From the Air Force to the Cloud - A new perspective on ITIL Foundation

I’ve been in the US Air Force for the past 21 years, working in HR and as a financial manager. I’ve been to a lot of different places, starting off in Germany, then Colorado, Florida, South Korea, Japan, Atlanta, Turkey, Korea again, and now North Carolina.

This global experience has been a blessing and I’ve learned to work in multi-cultural environments. Most of my work has been a collaboration between the host country and the US.

Right now I’m getting ready to retire from military service. I want to work in IT but I don’t have a background in that industry, so I’m doing everything I can to learn about it. Currently, I’m in a military transition programme, hosted by Microsoft, where I’m learning Cloud application development.

I’ve always been interested in technology, even more so as it has advanced over the years. When I was deployed, I was able to keep in touch with my family via Skype. Using tools like Microsoft Excel and Access everyday made me even more interested. When I was thinking about what I wanted to do, I definitely leaned in that direction. The things you can do in tech are unlimited, and I like to learn. I’ll never get bored.

Jumping into IT without a background in that kind of work is a little difficult, so I sought out certifications that would let employers know that I do understand the industry. I found ITIL and, although it’s geared towards IT, you can apply a lot of it to any kind of work - like the seven principles. I felt it was a really solid certification to show that you understand good quality service and value. That’s one of the things that really spoke to me: co-creating value.

I used online video training that I could do in my free time and I did my own reading with the foundation book. I had a pretty solid understanding of everything before taking the exam.

I would say the growth that comes from learning something new makes it worth for me. ITIL is transferable to anything and, if you’re coming from a different background, it shows you have a commitment to a new industry - you’re willing to learn and grasp the fundamentals of that new industry. I think investing in yourself goes a long way, personally and professionally.

Absolutely, yes. I really like learning new things. I grab hold of every opportunity because that’s how you grow. It’s challenging, but I enjoy it.

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