Navigating Career Changes with Will Collins

Send us Fan Mail Making a career transition is never easy, especially in specialized technical domains. In this episode, we dive into the world of professional evolution with returning guest Will Collins, who shares his journey from cloud networking at Alkira to automation engineering at Nintex. "I'm not lazy, but I hate repetition," Will explains, describing the mindset that led him toward automation throughout his career. This natural inclination eventually blossomed into a specialized focus, demonstrating how following your technical interests can create new career pathways. His experience mirrors my own recent transition from Aviatrix to a network security-focused role, giving listeners multiple perspectives on navigating change in the networking industry. The conversation explores how cloud experience fundamentally transforms your technical thinking – shifting your approach from traditional infrastructure management to a more developer-oriented mindset. We discuss how cloud environments break down traditional silos, forcing networking professionals to collaborate with application teams and security specialists in ways that weren't necessary in traditional data centers. This cross-functional experience creates valuable T-shaped professionals who understand both the depth of networking and the breadth of adjacent technologies. We also tackle tough questions about the evolution of networking as a discipline. Has it expanded, contracted, or simply morphed into something new? Will suggests "it's been watered down or diluted," pointing to the consolidation of networking and security responsibilities in many organizations. This trend requires today's professionals to master multiple domains while still maintaining core expertise. For those contemplating their next move, we offer practical advice on evaluating opportunities, balancing risk at different career stages, and the importance of developing fundamental understanding rather than relying on AI shortcuts. As Will counsels, "Learn one thing... actually learn it. That is what's going to keep you marketable in 2035, 2040." Connect with our guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-collins/ https://packetpushers.net/podcast/the-cloud-gambit/ Check out the Monthly Cables2Clouds News Feed: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/ Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/ Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.com Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2clouds Merch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/ Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj