Community Excitement

I take my work, and career in general very seriously. Not only because I have a family, but I am fortunate enough to be passionate about my work. I thrive on having a purpose. I also have a constant desire to learn and grow, and in the last year or so, I started getting into listening to tech-related podcasts. Due to some solid advice (thanks Greg Ferro), that turned into writing, and now engaging with others in “the community”. I put “the community” in quotes to point out that I think it can mean different things to different people. In the rest of this post, I’m going to share with you my interpretation of the IT/networking community as well as my experiences so far.

From an IT/Networking standpoint, the community isn’t one single, solid thing. It is a grouping of individuals (actually multiple groupings) passionate about their work and improving their knowledge and skills. That being said, it’s also much more that, which is where the biggest benefit lies. The members of the community are also passionate about sharing thoughts, ideas, tips, and experiences for the purpose of creating conversation and helping others. I’ve only been participating in the community for a short period of time, but I’m already amazed at how involved other people get. It’s important to mention that there’s no obligation to this. It’s people helping people because they can and to grow the community. I won’t claim the know the reason why others participate, but I do so for the following reasons.

1. Communicate with like-minded individuals and gain this sense of community.
2. Learn different perspectives on different topics.
3. The ability to ask for help.
4. The opportunity to provide assistance.

I’ve been amazed so far at the lengths that people and groups have gone to connect with and help others in the IT and specifically network infrastructure fields. I’d like to provide a few communities/people to follow. I encourage you to just get involved, have conversations, and stay connected. It’s pretty powerful.

• The Art of Network Engineering (GREAT community resources)
  • Website
  • Twitter
  • Discord (This is where all of the community magic happens)
  • Look for Art of Network Engineering in your favorite podcast app.
• Packet Pushers (Lots of podcasts, blogs, community resources)
  • Website
  • Twitter
  • Look for Packet Pushers in your favorite podcast app.
• Gestalt IT (Tech Field Day resources, podcasts, videos, blogs)
  • Website
  • Twitter
  • Tech Field Day
  • Look for Gestalt IT in your favorite podcast app.
• The CTO Advisor (Commentary and insight on modern infrastructure technology)
  • Website
  • Twitter
  • Look for The CTO Advisor in your favorite podcast app.