What I’ve learned when I built my previous career
Before becoming a job I dislike, my career in Information Technology Security was once my goal, my promising career.
Weeks ago, I was talking to a colleague on the ride back from work. We were chatting about his future position in his IT service company. He wanted to change but didn’t know what to do. I told him « You can do anything you want.» He smiled daringly and then asked « How did you become an IT security engineer? » That question caught me off guard. He was interested in my job, that same job that I didn’t want anymore, that I didn’t like. IT security domain is quite a niche and not many people are qualified in France. He was curious and interested to know how I made my way into this niche.
Suddenly, I realized that It was once a job that I wanted to pursue. It was my goal to become an IT security engineer.
Trust the insight and set the goal
Back in 2004, during my bachelor, I didn’t know yet what specialty I wanted to choose for my future IT career. I still have a very vivid memory of that day where the IT system and network professor once told us that in the future IT security would be an important matter and the companies will recruit a lot of engineer to secure systems. His insight really inspired me. My goal was to find a promising career where I wouldn’t worry to find a good position. I trusted his insight. My intuition told me that he was right. From that moment, I’ve set the goal to work in IT security.
Bad circumstances
It was difficult to build skills and experiences in IT security because It was a domain that didn’t exist yet. So conditions were not favorable, there were:
– No IT security class taught in the engineering schools,
– No internships to be found,
– Very few specialized company,
– No position to be found on job boards.
It was really not an easy road to take. So I looked for any topics related to IT security that would get me closer. To find an internship, I looked everywhere possible and sent open job application to many companies. I didn’t have positive answers.
But then I got creative. I found an association listing all the IT security companies . So I sent my resume to every company on the list. Few companies responded. So that’s how I found an internship in an IT Security company.
Achieving my goal
With my first experience in IT security, it was much easier to find a position and at the same time IT security became an important matter.
Finally, I reached my goal 5 years later in 2009 when finally I got hired as an IT Security consultant. Looking back at this experience, I am very proud to see that I have built the life I wanted and accomplished the goal I’ve set for myself in 2004.
I had no clue if IT security would ever be a promising career or not. I could have given up anytime when I didn’t find any internship, when there was no class for IT security. Against all odds, in a situation that nothing was helping me, I manage to reach my goal and make my path.
With grit and faith, I’ve never had any doubts that I would become an IT security consultant. Now I have this job where there are too many positions and not enough people to fill them. When I put my resume online, I get 10 calls immediately. I proved myself that I can make my own way, reach my goals and build my life.
Mindset to reach your goal
Often, we are afraid and think that it is impossible to reach our dreams, projects, goals because we are not there yet, because we think we don’t have the abilities, because the circumstances are bad.
I’ve built my previous career in the past to become an IT engineer even if there was no classes and no internship for that. It taught me that I can make my own path in a hostile environment.
Thanks to this experience, I’ve learned that to reach my goals I have to:
– Focus on my goal,
– Get creative,
– Be resilient,
– Have faith,
– Trust my intuition
– Keep going,
– Change the way to get to your goal but never change your goal because of outer circumstances.
This mindset helped me when I built my previous career. Today, I’m setting a new goal. I am becoming a life coach, I am building my new career.
The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. – Randy Pausch
Thanks to this mindset, I didn’t give up and I’ve take on the challenge on making my own path in a domain that haven’t even existed yet. I created my career. My current situation is the results of my previous goals, decisions, actions, dreams. I am living the goals and dreams I set for myself in the past. We have the power to create our life.
I will apply this mindset in creating my new career. Once I took the decision, there is only my actions that are separating me from who I want to be. It is gonna take time. It is gonna take effort. It might not come overnight but that is the beauty of it. I am working towards it with enthusiasm and excitement. I’m building the life I want. It is a work in progress.
I was able to succeed in a job that I didn’t fit me. So why on earth I wouldn’t succeed in a job that I love that fit me perfectly and resonate with who I am ?!
How do you want to create your life? What goals are you willing to pursue no matter the circumstances?
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