I am at a crossroads. I am a telecommunications professional living in the middle of America and I feel like it is in my best interest to pursue a more marketable career. With my experience, I am halfway towards a number of career options. I am however very excited about the prospect of learning something new.

So, now where do I apply my renewed vigor for learning? It is a wonderful time to be considering a different career path. Too wonderful. I have been considering, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, AI/Machine Learning, IoT, SaaS/Daas and the way they all blend together. I started researching Cybersecurity career paths, setup a virtual machine, installed Kali Linux and played around with Security+ practice questions. I even managed to score 70% on the Security+ practice questions based solely on my experience in telecom. But just then, chance intervened and I was contacted about a Sales Engineering position. I had never even considered Sales/Solution Engineering. So, prior to my interview, I called a few friends who are currently Sales Engineers to get their perspective on the position. Surprising, I had not put together that I have been dealing with Sales Engineers my whole career and the more I thought about it this is what I wanted to do.

The position I interviewed for was Sales Engineer – Private Networking Solutions. I have had two very good interviews and they emphasized their ability to provide me with any additional training I may need. Unfortunately, I was also informed that there was another applicant they liked who was a little further along in the process. I am not sure this is going to work out, but at least I know a little more about what I want to do.

I now know that I want to be Sales/Solution Engineer. Assuming that I do not land the current position that I am interviewing for, I am going to likely need to pick a discipline and add some certifications to my repertoire.