Debt Free In IT w/ Mike

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Before I got into IT, I worked in a call center doing tech support. Every call was timed. The time between calls was timed. Bathroom breaks were timed. That was my only reference point for what a job looked like so that's what I assumed IT would be.

I was wrong. About that, and about three other things.

In this episode I go through four beliefs I carried into this industry and where each one broke: what I thought a manager would do, how much I thought I needed to know before taking a role, what I thought would get me promoted, and what I thought the next raise would fix.

If you're trying to break into IT right now, you're probably holding at least one of these. I held all four.

⸻
🎯 1-on-1 Coaching — 60 minutes to figure out your next move, plus your roadmap in writing. First 10 get the founding rate. → 
https://cal.com/debtfreeinitwmike/it-career-strategy-session

🛒 My Amazon Store:
Books + gear to level up in tech:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/shop/debtfreeinitwmike

📬 The Log Files Newsletter:
Real tips to break into IT.
👉 https://thelogfiles.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⸻

#CCNA #NetworkingLabs #CiscoLabs #ITCareer #debtfreeinit 

💡 Have a question or a topic suggestion? Drop it in the comments or email me at Debtfreeinit@gmail.com!

🌐 Connect with me:
📸 Instagram | 🎥 TikTok | 👍 Facebook: @DebtFreeInIT
🔗 Website: http://debtfreeinitwithmike.com

📌 If this helped you, drop a comment and let me know — and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with someone trying to break into tech 💻

Support the Channel: cash.app/$DebtFreeinIT

*This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission

*****************************************
Listen to Debt Free in IT w/ Mike
******************************************
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: Debt Free In IT w/ Mike
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Website: www.debtfreeinitwithmike.com

🌏 Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security
app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 3 months extra here ➼. 

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For support inquires, or business inquiries, please email Debtfreeinit@gmail.com

Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Start your free trial here 

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Follow me on Social Media (When you add me, inbox me and say What's Up!)

IG: @debtfreeinit
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Is networking still worth learning in 2026? 

Short answer: yes  but it's not the same job it was five years ago.

AI isn't replacing network engineers. What it did was split the career into two paths: 

traditional shops where you're on the CLI every day, and modern shops where automation and AI handle a big chunk of the work. 

Most of the country is still traditional. 

Both paths need the same thing from you first.

In this episode I break down what AI actually took off our plates, what it didn't, why the fundamentals matter more now than they did before, and how to reverse engineer your own path by reading job descriptions instead of guessing.

⸻
🎯 1-on-1 Coaching — 60 minutes to figure out your next move, plus your roadmap in writing. First 10 get the founding rate. → 
https://cal.com/debtfreeinitwmike/it-career-strategy-session

🛒 My Amazon Store:
Books + gear to level up in tech:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/shop/debtfreeinitwmike

📬 The Log Files Newsletter:
Real tips to break into IT.
👉 https://thelogfiles.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⸻

#CCNA #NetworkingLabs #CiscoLabs #ITCareer #debtfreeinit 

💡 Have a question or a topic suggestion? Drop it in the comments or email me at Debtfreeinit@gmail.com!

🌐 Connect with me:
📸 Instagram | 🎥 TikTok | 👍 Facebook: @DebtFreeInIT
🔗 Website: http://debtfreeinitwithmike.com

📌 If this helped you, drop a comment and let me know — and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with someone trying to break into tech 💻

Support the Channel: cash.app/$DebtFreeinIT

*This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission

*****************************************
Listen to Debt Free in IT w/ Mike
******************************************
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: Debt Free In IT w/ Mike
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Website: www.debtfreeinitwithmike.com

🌏 Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security
app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 3 months extra here ➼. 

NordVPN: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=612&aff_id=153284&url_id=14830

It’s risk free with
NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For support inquires, or business inquiries, please email Debtfreeinit@gmail.com

Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Start your free trial here 

https://share.epidemicsound.com/vi35vl

Follow me on Social Media (When you add me, inbox me and say What's Up!)

IG: @debtfreeinit
TikTok: @debtfreeinit
Linkedin: Michael Bowden
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
You passed the certification. So why isn't anybody calling you back?

If you've got the cert, updated the resume, and you've been applying for weeks with nothing but silence — you're not doing anything wrong as a person. But something in your process is probably broken.

A certification was never a guarantee. But it should be getting you interviews. In this episode I break down 4 reasons people pass their cert and still can't get hired in IT — and what to change about each one.

⸻
🎯 1-on-1 Coaching — 60 minutes to figure out your next move, plus your roadmap in writing. First 10 get the founding rate. → 
https://cal.com/debtfreeinitwmike/it-career-strategy-session

🛒 My Amazon Store:
Books + gear to level up in tech:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/shop/debtfreeinitwmike

📬 The Log Files Newsletter:
Real tips to break into IT.
👉 https://thelogfiles.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⸻

#CCNA #NetworkingLabs #CiscoLabs #ITCareer #debtfreeinit 

💡 Have a question or a topic suggestion? Drop it in the comments or email me at Debtfreeinit@gmail.com!

🌐 Connect with me:
📸 Instagram | 🎥 TikTok | 👍 Facebook: @DebtFreeInIT
🔗 Website: http://debtfreeinitwithmike.com

📌 If this helped you, drop a comment and let me know — and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with someone trying to break into tech 💻

Support the Channel: cash.app/$DebtFreeinIT

*This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission

*****************************************
Listen to Debt Free in IT w/ Mike
******************************************
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: Debt Free In IT w/ Mike
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Website: www.debtfreeinitwithmike.com

🌏 Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security
app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 3 months extra here ➼. 

