I didn’t “ditch drama.” I translated it. Theatre trained me to convey complex ideas under pressure, collaborate across roles, and adapt live when things go wrong. IT rewards the same instincts—just with tickets, terminals, and uptime instead of lights, cues, and call times.
The Arc: From Stagecraft to Systems
- Foundations Backstage, I was the Sound Engineer and Sound Designer with broad versatile experience under my Theatre Scholarship program at Wharton County Junior College. That curiosity pushed me to build small networks and tinker with Linux.
- Hands-On I spun up a Raspberry Pi VPN, hosted a Plex server, and ran a small Minecraft server for family & friends. Those projects taught me reliability and documentation.
- Support Work In help desk and media support roles, I learned to translate issues into steps, protect data, and close loops with empathy.
- DevOps Mindset Automating repetitive work with scripts, pipelines, and standardized checklists felt like moving from rehearsal to a repeatable show.
“Theatre taught me audience; IT taught me systems. I build things people can use—and I make sure they keep working when the house is full.”
Transferable Skills (Why Drama Helps in IT)
- Communication: Clear narratives for unclear problems. Users don’t need jargon—they need a path.
- Collaboration: Cross-functional teamwork is just a different cast list: engineers, QA, vendors, stakeholders.
- Calm Under Pressure: When production breaks, stage instincts kick in: triage, prioritize, execute, debrief.
- Iteration: Rehearsal ≈ sprints. Notes become tickets; previews become pilots.
Anchoring the Pivot with Projects
To make the pivot concrete, I framed my growth through small, real projects:
- Raspberry Pi VPN: Secure remote access and network fundamentals.
- Plex Server: Storage, Linux services, and uptime discipline.
- Minecraft Server: User management, backups, and change control.
- Automation Notes: From manual steps to scripts and eventually CI/CD pipelines.
The Trigger: When Interest Became Direction
Supporting peers and running small services made it obvious: I loved solving technical problems more than performing. I formalized that with industry certificates and an accelerated IT degree plan, then took roles where I could merge systems thinking with communication.
How I Explain the Pivot (Interview Version)
“Theatre gave me communication and composure under pressure. While studying, I built VPNs and home servers and worked in support roles. I realized the work I enjoyed most was technical problem-solving, so I doubled down: formal training, certs, and roles where I could automate, document, and improve systems. Now I bring both the human side and the engineering rigor to every project.”
Receipts & Backdated Lore (What You’ll Find on This Blog)
- 2019–2020: Raspberry Pi VPN + first Linux services.
- 2021–2022: Support notes—security posture, ticket hygiene, fraud case discipline.
- 2022–2023: Docker experiments, CI/CD basics, documentation patterns.
- 2024–2025: Internal tooling for labs, ISO-friendly tracking in Excel, and my Rogue AI dashboard.
Why This Story Works
It’s honest, verifiable, and specific. The pivot isn’t a jump; it’s a progression. You can read it post by post, and each line on my resume links to an artifact: a write-up, a repo, a diagram, or a runbook.