"Today marks my 30th anniversary in the ICT industry. It has been a long and rewarding journey, full of challenges, opportunities, and learning."
That was the first line of the post that Microsoft Copilot came up with when I asked it to draft a post about today marking thirty years since I started at Hewlett-Packard Australia and hence the ICT industry.
Not a bad start. Then came this…
"I started my career as a software engineer in 1994, working on various projects involving web development, database management, and system integration."
Proof that AI isn’t 100% accurate just yet. As most of you would know, the closest I have come to software engineering has been showing colleagues how to add another time zone to their Outlook calendar.
I recently have spent some time reflecting on this completely self-indulgent milestone. Recognising that not only is it a long time to spend in one industry but also that I am a lot older than I was when I started. Nothing like Teams to show how much hair you have lost!
For me, two things have remained constant over the last thirty years; the ever-increasing rate of change in technology and the role of people in the industry.
The decision I made back in early 1995 to stay in the ICT industry and knock back a role marketing industrial spray adhesive is one that I am very happy I made. I have seen a myriad of technological advances; advances that have impacted both organisations and individuals. As an example, I would have never imagined when I bought my first NEC Sportz Mobile Phone that thirty years later, I would literally have a window to the world that fits far more comfortably in my pocket than that old phone ever did.
I have been fortunate that over the course of my different roles at HP, IDC, Telstra, Emulex, HCLTech & Accenture, that I have had a front row seat to the innovation & advances that organisations have been able to adopt.
I have also learnt that technology isn’t the silver bullet for every industry which can be an easy mistake to make when we live in it each day. Covid proved that and it is a lesson that I will never forget; especially when it hit as close to home as it did.
Which brings me to the other constant. People. I firmly believe that while technology will continue to change at an ever-increasing rate, people will always be essential to ensure that it is applied and implemented correctly and that the handbrake will be put on when required.
However the most important aspect around people are the relationships that you build while working in the industry for so long. I am fortunate & grateful that there are long standing relationships & friendships that I have right around the globe; some spanning over twenty/twenty-five years that are still active and strong today.
While it takes some effort to pinpoint when different technological milestones occurred, the interactions that I have had & relationships that I have built over the journey always come to mind without fail.
Net net, I have had a ball over the last thirty years and fingers crossed, I don’t intend for it to end for several years yet. There is plenty more to achieve, more to learn and more fun to be had.
However, I did want to take this opportunity to say thank you to those whose path I have intersected with. Thanks for the encouragement, support, advice, the push to be better, the kick up the backside when needed, the collaboration, the humour and the compassion. Even the sliding into my DM’s about a potential role.
If I am honest, thank you doesn’t cover it but please know that I am forever grateful.
That also extends to my family & friends outside the industry who have also provided elements of the above along the way as well as helping out on executing different tasks, trade shows and events.
While there are way too many to name, there is one name that I do want to call out for a special thank you. This path I have travelled over the last thirty years wouldn’t have happened without the hand of one woman. Her name is Jane Sharbean.
Jane was the person who first interviewed me for the role at HP and once I started, I learnt that Jane fought hard for me in the background to be hired. Some thought that the role wasn’t the right fit but in the end, Jane won out (which I learnt wasn't the first or last time that happened). She was an extraordinary person who taught me a lot and was genuinely one of a kind.
Sadly, Jane passed away recently after a long illness. The simple fact is that if it wasn’t for her, I am not writing this post today. Thank you Jane and I hope that I have repaid the faith you showed in me thirty years ago.
I will end this post by going back to Copilot as it did come up with a good line to finish.
"Thank you for being part of my journey. I look forward to connecting and collaborating with you in the years to come."
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