[Courses] [Careers] My mid-life career change to software

[Julie B]

On Mon, 7 Feb 2005 14:23:03 +0200, Anna Badimo <anna at cs.wits.ac.za> wrote:
> Hi Julie,
> 
> This is very encouraging. I am also at a point where I want to change to a
> network/infrastructure manager. I have been a software developer and I kind of
> find it very mundane once you have learned a system or a programming language.
> Where should I start?
> 

Well, I can only give general suggestions because I don't know
anything about the job of a network/infrastructure manager...

I think the best place to start out is to find out exactly what skills
a network/infrastructure manager needs. You probably already have some
of those skills, even if you don't already realize it. Then you could
find out how to add any other necessary skills you're missing, maybe
by going to school, or getting some certification testing, etc. It
might even be stuff you can learn on your own without any official
training.

At the same time that you're working on that, you should try to find
ways to meet people who are doing what you want to do, such as join
organizations or clubs that have actual meetings so you can start
networking. These people can help you find out what skills you need
and give you tips on getting a job, who's hiring, etc. Depending on
your circumstances, you might even be able to approach the people in
your own company and talk to them about transitioning into their
department. Networking is my weakest skill, but I think it's probably
the most important.

I didn't actually know that I was going to be a software engineer when
I first went back to school. I was a lot more disorganized than that.
I only knew that I liked programming and wanted to learn more and I
had a vague sense that there seemed to be a lot of programming jobs,
so maybe I could do that some day. I didn't know anything at all about
what a programming job would be like. It sounds to me like you're
already off to a really good start, since you actually know what you
want to do. That's a huge advantage because you can focus on what you
need and not waste any time on those "what do I want to do"
distractions. Good luck!

Julie