This time last year, I was travelling to San Jose to attend Tech Field Day’s Networking Field Day 39 as a delegate. It was an opportunity I was incredibly proud of, and a moment that made me reflect on just how much I had grown in such a short amount of time.
But behind that excitement, I was also dealing with a lot of anxiety, nervousness, and some very real imposter syndrome about the event.
At the same time, my employer was going through an acquisition, which brought a whole new level of uncertainty into my life. I was still relatively new to the industry and had never experienced an acquisition before. Would I receive an offer to stay? If I did, would it be worth accepting? Could I potentially find myself unemployed? Should I start looking for another opportunity just in case?
There was a lot to think about, and the uncertainty weighed heavily on me.
On top of all that, I was navigating a new chapter in my personal life. My wife and I had welcomed our son in March, and I was still figuring out how to balance being a new dad, a husband, and someone who was motivated to keep growing professionally.
Despite everything going on, Networking Field Day 39 turned out to be an incredible experience. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, including Ethan Banks from Packet Pushers and Andy Lapteff from the Art of Network Engineering, just to name a few. I learned a ton, made some great connections, and walked away feeling grateful to have been part of it.
Not long after, I made the decision to explore new opportunities. That eventually led me to my current company, where I landed a role that I’m incredibly grateful for.
From the outside, things were going well. I was progressing in my career, building relationships within the industry, learning new technologies, and taking on new challenges.
But internally, I had developed a mindset that I needed to keep pushing forward, no matter what.
Keep learning. Keep labbing. Keep connecting. Keep writing. Keep growing.
Even when I was exhausted. Even when I was anxious. Even when I felt like I didn’t have much left in the tank.
I had convinced myself that slowing down meant falling behind.
There was always another certification to study for, another technology to explore, another lab to build, or another blog post I wanted to write. And with how quickly the IT industry evolves, it’s easy to feel like you’re never doing enough.
It wasn’t until December that I finally realized just how burnt out I had become.
I had spent so much time trying to balance my career ambitions with being a husband and a father that I had stopped paying attention to something equally important: my own well-being.
The things I had once been excited to do started feeling like obligations. Learning, labbing, and writing were no longer just things I enjoyed; they had become things I felt I needed to do.
And that’s when it started to sink in.
I didn’t need another certification. I didn’t need to build another lab. I didn’t need to publish another blog post just to prove that I was still growing.
I needed a break. And that’s okay.
Stepping Away to Focus on Other Things
So that’s exactly what I did.
For roughly 10 months, I made a conscious decision to step away from labbing, writing, studying, and putting so much emphasis on my professional growth outside of work.
That might not sound like a big deal, but for me, it was a pretty significant change.
Since COVID, I had spent years studying, taking university courses, building labs, and doing everything I could to transition from warehousing into IT. Once I finally made that career change, I kept pushing myself to learn more, work towards certifications and continue progressing.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being ambitious or wanting to grow professionally. Those ambitions helped me get to where I am today, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
But somewhere along the way, I had become so focused on what I needed to accomplish next that I wasn’t taking the time to appreciate what I had already achieved.
My original goal was to build a career doing something I genuinely enjoyed and was passionate about.
I had accomplished that, yet I was still putting pressure on myself to constantly do more.
So instead of spending my evenings and weekends working through another course, studying for another certification, or building another lab, I started putting that time towards other interests.
I taught myself how to fish, something I had wanted to learn for quite some time. I got back into a regular exercise routine, grew a vegetable and herb garden, and even spent some time teaching myself more Japanese.
Most importantly, I gave myself more time to spend with my family, making memories and enjoying moments that I wouldn’t get back.
And you know what? It was great.
I was still learning new things and challenging myself, just in ways that had absolutely nothing to do with my career.
There were no certifications to earn, no deadlines to meet, and no pressure to turn those interests into something productive. I was simply doing things because I enjoyed them.
Not everything I do needs to contribute towards my professional development, and that’s something I needed to remind myself of.
Looking back, those 10 months were exactly what I needed. Not because I had lost my passion for IT, but because I needed to rediscover what it felt like to enjoy my spare time without constantly thinking about what I should be accomplishing next.
Learning That It’s Okay to Slow Down
Taking a break doesn’t mean you’ve lost your passion. It doesn’t mean you’re no longer motivated, and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re falling behind.
Sometimes, it simply means you’ve been giving so much of yourself to everything around you that you need to take some time to recharge.
I’ve come to realize that career growth isn’t always about how much you accomplish or how quickly you can get to the next milestone. It’s also about finding a sustainable balance between the things you’re passionate about and everything else that matters in your life.
Technology isn’t going anywhere. There will always be something new to learn, another problem to solve, another certification to pursue, and another opportunity to grow.
And that’s one of the things I love about working in IT.
But I’ve also realized that I don’t need to dedicate every spare moment to keeping up with it all.
The time I get to spend with my family, watching my son grow up, exploring new hobbies, and simply enjoying life outside of work is just as important, if not more.
I’m still passionate about networking, and IT. I still want to learn, build labs, write blog posts, connect with the community, and continue growing my career.
Those ambitions haven’t changed.
What has changed is my perspective on how I approach them.
I don’t need to do everything at once, and I don’t need to feel guilty about taking time away from professional development to focus on other parts of my life.
If anything, stepping away for those 10 months helped me appreciate how far I’ve come and reminded me why I wanted to work in this industry in the first place.
I spent years working towards a career I could be proud of, and I think sometimes it’s important to stop chasing the next milestone long enough to appreciate the ones you’ve already reached.
And if there’s one thing I’ve taken away from this past year, it’s that sometimes the best thing you can do for your personal and professional growth is to give yourself permission to slow down.
Because sometimes, it’s okay to take a break.
Leave a Reply