From Gaming LAN Events to Industrial Architect: My Journey to Cisco

Back in 2001, I used to be residing in Venezuela. Everyone was taking part in Diablo II, however there was a catch: high-speed web wasn’t precisely widespread. If we needed to play collectively, we needed to arrange our personal web, or at the very least that was what my 15-year-old self thought.

I didn’t know what an IP tackle was, and I actually didn’t know something about routing. But I had a purpose to play with my associates and I had the stubbornness to brute-force my approach by it till it labored.

That was my introduction to networking.

And it was then I noticed I didn’t wish to comply with my father’s path to turning into a physician. I needed to work in expertise.

The Unexpected Path

I headed to school to check electronics with a deal with management techniques, dreaming of constructing robots. But the job market had different plans. To my shock, employers weren’t within the 5 years I spent tackling 13 math programs; they had been within the networking expertise I’d picked up simply to get my video games working.

I used to be confused at first, however that rapidly became pleasure. I noticed that my networking expertise had been really real-life examined — in contrast to the purely theoretical work from college — and that the logic behind a LAN occasion was primarily the identical as a small workplace community.

In 2009, I began as a community administrator on the electrical utility in Venezuela. That’s once I determined to take networking severely and enrolled within the Cisco Networking Academy. For the primary time, the “magic” of connectivity made sense. I wasn’t simply guessing anymore; I might really see the packets flowing beneath the floor.

A New Chapter

A couple of promotions later, I used to be main the regional networking staff. But life has a approach of adjusting your perspective. In 2013, my first daughter was born. Suddenly, I wasn’t simply fascinated by the subsequent undertaking; I used to be fascinated by the subsequent twenty years. I noticed that whereas I used to be comfy, Venezuela wasn’t the place the place my daughter would discover the alternatives she deserved. So, my accomplice and I made the troublesome choice to maneuver to Canada.

Moving to a brand new nation is a reset button, and I wanted to show my price. I used the $300 the federal government allowed for overseas forex to pay for my CCNA examination and handed on the primary attempt. With the assist of my household, who shared their very own allowances, and mentors who guided me by the complicated matters, I pushed ahead. A 12 months later, I had my CCNP in routing and switching.

Certifications didn’t assure a job, however they gave me the boldness to stroll into an interview and the proof I wanted to point out that my expertise in Venezuela was professional. Two months after arriving in Canada, I landed a task as a community administrator, which ultimately led me to grow to be a world community architect.

Finding My Place at Cisco

As my profession progressed, I discovered myself drawn deeper into the world of networking and community cybersecurity. When I noticed a gap at Cisco, it felt like my whole journey — from the LAN events to the electrical grid administration and the transfer to Canada — had been the lengthy, winding highway resulting in this particular position.

Today, as a options designer for Cisco’s industrial portfolio, I work with the identical techniques I used to handle again in Venezuela. I work with the utilities that hold the lights on, the producers who present our meals, the mines that extract the minerals for our units, and the municipalities that guarantee we have now clear water, and lots of others.

Knowing that my work helps hold these important techniques working is what I’m most pleased with. It’s grow to be a little bit of a working joke with my household, although — they’re fairly uninterested in me pointing at issues and saying, “I helped design the network that processed that chicken,” or “I helped design the network that sent you that traffic ticket.” But in all seriousness, it feels nice to present again to the group in such a tangible approach. I’m not simply “doing a job.” I’m serving to the nation that opened its doorways to my household over a decade in the past. And truthfully? Getting paid to do work I really like is simply the cherry on high.

One Year Later

Reflecting on my first 12 months at Cisco Industrial IoT, I’m nonetheless shocked by how a lot I’ve grown. Joining Cisco felt like signing up for a gymnasium the place the trainers assume you’re already an expert athlete. In my position, I cowl industrial switching, routing, wi-fi, and cybersecurity — abruptly. I used to be overwhelmed at first, however I rapidly discovered my “personal trainers” within the staff round me. These specialists are all the time prepared to share their data, and that assist is strictly what helped me stand up to hurry.

In this primary 12 months, I’ve had the possibility to:

• Play with applied sciences I’d solely ever examine in textbooks.
• Design full, end-to-end networks.
• Dive deep into complicated industrial and enterprise architectures.
• Rediscover my love for some applied sciences and ensure my robust dislike for others.

Most importantly, I’ve realized. I’m extremely grateful for the belief, the expansion, and the folks I’ve met alongside the best way. It’s been an extended highway from that first LAN occasion, however I wouldn’t commerce a single step of it.

Ready to show your ardour right into a profession? Explore open roles on the Cisco Careers site.

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