My interest in the field of IT began almost 4 years ago in my current job as a Computer Science teacher.

It was my first year teaching computer science, and I wanted to test a lot of programs for my class. I didn’t have my own computer at this point in time - I didn’t build one until 11/2018 - so I had to use the school provided laptop. It’s a pretty great laptop, powerful enough to run most applications a teacher would need; the only caveat was I did not have administrative privileges. This makes total sense - most teachers don’t need to be downloading software and testing things out. Heck, most computer science teachers don’t even go around doing that. However, I wanted to try new software out and test new curriculum and other things I could do in my classroom.

I would essentially be at the IT station every other week or so asking for help installing software. This is before they implemented the ticket system (which I utilize heavily nowadays and highly enjoy using). Eventually, one of the IT support specialists ended up giving me some elevated privileges for my laptop to allow me to install and run extra software on my laptop.

Fast forward to building my own PC in November 2019. I did a lot of research, got some help on reddit, and created a draft build on pcpartpicker. I ordered all the parts and starting building my computer during winter break. I had to learn what a POST was (because my computer didn’t turn on correctly the first time) and learned of some cables I had accidentally left unconnected. I managed to troubleshoot everything and by winter break my computer was up and running.

This was around the same time when I first started trying to record some video lectures for my students to help them with common problems. The school-issued laptop was not really able to handle running OBS while running the other software I was trying to teach. The PC I built combined with a webcam and mic really helped. I started producing videos for my students and just recording myself playing games to relate with students.

Fast-forward to Spring 2020. Covid hits and over spring break we have been told not to return to school, but rather to teach from home. It was a good thing I had my PC ready to go. I made videos for my students, already had a webcam so students could see my face, and had a powerful enough computer to run all the programs I needed (and test others I wanted to be installed on school computers).

I typically travel during the summer - Summer 2018 and Summer 2019 I took two-month-long cross-country road trips and backpacked, camped, and visited friends. Covid shut down my Summer 2020 plans to travel up Central USA to Canada and back down the east coast. I was also moving classrooms to a new bigger classroom across the school. I had permission to determine the computers inside my classroom as well as all the furniture. I did a lot of research, created a ‘mood-board’, and submitted my proposal to the District Director of CTE. Everything was approved - great! However there was one problem. The new classroom was not originally intended for a computer science lab. The ‘classroom’ was originally a hallway computer lab that had computers in rows; I knew this for a fact because it was actually my first classroom I taught Physics and IPC in when I first got hired! So all the ethernet ports and power outlets were spread throughout the room. Some power outlets had prongs still stuck in the ground. Some ethernet jacks didn’t work. There weren’t enough ethernet ports in some areas.

It was with this in mind that I began revising my classroom setup. I had to take into account what I was given to work with as it was unlikely they would rewire everything over the summer when they were busy preparing all the schools for the upcoming school year. I started doing some research and came across networking. This eventually led me to remembering my early interest in gaining administrative rights on my compuer and, combined with my current situation of trying to solve my computer science classroom’s problems, I looked into the Network+ exam. I had some time over the summer so I self-studied the Network+ material, took the exam, and passed it. Afterwards I realized the Security+ exam was like the Network+ with a littl emore focus on security so I studied for that and passed it as well. That is how I earned my Network+ and Security+ in 2020.

I’m thankful for the exams and what they pushed me to learn. I was able to solve our lack of ethernet ports by suggested a 5-port unmanaged switch from which we could connect four computers to. There was some more stuff on the back-end in the main campus server room that I had no control over, but we managed to get it to work. I also have a better understanding of what my on-campus techs can and cannot do for me through learning about things like GPOs and OUs. I have learned the importance of ticketing systems and grown to appreciate them and how they allow us to track and manage service requests - many of them are mine and getting things setup in the classroom as I try to test different things out. The Security+ exam helped me get a jumpstart in preparing to teach the new CyberSecurity course we will be offering for the 2021-2022 school year. The material also helped me plan my home networking solution - I just bought a house that was built before 2000 and have been trying to figure out how I would make sure there is internet throughout the house and everything is protected. This along with the bajillion other things buying a house entails…

Anyways, I am currently playing around with tryhackme, considering taking the CCNA, and developing the curriculum for our cybersecurity course next year. Exciting times.