All About My Professional Background
As documented by Samuel Soper
I’m an Army veteran from Wisconsin, U.S.A. While serving back in 1982, I became interested in Satellite Communications as a Senior Instructor/Curriculum Writer. I moved into the private sector in 1994 and worked as a Communications and Systems manager for a while. In my 40-year career span, I have served many companies as a consultant and a Director of Technology.
Due to so many years of experience and newly learned skills, I could change my domain to Solutions Architect within my company in 2020. Then, in January 2022, I joined a new company as a Technical Solutions Architect. My role here focuses on analysis and solution architecture, assisting development and providing configuration while extending D365 Customer Engagement capabilities throughout the Accounting, Architecture/Engineering/Construction, Legal and Consulting industries. Our teams design and deliver a range of solutions to client problems, process gaps, and inefficiencies by providing the skills and knowledge to create solutions that fit in their business strategies.
My Desire to Stay Current Kicks In
I worked as the Enterprise and Application Architecture Director with a company when the global pandemic hit. Although I am on the verge of retirement, I didn’t want to retire. I wanted to retain a youthful perspective regarding skills and mindset at my job. Today’s young people are technically more literate than me. My desire to maintain relevancy in both my position and in the marketplace became my chief incentive to upskill.
How I Chose Simplilearn as My Go-To Upskill Resource
I began my journey by taking some free Simplilearn courses through Skilllup, focusing on business analysis and project management. I really liked the courses and the structure they provided, so I enrolled in Simplilearn and started taking other courses. So, I began with PMI-ACP and PMI-RMP certifications and then moved on to ITIL 4 and TOGAF 9.2 certifications. I took all four of them in 2020. I took the courses to streamline my work. I was looking for courses that would give me practical knowledge and clarify all theoretical aspects. Finally, I wanted to understand how I could use these technologies as a technical architect and help develop business solutions.
I added to my skill set this year by taking certificate courses in Business Analysis and Digital Transformation.