Hi, I’m Danny Wheildon, an aspiring IT professional passionate about breaking into the tech industry. I’m particularly interested in roles such as Network Engineer, IT Help Desk Technician, NOC Analyst, and System Administrator.
By the time I was 18, I had become the go-to person in my family for solving IT problems. Whether it was setting up Windows on a new computer, configuring printers, or removing malware and viruses (which, though frustrating, were always satisfying to fix), my family trusted me to get the job done.
At the time, I was studying for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Sound Production, as music had been my biggest passion growing up—I was a drummer, after all. However, during the first year of the two-year program, I began to reconsider my path. While I earned an HNC in Sound Production, I found the course wasn’t what I had expected. Instead of focusing solely on music creation and recording, it was a blend of live sound, sound design, and the theory of how people hear sound.
Realising that Sound Production felt more like a hobby than a viable full-time career (something even the head of the program agreed with), I knew it was time to pivot and explore my growing interest in IT.
After some reflection, I decided to follow my passion for computers and problem-solving by pursuing a career in IT. I realised there were far more job opportunities in the IT field compared to Sound Production, which felt more limited in scope. With this in mind, I enrolled in a two-year HND program in Computing: Technical Support.
The course offered hands-on, practical knowledge in several areas, including:
- Configuring a Desktop System
- Network Server Operating Systems
- Managing a Web Server
This program was the perfect fit for me, combining my love for technology with the skills needed to build a solid foundation in IT.
After completing my college course in 2018, I was eager to land my first entry-level job in IT. While a full-time role didn’t come immediately, I was fortunate to gain valuable work experience shadowing the corporate IT team at the local council.
In this role, I assisted with imaging corporate PCs and laptops using a custom Windows 10 Enterprise image. Once the devices were imaged, my mentor and I would visit various council buildings to set up the PCs at desks and distribute the laptops. This experience taught me the ins and outs of network-based image deployment and provided a hands-on understanding of each step involved in installing a custom image.
I worked in this capacity two days a week for about six months before being offered a full-time, six-month contract. That initial opportunity eventually evolved into a year-and-a-half full-time role, marking a significant milestone in my IT career.
Once I secured a full-time position, I was eager to expand my experience by working across different departments. The first team I joined—and where I spent most of my time—was the Education IT team. This team was responsible for providing IT support to all primary schools, high schools, and nurseries within the Stirling Council area.
Day-to-day operations involved managing a ticketing system to address and resolve various IT issues. Some of the key tasks I handled included:
- Diagnosing and repairing hardware such as PCs, laptops, iPads, and Chromebooks
- Troubleshooting software issues with browsers and Office 365 applications
- Maintaining and repairing servers and addressing network-related issues in server rooms
- Imaging new PCs, laptops, iPads, and Chromebooks purchased by schools and delivering them to different locations
- Creating new user accounts and managing permissions in Active Directory
- Resetting user account passwords
- These were just some of the responsibilities I handled during my time with the Stirling Council’s Education IT team. For a more detailed breakdown of the work I managed, stay tuned for an upcoming blog post!
Around May 2020, as the pandemic shifted the world toward remote work, I started reflecting on my future and considering ways to advance my career. The idea of pursuing a university degree became increasingly appealing, as it offered an opportunity to deepen my knowledge in IT. After some research, I decided to enrol in the Computer Networking program at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Paisley.
During the four-year course, I studied a wide range of modules that provided both theoretical and practical knowledge, including:
- Introduction to Web Development
- Introduction to Programming
- CCNA3 Enterprise Networks Security Automation
- Unix System Administration
- Computing Honours Project
- Virtualisation
- I plan to share more about the material I learnt during my time at university in a series of upcoming blog posts—stay tuned!
After completing all my modules, I was proud to graduate with a First Class Honours Degree. My university experience has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited to see where my career path will take me next.