My Networking Journey - Evolution from Coffee to Code

In the early days of my Air Force career, the tech control facility was filled with the aroma of coffee and the buzz of technology. Each morning, my role was clear: brew the perfect cup for my boss and run countless validation checks through the CLI, ensuring each day started on the right note. Does this sound familiar? Maybe not the coffee but certainly hunched over the keyboard staring at a CRT screen using the CLI to search across hundreds of devices.

These were monotonous tasks, logging in to each device one after the next, looking for significant events and up/down statuses, then documenting that information to provide an update to the division chief. It made me wonder if there was a way to automate this drudgery.

It has been 20 years since then and I am now an intern with Forward. It has been a fantastic opportunity to advance my skills in Linux, Python, and deepen my understanding of the role of DevOps in technology organizations.

Key takeaways I have observed at Forward:

Collaboration is improved by breaking down silos to create a culture of shared understanding of the team's objectives. All team members are encouraged to ask questions and contribute their ideas to improve the product.
Continuous Delivery through streamlined systems and processes delivers improvements that are targeted to meet customer requirements – with higher quality and less risk.
Build, test, and observe frameworks that create a complete process to test new code, identify bugs, and recreate scenarios that fine tune the product, so customers get the most benefit to their network.
Customer-centric focus is key to understanding their current and future challenges and expectations. We use insights from customer meetings to develop a plan, so they continue to benefit from their investment in Forward by identifying innovative solutions to recent problems or changes in requirements.

The journey from brewing coffee in the Air Force to diving into code at Forward has been transformative. Technology evolves by fostering collaboration, delivering value, and prioritizing customers. My experience at Forward reinforced the importance of teamwork, continuous improvement, and building systems that solve problems and anticipate future needs. I am excited to continue contributing to technology's evolution and making an impact. Here is to the future—where coffee and code unite to shape what is next.