In the last few years, a lot of people have been changing their career direction and choosing new paths for themselves. Covid, though a worldwide catastrophe, gave many people the time needed to reskill or to truly reflect on their current career path and if it was the one for them. I was one of those people. I felt that the career I had was not the right one, so when I returned to work after Covid, it became more apparent than ever that I was not happy in my current career.
So I did something about it. I have always loved working with computers, but due to circumstances it never worked out, until I was lucky enough to get a job with a company that puts a lot of effort and emphases on helping people develop. I came to work in their project management office as an administrator, which involved learning new systems and new ways of working.
When it came to development planning, I thought all my opportunities would be around growing in my role, maybe into a Project manager. But that was not for me. I wanted to learn the technology side of things as that what really interested me. When I voiced this, I was surprised to be met with a lot of encouragement and help from my colleagues . It was suggested to me to look at the Microsoft fundamentals as it would help me not only in my new role but would give me the basics of the different areas of Microsoft, so I could see what path I wished to start on.
I started with the MS-900 as it featured some topics I already knew a little about, like Teams and SharePoint. I soon learned there was a lot more to these than I thought, even from a basic level. To be honest, it took me longer than I would have liked to get my head around it but when I joined an inhouse training course run by the risual education department things started to make much more sense. Having an instructor to ask questions and guide me through really helped. I really enjoyed the course and its content and would definitely join another. After this and some self-study, it wasn’t long before I decided to take the first exam. My line manager was supportive throughout the course and although I was nervous when the exam came she was quick to tell me not to worry about it.
I was so chuffed when I passed, it felt like this was my first step in turning myself into something completely different from what I started out as. My next steps will be AZ-900 and SC-900. This will give me even more knowledge of the products we work with, and will hopefully help me choose what direction I want to go in. Once I know what I want to learn it will be full steam ahead.
My overall experience for my first step into the IT world was much more positive than I thought it would be. Learning a new thing is always daunting but with the help and encouragement of those around me, it made my experience much better. It also made me want to improve myself and do well as they believed I could do it. If anyone else is thinking of trying to make the change but are not sure, I can only say go for it. It will be hard work if you are just starting out, learning something new always is. The benefits, however, will make it worth your time. You will be stepping into an industry that will continue to grow and you would be able to grow along with it.
For more details on what the MS-900 exam entails please see Exam MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals – Skills Measured.
