Nerd Journey 022: Nick’s First Year at VMware Part 2

Welcome to episode 22 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode, we discuss Nick’s 1 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 2. Original Recording Date: 2019-1-19 Topics – Nick’s 1 Year Check-in at VMware, Part 2, John’s Questions 4:04 Extracurricular activities How has the new role affected the frequency of and type of engagement in community groups? Nick is still the co-leader of the DFW SpiceCorps, a group that has no affiliation with VMware. Attending VMUGs when possible Presented on vSAN in October 2018 in Dallas (video is here) Posting in Spiceworks and MangoLassi when possible 6:55 Transitioning from IT operations to Sales Nick was nervous about losing technical skills coming into the role. There are some aspects of IT operations he misses. Meeting with and learning from customers is fun! Are you technical enough? It depends. Tailoring the technical level of the conversation to the audience is very important. How has carrying a quota affected Nick’s honest opinion? You decide. 13:44 Company culture check In past roles… Most folks in same department in same office Worked with folks in other offices and saw them now and then Current Role First conversations with people (everyone but manager) were via phone / e-mail / chat Face-to-face interaction creates a deeper rapport with co-workers John’s aside on Matrix organizations Frequent communication is important when working with remote peers Some people may work better when in a face-to-face environment 18:19 Training Pace Nick’s previous employer had a learning platform Lesson.ly, but it was not as regimented as the quarterly training plans. Some of the training must be done on your own to ensure effectiveness. Online communities can help you stay relevant as can learning from other customers. 20:44 Management Nick wasn’t sure what to expect here and had to get past the “walking into the principal’s office” feeling when a manager calls unexpectedly. The management style is different than it was when Nick was in an operations role. It’s been more like having a coach. Listen to our episode on effective 1-1s with your manager Managers can give feedback on things you don’t notice. John describes a manager as someone to guide you on your journey. This was Nick’s first time to work for a manager in a different city. Consistent 1-1s are key. Still adjusting to the flexibility 25:02 Skills Nick Wishes He Had Coming into the Role Networking – not a routing and switching guy (despite the NetworkNerd community name). Containers – need to be deeper on this Presentations – do more of them, continue Had to ramp on industry-specific regulations Is John moonlighting as a developer? John cites presentation skills as something that needs to be well practiced. You will be bad at it when you start. Gearing the presentation for a specific audience is much like education. The ability to pivot at any given moment is something to master. 31:09 Getting Hired was not the First Time Nick Applied at VMware Nick didn’t really know what a SE was for a long time or that it was a potential career path for someone in IT operations. Nick cites the Geek Whisperers episodes about the Silicon Valley VMUG (listen to this episode first followed by this episode). Knowing the types of roles that exist as a logical next step from where you are is a helpful first step. Nick’s VMware experience was extremely limited when he applied in 2016. His experience grew considerably throughout 2017 after a job change at the end of 2016. Using more of the technology, blogging, and speaking on the technology helped to build a body of work someone else could use to evaluate Nick’s experience more than what is merely on a resume. 35:46 Recommendations for others Don’t sell yourself short. See what jobs exist. Consider your relatable experience. Start building a body of work today. Use online / in-person communities to help you get there, and include these on your resume. There is no chance to get a job to which you have not applied. Reach out to peers who do the job you think you want to get their feedback on whether you are qualified. John beats Nick to the punch again! Contact us if you need help on the journey.