The Decision That Changed My Career: Choosing IT

After nearly two years at DIRECTV, Wendell was laid off. When his unemployment benefits eventually ran out, the pressure to find a more stable direction became even greater. A job with a small technology company exposed him to Voice over IP, data networks, data centers, and more Cisco equipment. He became one of the company’s top technicians by focusing not only on fixing problems, but on seeing those problems from the customer’s perspective. At the same time, acting was slowly moving into the background. Wendell and Casandra wanted children, a home, and greater financial stability. Eventually, Wendell made a difficult decision: he would stop pursuing acting and commit himself to information technology. By late 2010, they were ready to leave California and return to Atlanta. While searching Craigslist, Wendell discovered a six-week Cisco training program that prepared students for the CCNA exam. He enrolled, performed well, and found a mentor in the instructor. Then came another setback. Wendell failed the CCNA exam on his first attempt. Instead of allowing the failure to end the journey, he tried again—and passed in 2011. That certification didn’t simply add another line to his résumé. It proved something much more important: he could learn the technology, recover from failure, and compete in this new career. Now he just needed someone willing to give him an opportunity.