A 12 Weeks to IAM : A Boredom Challenge That Will Either Push or Drive Me Insane

In 2024, I was laid off from a company that I thought I never would have to worry about leaving. The...

In 2024, I was laid off from a company that I thought I never would have to worry about leaving. The culture was amazing, pay was great, and there was room for growth if you showed you were dedicated. Of course, when you get too comfortable, the universe makes a way for you to break out from that comfort zone.

My next goal was to find a job in cybersecurity, most specifically Identity and Access Management (IAM), so I talked to a few friends that were working full-time and/or contract jobs, and passed my CompTIA Sec+ exam, which solidified my plan to begin my career in IAM.

Only it didn't work out that way; 4 months after being laid off, I landed a job as an IT Analyst at a wonderful company, and 5 months after, I was promoted to Senior IT Analyst. In the past two years, I never forgot about my goal of becoming an IAM Analyst, but it always seemed like I never had time. Deep down I knew that the problem wasn't that there was no time, it was that I wasn't using my time efficiently -- most of my time was sucked into my phone.

###Doomscrolling didn't just affect my time, but it stole creativity and energy, too.###

I was so busy trying not to be bored that I depended on social media to keep me from silence outside and inside of my own head. I slowly started to see a lag in my focus time, constant headaches, spending money I didn't need to and most importantly, even though I have always had a passion for learning, it was almost as if I couldn't study without unconsciously reaching for my phone! On top of having ADHD, I realized that I was wasting my life away and squandering the opportunity to progress my career.

For the last month, I took a break from my phone: I installed an app blocker on my phone to get rid of all of my mobile distractions, and I installed a Chrome extension on my computer that compiled my millions of open tabs into one so I wouldn't be tempted to wander from the current task at hand.

###Boredom set in.###

Without my phone, I began to think of things that I could do to pass time by : logic puzzles, organizing my comic collection, and tackling that over 200 game backlog in my Steam Library were my first attempts to eliminate boredom. Then I took it a step further and did chores like washing dishes, folding laundry, and cleaning my room in complete silence. Silence while taking showers and getting ready for the day allowed me to hear my own thoughts, and walking to the bus stop with no music made me realize how much I enjoy hearing birds chirp and sing in the morning. Gym time is the only time background music is a necessity—I need it for the hype!

Over time, I was able to read books with more focus, my visualization/imagination was more vivid, I began journaling more, my vocabulary was more fluid, I thought up short story ideas, and I started daydreaming again! So I thought, What if I invested my "new found" time into my career?

Over the next 12 Weeks, I am going to set myself up for a career in IAM.

###Why 12 Weeks?

One of the books I read recently is called "The 12 Week Year," and I want to see how far I can push myself as a self-learner. My goal isn't to become an IAM analyst this time around but to create a firm foundation to start my career in cybersecurity.

I've chosen two goals for the next 12 weeks :

1. Pass the Google Cloud Digital Leader Exam
2. Complete my Powershell Fundamentals class

My exam is at the end of the month, so the next goal to replace the exam is to finish as much of the 100 Days of Python program as I can within the 12 weeks.

My Key Habits :

• Study daily for the GC Digital Leader Exam by watching videos, reading over my notes, then writing about what I've read from memory as best as possible, using flashcards, and taking a weekly practice exam.

• Complete two sections of my PowerShell class weekly and practice using PowerShell for at least 15 minutes a day.

• My phone will be on silent mode and placed in another room while studying

• Travel on public transportation is extra study time

Every week, I will write an update on what worked, what didn't, and how I plan to fix it, as well as a tally of how many days I actually pushed through and studied like I said I would! For funsies, I'll also post a screenshot of how much time I've spent on my phone for accountability.

Priorities for Week 1:

• Keeping my nose in the books for the upcoming exam (3 weeks!)
• Reading the Powershell scripts they use at my job to gauge how much of it I understand
• I've taken an interest in Entra ID and on-prem Active Directory, and I'd like to have a deeper understanding of them, especially in regard to group policies and device management. I'm going to watch videos and consider future courses to take on Microsoft Learn.

I'm not expecting perfection, but time is a resource that we take for granted every day, and I'm going to do my damndest to use my time as best as possible!