Always be learning: My first 60 days at Valiant

I joined Valiant’s tribe of technicians, engineers, and uber-geeks 60 days ago, leaving a sales role for one better aligned with my own values and approach to business. Years prior to my arrival, I worked for one of the beloved tech giants (Apple) and felt confident that I understood what I was walking in to. Little did I know that switching jobs is one thing, while transitioning in to a new industry is literally a whole new game.

IT can seem daunting. That’s why you outsource it to a fine MSP provider like us. To me at first it appeared to be a mess of acronyms launched by techs at rapid fire in an effort to “out geek” each other. As if they were part of some Hunger Games style competition. I’ve always considered myself tech-savvy but coming onboard I had the humbling moment of realizing how much I needed to learn and more importantly- how could I learn it all? The answer? Just dive in.

The first thing I had to do was change my settings to “sponge mode”. Soaking up all that was around me, much how someone immerses themselves in a different language and gains fluency. In the beginning the conversations being held around me made my head spin, or felt like I was staring into the void. Every time I heard something I didn’t understand I’d write it down, then ask “what the hell does that mean?” or just use the good ol’ Google. There is no shame in not knowing something but there is shame in not trying to learn.

One of the lines in our company Tao is “We are curious, always growing” and I can’t think of a better way to sum up my first two months: always questioning, trying to understand, and all the while eager to learn. In a way it has been the best crash course in our company culture. Throughout the last two weeks the payoff became apparent.

No longer was I walking into meetings with geek speak flying around while my brain spun. The words now being exchanged have purpose. Looking at a network drawing was no longer deciphering a cryptic legend it was now a map that I could follow. Everything has just snowballed into my current day to day vernacular. Much like a deodorant commercial I’m feeling confident and fresh and ready to take on my days.

Now I just need to learn how to play D&D/Pathfinder with the staff and I’ll be all set!