Interview with Adam Hill, a consulting network engineer with a focus on Cloud Networking! Ep 93

Episode Overview

• Guest Adam Hill shares his inspiring career journey, detailing his transition from military IT to becoming a Senior Network Engineer, overcoming significant financial hardship and professional setbacks along the way.
• The conversation explores the critical differences between enterprise IT and the service provider space, the challenges of a "gatekeeping" culture, and the importance of foundational knowledge over just practical skills.
• Adam emphasizes the power of having a strong "why"—his family's stability—as the core motivation that drove him to pursue certifications, relocate for opportunities, and persevere through layoffs.
• The episode provides practical advice on the role of certifications, the value of a "buddy system" for learning, and how to turn negative experiences with leadership into a personal philosophy of mentorship.

Key Concepts

• Enterprise IT vs. Service Provider: A comparison of the two environments, highlighting that enterprise IT is typically more end-user and systems-focused, while the service provider space is a network-centric "playground" with diverse architectures.
• The "Button Pusher" Problem: The distinction between having hands-on experience (knowing which buttons to press) and possessing a deep, foundational understanding of core concepts like TCP/IP, which is crucial for career advancement.
• Career Motivation: The central theme of finding a powerful, personal "why" (like family stability) to serve as the driving force to overcome financial struggles, career setbacks, and periods of intense study.
• Gatekeeping Culture in IT: Discussion of the challenge posed by senior engineers who hoard knowledge and are unwilling to mentor junior colleagues, forcing self-reliance and peer-based learning.
• Career Setbacks and Resilience: The narrative includes multiple instances of being laid off and taking temporary steps backward in career progression, demonstrating the resilience required to navigate the volatile tech industry.
• The Pivot to Networking: Adam's story highlights a pivotal career moment of discovering a passion for networking while working in a hybrid systems/network role, leading to a deliberate shift in his professional focus and studies.
• The Role of Certifications: Certifications like the CCNA are framed not as a guarantee of employment, but as a critical tool for "getting the interview" and proving a baseline of knowledge to potential employers.

Quotes

• At 2:57 - "What a change in the dynamic recording like in person around the same table versus, you know, how we do it normally... I don't know how we're going to do the show from now on." - AJ Murray reflects on how much better the recording experience was in person and jokes that it has spoiled him for their usual remote setup.
• At 8:25 - "It's like a network engineer's playground." - Guest Adam Hill describes his current role as a consultant in the service provider space, highlighting the opportunity to work on a diverse range of customer networks and technologies.
• At 8:52 - "I've worked in enterprise IT too... enterprise IT is more customer-focused, or end-user focused and a lot more systems focused, where I'm doing more work managing the servers and less work managing the networking." - Adam Hill explains the key differences he sees between working in enterprise IT versus the service provider sector.
• At 23:49 - "At that time, I'm really a button pusher. I didn't really understand what I was doing." - Hill describes his initial skill level after leaving the military, highlighting that he had practical experience but lacked foundational knowledge.
• At 25:04 - "Everything was starting to click... and at the same time, it sparked my love for IT." - Hill explains the "aha" moment at the bootcamp when he could finally correlate his military tasks with formal IT concepts, igniting his passion for the field.
• At 28:38 - "Those IT professionals... they were stuck in the mindset of, 'Oh, this guy's trying to take my job,' so they wouldn't really help or give any advice." - Describing the unhelpful, gatekeeping culture he encountered from senior engineers at his early jobs.
• At 32:24 - "At that moment, that moment was life-changing for me." - Referring to a call from his wife about their water being shut off due to financial struggles, which became a powerful motivator for him to advance his career.
• At 52:03 - "I will do anything to get the break into this field and get my family to stability." - Adam Hill explains that his powerful motivation, or "why," was the driving force that helped him persevere through difficult career challenges.
• At 52:21 - "I'm not going to do the people behind me as some of these leadership has done to me." - Hill reflects on how negative experiences with leadership early in his career shaped his own philosophy on how to treat others.
• At 65:51 - "I was like, 'You know what? Networking is actually more fun than systems.'" - Hill describes the moment he realized his true passion lay in networking while working in a hybrid systems and network administrator role.
• At 72:26 - "The very next day, they laid me off." - Hill recounts the shocking turn of events where he was laid off due to budget cuts just one day after passing his CCNA exam.
• At 75:06 - "I was only out of work for a week, and I got a $20,000 raise and a $4,000 severance pay." - Hill details the rapid and positive outcome after being laid off, where his new CCNA certification quickly led to a much better job opportunity.
• At 78:24 - "A certification does not get you a job. It just gets you to the interview." - Hill shares his perspective on the value of certifications, comparing them to a tool that gets you noticed, while your experience seals the deal.
• At 81:26 - "Always making sure that I always kept my 'why' at the forefront of everything I do." - Hill explains that remembering his core motivation is crucial for maintaining his drive and mental health through professional challenges.

Takeaways

• Identify and constantly keep your "why" at the forefront of your mind to maintain motivation and resilience through the inevitable challenges of a tech career.
• Form a "buddy system" with a like-minded colleague when studying for certifications to create accountability and mutual support, increasing your chances of success.
• Bridge the gap between hands-on skills and theoretical knowledge; invest time in learning the fundamentals to evolve from a "button pusher" into a true engineer.
• Don't be afraid to relocate to a new city or region if local opportunities are limited, as moving can be a necessary catalyst for significant career advancement.
• Use negative experiences with poor leadership or a gatekeeping culture as a lesson in what not to do, and commit to being a helpful mentor for others.
• Understand that a temporary career step-back to ensure financial stability is a strategic move, not a failure, and can provide the foundation for your next big leap forward.
• View certifications as a key to open doors and secure interviews, but remember that your practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and personality are what will ultimately land you the job.
• Actively seek out roles that expose you to different areas of IT, as you may discover a passion for a specialization you hadn't previously considered.