For more info, see part 1 here
Not so long ago I was working in a position as a Technical Supervisor in a Prison, looking after the security systems that underpin the security system. It was a very new and technologically advanced system consisting of electronic doors, interlocks, intercoms, cameras, biometric systems and a lot of computers to keep it running.
In short the system required a lot of maintenance. I was in the role for 2 years, and when I first started a lot of the systems I was involved in were new too me. Every day was like a learning experience, not just the technical aspects back also day-to-day life of the inmates. This job involved being in close proximity to inmates. I'd like to say that in Australia the prison system is quite tame compared to what we see on the US prison system documentaries.
Being in a job that was challenging, and learning at each stage, with the added bonus of understanding a lot more about a culture that many don't see made the job very interesting. I enjoyed the challenge, but like any technician on a maintenance schedule after a year of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly work, it got old.... quick. I started to miss the the thrill of learning and challenges of new tasks. With this in mind, there was always the tasks that would come up that made things very interesting. (Small riots shutting down the prison, or lightning strikes taking out multiple systems at once).
I had not finished high school, instead opting for the army as my home life was not perfect and I was no longer getting the grades I needed. I decided to bring all my experience together, formulate my resume and apply for what I really wanted... A masters of Computer Science. I had to fix the issue of not attaining a high school level in Mathematics, but to me this was no issue as Mathematics has always fascinated me and I would have no troubles in doing the pre-courses if given the chance.. The next issue was how would be, how could I, working 10 hour days and overtime atleast 2-3 nights a week manage to study?
The answer, when you set yourself a goal, you can achieve anything. I signed up to two courses at my local university, Basic Mathematics (High school grade) and Introduction to programming. It never felt strange going to university never finishing high school, my resume and previous experience was enough to get me there. But also, walking through the campus, my mind was racing with the thoughts of new knowledge to come. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for lectures opting to keep working full time, watch lectures after hours and hand in assignments on weekends when possible.
Stay tuned for part 3, where I will go into the biggest jump I have made in my life, moving away from full time work to study. :D