“Faces of the Journey” is a series that highlights individuals in the network engineering community. The journey is the path we take through our careers, and it can be very different for each of us. While the destination is important, it’s all about the journey!
Meet Chris!
Chris Dedman-Rollet is a country boy from France who recently immigrated to the United States of America and resides in Los Angeles, California. He is currently a full time student, covering a vast amount of content ranging from computer information systems, CCNA study, and English as a Second language, all while working toward obtaining a GED. Chris is also a self taught Python programmer. Just recently, Chris received a work permit and is now eligible in the job market! There has been no shortage of life experience for Chris. While in France, he worked as butcher for twelve years and spent a couple of months pulling cable for a fiber optic cable company. Chris had also spent four months in the French Army as a paratrooper, but had to be discharged due to injury. In search of the next chapter in his journey, in late 2019, Chris asked his wife (a software developer) to teach him programming. He was introduced to Python and immediately fell in love with the language. In February of 2020, Chris moved to the USA and got the opportunity to enroll in an academy program to prepare for the new CCNA exam. Through the education program Chris has been going through, he has been presented with four paths that include careers as a nurse, CNC technician, network engineer, or a career in child development. Being a lover of technology, Chris wanted to pursue the network engineering path and immediately began learning more about the CCNA certification and network engineering in general. Chris appreciates the power of connecting devices together, controlling the security of the network, and automating tasks.
Follow Chris:
Alright Chris, We’ve Got Some Questions
What do you want to be when you “grow up”? I want to be a lot of things LOL. I want to be a network engineer with programming and cyber security skills. My goal is to be able to be where I am needed and assist a company that needs help in any department. For example, let’s say I’m a Network Engineer, and tomorrow my company needs someone to do a programming or cybersecurity job. I want to be the guy whom they can count on. And, more skills mean a secure job. Besides, I want to be able to help a maximum number of people through my blog and my Twitter, like learning help or motivation. If I can help even one person, it will already be a victory for me.
What is something you enjoy to do outside of work? To be honest, studying is a kind of hobby for me. I love to learn new stuff; I try to learn something new at least every day. Maybe because when I was younger I wasn’t a school guy. I dropped out pretty early, when I was fourteen years old. I’m a Sci-Fi TV show lover, I’m currently watching “The 100” on Netflix (best show ever). I love programming, I play a lot with Python and automate everything I can. Besides all of that, I love sport (even if since the pandemic I practice a lot less), and I have been a CrossFitter for four years now. On the weekends I love to go to the beach for a walk with my wife and my dog.
What is the next big thing that you are working toward? After the CCNA, I’m going to work on the DevNet Associate certification, I’ve already pre-ordered the book on Cisco Press. Then, it’s onto the CyberOps Associate certification. Networking, programming/automation, and cyber security are three positions that I will be working toward. I’m actively working on my English, I would like to share more, for example in video interviews, and share with the community.
When learning something new, what methods work best for you? The best thing that works for me, is practice. I’m a true believer in “learning by doing”. I’m learning with books, and I practice everything that I read. I love to ask questions as well. No one should be afraid to ask for help when they are stuck on something. I recently bought the Unifi Dream Machine and put it to the test (my wife goes crazy when I mess up the network LOL). I asked for some help on the Discord channel “It’s All About the Journey”. Shout out to Carl, he’s the real MVP.
What motivates you on a daily basis? My past life as a butcher, I don’t want to go back to where I came from. It’s difficult and you don’t have really the opportunity to grow as an employee. If you get a position, you keep the same position for the rest of your career.
Now, I’m freshly married and have two pets (a young puppy and a cat☺). I want to take care of my family by growing as a husband and becoming someone better every day. The Twitter and Discord community motivates me a lot as well. It’s always good to see when other folks succeed at what they are working on. The happiness of others makes me feel good.
Bert’s Brief
Chris’ life is the epitome of “the journey”, not just figuratively, but also literally. He has traveled from France to the USA and is now working on becoming a network engineer. Chris is always looking for that next opportunity to make himself better, and seeing him learn and grow through the “It’s All About the Journey” Discord channel is truly inspiring. He always brings his positive attitude to discussions and is constantly encouraging others. Chris is definitely someone you will want to connect with and I can’t wait to see him begin his professional IT journey.
The Art of Network Engineering 