Liam Bishop: My Journey at Netitude and Success in the WatchGuard Exam

My name is Liam, and I'm a third-line engineer here at Netitude. I've been with the company for just over ten months now. My primary responsibilities are dealing with escalated issues from the first and second-line engineers. Normally, if something has been escalated to me from these channels, it can be quite tricky to resolve! .

Achieving the Watchguard Certification

I recently achieved my Watchguard Network Security Essentials for Locally Managed Fireboxes certification. This involved taking a course, doing lots of revision, following a study guide, and then taking a multiple-choice exam, which was pretty tough!

Motivation and Experience with Watchguard Firewalls

I've used Watchguard Firewalls in previous job roles and have been pretty much self-taught from there; therefore, passing this exam certification motivated me to learn more about the product and the features that I could use more of that were unknown to me before. This certification aligns with my career goals of pursuing more networking and security credentials, which I've always had a passion for. Throughout my education, I've always been a more hands-on learner and have never enjoyed exams, so this was a challenge for me to overcome. Coming out with a pass was reassuring for me!

Preparation and Study Approach

Preparing for this exam was a great experience. I took a course that spanned over three days, going through each module, which Netitude kindly put me on (massive thanks!). I then followed the video library that Watchguard put up for free in the learning section of their website. Going through both of these, I used some software called Anki, which I've been using for a long time and have become familiar with.

I created my own flashcards within Anki, a great piece of software that will set you goals to learn each day, re-showing ones you have found challenging to help me understand them. As there wasn't a public deck available, I created my own, which was around 150 cards! The challenge really was knowledge retention. However, my flashcards helped with this immensely.

Impact on My Current Role and Career Growth

Passing the WatchGuard exam will help me in my current role as I deal with these on a daily basis. The content of the exam and the journey up to taking it refreshed much of what I already knew. However, I have seen areas where we can improve some of our customers' experience with these devices. This certification will impact my career as it has kick-started my desire for more certifications, and I am already eyeing up what to take next!

Support from Netitude and the Importance of Continuous Learning

Netitude encouraged me to take this course and exam, for which I'm hugely grateful and gave me time to study during my working days. It's very important, especially within the IT field, that we keep on top of new technologies and processes as technology is growing very rapidly.

Netitude's Growth Through Technology mantra has helped me stay motivated and keep myself in the race against the rate at which technology is evolving. The next certification I am looking at taking will be CompTIA Network+, which will enhance my understanding of networking concepts, improve my troubleshooting skills, and validate my ability to manage and maintain network infrastructure.

To any of my colleagues looking to upskill, I would say take any chance you can. Not only does it help your own knowledge, but it also helps your confidence. Knowing the products and technologies you work with is crucial, and keeping up to date with these is very important.

Looking Forward

In terms of my personal growth, having been with the company for ten months, I already feel I've learned a great deal more than anywhere else I've been. Being surrounded by other like-minded colleagues with whom I can exchange ideas is great; that, paired with a fantastic environment and having the backing from Netitude to pursue educational goals, is a massive bonus!