From Telecommunications to Modern IT
When I first entered the IT world, technology was explained much more simply than it is today.
Back then, we called it Management in Telecommunications. The field was divided into three areas:
Voice
Data
Video
That was it. No cloud titles, no DevOps, no cybersecurity specialization labels. Just three pillars that kept organizations connected.
I remember sitting in a statistics class at Los Angeles College when my professor encouraged us to look toward the future of computing. He told us to pay attention to companies like Microsoft and suggested pursuing certifications like the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). He even mentioned Bill Gates as someone shaping the future of technology.
Around that same time, I kept hearing the phrase “information superhighway.” Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is widely credited with coining and popularizing that term, describing a future where computers and networks would connect people and information across the world.
At the time, it sounded ambitious — almost futuristic.
Today, we simply call it the internet.
Life during those years was not easy for me.
I was attending Los Angeles College full-time during the week and Devry University full-time on weekends, while raising three small children — my son was four, my eldest was five, and my daughter was only two years old. I relied on scholarships, government grants, and student loans to survive those years.
There were nights when exhaustion felt heavier than hope, but I kept moving forward.
What little free time I had, I spent helping others.
I volunteered in our community and helped small businesses by repairing computers, fixing networks, and troubleshooting systems for free. I didn’t do it for recognition or money. I did it because I believed that learning technology meant using it to serve people.
Those experiences became my real classroom.
That was when I began to understand something important about “Data.”
Data eventually split into two different paths:
Programming
Infrastructure
Both are part of IT, but they require different ways of thinking.
Some people build software.
Some people build and maintain the systems that run software.
Both are necessary. Both are honorable careers.
Over time, technology evolved — cloud computing, automation, cybersecurity, DevOps — but the foundation stayed the same.
Looking back, those difficult years taught me more than technology. They taught me discipline, patience, and service. I didn’t realize it then, but those were the beginnings of what I now call portable virtues — things you carry with you no matter where life takes you.
Today, when I mentor others entering IT, I often start with this simple idea:
Before choosing a job title, understand which path fits you best.
Programming or Infrastructure.
In the next post, I’ll talk about the Infrastructure path — the side of IT that focuses on systems, networks, and reliability.
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