NordVPN: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=612&aff_id=153284&url_id=14830

It’s risk free with
NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For support inquires, or business inquiries, please email Debtfreeinit@gmail.com

Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Start your free trial here 

https://share.epidemicsound.com/vi35vl

Follow me on Social Media (When you add me, inbox me and say What's Up!)

IG: @debtfreeinit
TikTok: @debtfreeinit
Linkedin: Michael Bowden
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Same title. Totally different job.

A network tech at a 50-person company and a network tech at a Fortune 500 can do completely different work for completely different money. The variable most people ignore: company size.

Why it matters: Where you start shapes how fast you learn, what you get exposed to, and how high your ceiling goes. Pick wrong for your stage and you either stall out or get thrown in over your head.

In this episode:

🔹 Small — You touch everything: networking, servers, printers, phones, someone's Outlook. You learn fast and broad. But there's no one senior to correct you, no escalation path, and bad habits go unchecked for years. You learn how to make things work, not how things are supposed to be built.

🔹 Midsize — Real teams, real structure, a real ladder. Someone above you who's already done what you're trying to do. The trade: on-call rotations that come back around fast, and duties that keep piling on as the company grows.

🔹 Large — The biggest pay jump you'll see. Stock, bonuses, cert budgets, six-figure conversations. Also: layoffs, silos, and a pace that doesn't let up. This is the jump from college to the NBA — everybody in the building is good.

My take: Midsize is the sweet spot. Enough structure and pay without the silos and the grind.

👇 Which one do you work for — or which would you prefer to work for? Drop it in the comments.

⸻
🎯 1-on-1 Coaching — 60 minutes to figure out your next move, plus your roadmap in writing. First 10 get the founding rate. → 
https://cal.com/debtfreeinitwmike/it-career-strategy-session

🛒 My Amazon Store:
Books + gear to level up in tech:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/shop/debtfreeinitwmike

📬 The Log Files Newsletter:
Real tips to break into IT.
👉 https://thelogfiles.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⸻

#CCNA #NetworkingLabs #CiscoLabs #ITCareer #debtfreeinit 

💡 Have a question or a topic suggestion? Drop it in the comments or email me at Debtfreeinit@gmail.com!

🌐 Connect with me:
📸 Instagram | 🎥 TikTok | 👍 Facebook: @DebtFreeInIT
🔗 Website: http://debtfreeinitwithmike.com

📌 If this helped you, drop a comment and let me know — and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with someone trying to break into tech 💻

Support the Channel: cash.app/$DebtFreeinIT

*This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission

*****************************************
Listen to Debt Free in IT w/ Mike
******************************************
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: Debt Free In IT w/ Mike
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Website: www.debtfreeinitwithmike.com

🌏 Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security
app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 3 months extra here ➼. 

NordVPN: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=612&aff_id=153284&url_id=14830

It’s risk free with
NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For support inquires, or business inquiries, please email Debtfreeinit@gmail.com

Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Start your free trial here 

https://share.epidemicsound.com/vi35vl

Follow me on Social Media (When you add me, inbox me and say What's Up!)

IG: @debtfreeinit
TikTok: @debtfreeinit
Linkedin: Michael Bowden
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
The CompTIA A+ has been the default first certification in IT for decades. But in 2026 it'll run you over $600 to get certified and I've got some thoughts on whether that still makes sense.

In this episode I break down what the A+ actually is, who it's built for, what the exams really cost, and what else that same money could buy you. Then I give you my honest recommendation.

✅ What the A+ is and the jobs it can get you
✅ Who this certification is really built for
✅ The true cost — two exams, not one
✅ What that same money could buy you instead
✅ Whether I'd recommend it in 2026

⸻
🎯 1-on-1 Coaching — 60 minutes to figure out your next move, plus your roadmap in writing. First 10 get the founding rate. → 
https://cal.com/debtfreeinitwmike/it-career-strategy-session

🛒 My Amazon Store:
Books + gear to level up in tech:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/shop/debtfreeinitwmike

📬 The Log Files Newsletter:
Real tips to break into IT.
👉 https://thelogfiles.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⸻

#CCNA #NetworkingLabs #CiscoLabs #ITCareer #debtfreeinit 

💡 Have a question or a topic suggestion? Drop it in the comments or email me at Debtfreeinit@gmail.com!

🌐 Connect with me:
📸 Instagram | 🎥 TikTok | 👍 Facebook: @DebtFreeInIT
🔗 Website: http://debtfreeinitwithmike.com

📌 If this helped you, drop a comment and let me know — and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this with someone trying to break into tech 💻

Support the Channel: cash.app/$DebtFreeinIT

*This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission

*****************************************
Listen to Debt Free in IT w/ Mike
******************************************
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: Debt Free In IT w/ Mike
Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Website: www.debtfreeinitwithmike.com

🌏 Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security
app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 3 months extra here ➼. 

NordVPN: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=612&aff_id=153284&url_id=14830

It’s risk free with
NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

For support inquires, or business inquiries, please email Debtfreeinit@gmail.com

Music provided by Epidemic Sounds. Start your free trial here 

https://share.epidemicsound.com/vi35vl

Follow me on Social Media (When you add me, inbox me and say What's Up!)

IG: @debtfreeinit
TikTok: @debtfreeinit
Linkedin: Michael Bowden
Support the show