Introduction:
My wife, son, and I went fishing at our local lake a few weekends ago. That Saturday morning, we got up, loaded the fishing gear, and put the boat in the water. Easy, we've done this plenty of times before (trailering the boat, making sure the engine had oil and plenty of gas). We were off. I had high hopes of catching a lot of crappie that day. That didn't happen. Not even close.
Here's what really happened.
First problem - I spent most of the time trying to get the fish finder set up. I had gone all spring and summer without fishing and had forgotten how to use them properly. I finally gave up and just started fishing. With a couple of random fish alerts here and there and not catching anything, we decided to try another location.
Second problem - During autumn, the lake depth is lowered. I knew this, but not having been on the water yet this autumn, I had forgotten how low it could get. We were moving across the lake when suddenly the engine shut off. I looked at the fish finder, and we were in one and a half feet of water. Luckily, we could restart the motor, reverse back to deeper waters, and continue our journey. No fish, but we had a good time while learning a few lessons that day.
- Skills - Practice or lose them.
- Things change. You might run aground if you don't stay constantly in tune with your surroundings.
When it comes to IT, hands-on experience is critical. Whether you've been in your career for years or just starting, it doesn't matter. If you don't practice those skills or learn new ones as the field changes, you'll eventually be left behind. A virtual sandbox can help you on both accounts.
What is a virtual sandbox?
A virtual sandbox provides an isolated testing environment. It can be uniquely configured to help you with your goals. These can consist of one virtual machine or multiple. Linux, Windows, or a mix of both can be used. They can also be a mix of hypervisors, containerization platforms, and cloud-based systems.
They're highly flexible and can be rebuilt quickly with some automation. Allowing for a quick tear down and can be rebuilt from scratch in a matter of minutes. If, as a kid, you played in a sandbox, when you were finished playing, you could smooth out the sand, and it would be ready for next time. Clean slate. Or, you could leave it and continue building the next time. This is the same concept.
Developing Your Career With a Sandbox:
Sandboxes can mirror production environments. However, unlike production environments, I'd encourage you to fail (as long as you learn from it). Here, you can try as many ideas as necessary when learning new concepts or studying for a new certification. Record those failures and how you achieved success. Who knows, you may encounter those same errors one day in production and know precisely how to fix the issue (making yourself a hero). Be creative and get as much hands-on experience as possible.
Importance of Hands-On Experience:
Hands-on experience and repetition serve as the bridge between theory and reality, allowing you to contextualize their learning within the complexities of the professional world. Theoretical expertise alone often falls short when navigating the nuances and challenges of a career. The practical know-how, honed in the sandbox of real-world scenarios, propels you toward success. Employers increasingly seek candidates not just versed in theory but also adept at translating that knowledge into tangible outcomes.
If I had been in an interview trying to fumble my way through using a fish finder when, in theory, I had the knowledge to do so, I would have failed miserably. It doesn't matter how many YouTube videos you watch or how many blogs or books you read; it's all theory until you practice it.
How to get started:
Think about where you'd like to focus in IT, then build your sandbox around it. Below are a few ideas for focused sandboxes.
- Windows Administration - Build a sandbox that contains at least two Windows Servers. Setup Active Directory on one, and join the second one to the domain. Create users, groups, service accounts etc. Check out Install Active Directory Domain Services (Level 100) | Microsoft Learn to learn more.
- Database Administration and Development - Pick a database management system you want to learn more about. Check out the requirements around an OS or containerization. Install the OS and then install the database management system. Find an example database that you can use in your environment. Here are a few:
- Data Analytics - Determine which tools you need to focus on and check out the installation requirements and if any trial/evaluation versions are available.
- Backend Development - Check out this roadmap and build the supporting environment.
Conclusion:
Sandboxes are essential in growing your career. Never stop learning. It is a fast-moving field and isn't slowing down anytime soon. If you found this helpful, download the guide below on how to get started. By doing so, you'll get notified of when new posts are made. Also, you can find me on LinkedIn here.
Best of luck with your IT career-building strategy. Thanks!
Whenever you're ready, there is one way I can help you gain hands-on experience:Ā
Automated Sandbox Fundamentals: I teach how to build a virtual lab using automation in this course. Learn how toĀ create golden images, using both Windows and Linux, to easily spin up and add additional machines to your sandbox.Ā It's packed with 8 modules and the scripts you'll need to build your environment.Ā Start small, andĀ scale as needed by easily changing the configuration file included with the course.