🚀 From the Trenches: Career Advice That Doesn't Suck

In partnership with

The Setup 🎯

Last week I dropped a simple question to our community:

What happened next? My notifications exploded! Apparently, IT folks have opinions about career progression. Who knew?

🏗️ Rule #1: Embrace the Suck (It's Your Superpower)

The brutal truth from the trenches:

Translation? That ticket about someone's mouse "not working" (spoiler: it wasn't plugged in) isn't beneath you – it's your training ground.

Why this works: While everyone else is chasing the sexy cloud architect roles, you're becoming the person management trusts with everything. Gregory Leiby calls it expanding your "luck surface" – basically, good things happen to people who show up.

🎯 Action Item: This week, volunteer for one task nobody else wants. Document what you learn. Watch how quickly people start noticing you.

🚫 Stop Chasing Shiny Objects

Hot take from Geer Johnathan:

• ❌ Quit paper chasing certs

• ❌ Quit chasing 6-figure salaries without experience

• ❌ Cyber isn't entry level (sorry, not sorry)

• ✅ Become versatile and shadow the seniors

Reality check: That CISSP isn't going to magically make you a security expert if you can't troubleshoot basic network connectivity. Master the fundamentals first, then add the fancy letters after your name.

💬 The Secret Sauce: Actually Talk to Humans

Plot twist! The biggest career accelerator in IT isn't technical skills – it's not being socially awkward.

Mario Lonigro drops truth bombs:

Thomas Stotler agrees: "Soft skills will take you farther than technical skills in the beginning."

🎯 Action Item: Practice explaining technical concepts to your non-IT friends/family. If your mom understands your explanation of DNS, you're ready for the C-suite.

📝 The Golden Rules (Seriously, Write These Down)

Terry Knight's Three Commandments:

1. Don't lie. Computers don't lie, so you'll get caught. Screwed something up? Own it – that's how we learn.

2. Paper trail everything. No verbal agreements, no "quick favors." Email confirmations or it didn't happen.

3. Stay humble. There's always stuff you don't know. Be the senior you wish you had when you were starting out.

🎯 Action Item: Start a "lessons learned" doc this week. Every mistake, every fix, every weird solution – document it all.

🤝 Network Like Your Career Depends On It (Because It Does)

Laird Peterson keeps it simple: "Knowing people is 80% of the battle."

Vic Dellacroce's networking hack: Volunteer for the shifts nobody wants (Black Friday, day after Christmas). Senior folks remember who makes their lives easier.

The payoff? Those same seniors become your mentors, advocates, and reference checks.

🎯 Action Item: Identify one senior person in your org this week. Ask them about their career path over coffee. Listen more than you talk.

🔄 The Uncomfortable Truth About Loyalty

Anonymous member 141 didn't hold back:

John Cruz's balanced take: "Be loyal to your team if they're worth anything. Don't be loyal to companies – they're not, even the best ones."

Translation: Your career is a business relationship, not a marriage. Keep your resume updated and know your worth.

🤖 Future-Proofing Your Career

Multiple veterans emphasized: Get comfortable with AI now. It's not replacing you – it's becoming your co-pilot.

Andrew Seehafer: "Get real into AI, right now."

Drew Terry's smart approach: Use AI to build your certification roadmap. Ask it: "What skills do I need for [your dream job]?" Then: "Build me a learning path based on my current experience."

🎯 Your 30-Day Action Plan

Week 1: Document everything you do. Start your "lessons learned" file.

Week 2: Volunteer for one unglamorous task. Shadow a senior team member.

Week 3: Practice explaining technical concepts to non-technical people.

Week 4: Update your resume and LinkedIn. Connect with one new person in your field.

💡 The Bottom Line

Success in IT isn't about being the smartest person in the room – it's about being reliable, curious, and human. Do the grunt work, build relationships, document everything, and never stop learning.

As Brian Kelly (26 years experience) puts it: "Never stop being curious and never stop learning."

🤔 What's Next?

Which piece of advice hit different for you? What's your biggest career challenge right now?

Hit reply and let us know – we read every response and your question might become next week's deep dive.

📞 Let's Connect!

Got specific questions about your IT career path? Our team has been there, done that, and collected the t-shirts (and battle scars).

We're always down to chat about career moves, technical challenges, or why printers are the spawn of Satan.

P.S. - Special thanks to everyone who contributed their hard-earned wisdom. You're the real MVPs of this community. 🙌

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