Choosing a career path straight out of school or college is never easy; it’s a decision that influences the entire trajectory of your professional life. For me, it was a challenging yet formative experience. School and college provided me with the solid foundations I needed, but the real challenge was channeling that knowledge into something I was truly passionate about and could envision dedicating my career to.

After considerable reflection, I decided to pursue a customer-oriented career path. I began by entering the tourism sector, having studied Tourism, Geography, Travel Agency Services, Sales, and ABTA ticketing. These qualifications, combined with my courses in customer service, liaison, and management, set me up for success in the travel industry. My dream was to one day own and operate my own hotel. However, alongside this ambition, I also had a growing fascination with emerging technology, home computing, and the internet.

Driven by my interest in technology, I embarked on a personal project to build my own PC. This hands-on experience allowed me to understand how individual computer components worked together to create a fully functioning system. Inspired by this newfound knowledge, I placed a small advert in the local newspaper and shop window, offering my services to install and set up computers, laptops, printers, fax machines, and internet connectivity, as well as providing antivirus software installation and removal.

It wasn’t long before I came across an advertisement from a local company looking for someone with customer service experience and IT skills to join their service desk team. This opportunity marked the beginning of my IT career. I will always cherish this role, as it taught me invaluable lessons and introduced me to a manager who was both motivating and encouraging. Some of the most talented and inspiring colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of working with were part of that team, and I am grateful to remain in touch with many of them to this day. It was truly a pivotal moment in my career journey, and I carry those happy memories with me.