Change is Good

Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The quote above is one that I feel is suitable for the changes that are happening in my life and career. Before I go into it, let me begin with the last three years of my career.

Three years ago I made the change from the customer side to the VAR space. I took a position with GDT in Dallas, TX as a Datacenter Consulting Engineer. This took me from one side of the table to the other side. No longer was I involved in conversations where I was the one answering questions regarding requirements and upcoming tech, I was now the one doing the questioning and guiding customers to the best of my ability. I was providing solutions to problems from an outsider perspective. This was something that I had contemplated doing for years and finally was afforded the opportunity to make that leap.

During my time at GDT I met many people who made a great impact on my life and career. Those people know who they are. I made new friends and built some long lasting relationships, both personally and professionally. I also reaped the benefit of the “nod”, the “pat on the back”, and the thanks for “pointing us in the right direction”.

Shortly after my beginning at GDT I was afforded another opportunity within the organization to take over as Principal Consultant of the Datacenter Practice. In my role I was challenged more by having to focus on technical futures for the team as a whole, focusing on technical direction and mentoring engineers. This in itself was a fun and challenging deal. I got to mentor engineers and help them grow as I was once aided in a similar fashion. Over the years I got to see many engineers move on to bigger and better things in their careers. The fact that I got to say that I played a part in helping them grow professionally and technically was amazing and such a great feeling.

In our industry we all know that change is evident. It is the nature of the beast and bears the fruit of innovation. We, therefore, look to keep a constant eye on change and try our best to stay on top of it all in order to stay relevant and provide value as we grow.

The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments. – Gustave Flaubert

Well, my time to continue growing is now…I didn’t make the leap into the vendor space just yet, but rather, took on a new challenge at a new company.

I was approached by a colleague regarding my potential involvement in building a new practice. This would be the first time I have ever built a practice from scratch, a challenge in itself. After a few talks with various people at the company and speaking with some of my close friends regarding my career and path for growth, I decided to accept the challenge.

So…I am proud to say that I have accepted a position with Sigma Solutions, Inc. as the Principal/Practice Lead of their new Data Center Transformation Practice. I am very excited to take on this new opportunity and look forward to the coming years as I help build this practice for Sigma.