involved with remarkable projects working on community needs and support.?

There are many stories and commentators out there who advise you to make sure you learn from your failures and defeats.? They are correct.? If you're passionate and want to do well, keep moving forward.? Follow your gut instincts.? Do the homework, turn up on time, and keep passionate. People joke with me about why I am always so cheery! Well, it's because I am doing what I have always wanted to do! Respect opinions but follow your instinct fuelled by your training.?? Never be afraid to step back to make a course correction, if it leads to what you want to do.? Be approachable and kind but never let that be misinterpreted as a weakness because, in my life, I have seen that as an enviable skill for those who don't have it *.

Don't forget though.. It's not about being the Nice Guy it's about being the Right Guy.

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Remember the world changes constantly.? This is why we embrace agility in business.?

I write this, especially for my son Ryan. Breaks were hard to find in the 80's and 90's but I wouldn't trade with him for the world to start again in this generation.

I wish you all the very best in your journey.? Be Bold..

Stay on course.. You will get there.. However, improbable..

* The only way you can hurt anyone in this business is by succeeding and hurting their pocketbook - Burt Reynolds