In this video I walk you through the real path of moving up fast in IT—based on my own journey from early hands-on tech work (fixing PCs, removing malware, building machines) all the way to becoming a CIO. I’m not here to sell you a fantasy. You’re going to make mistakes. I’ve made big ones—like taking down parts of the business—and I’ve dealt with cyber attacks that were absolutely not fun. But those moments taught me how to manage stress, learn faster, and become a better leader. I break down the typical progression: helpdesk (level 1), level 2/desktop support, then systems admin/engineer, networking, and eventually management. Along the way I explain what actually accelerates your growth: building a homelab, staying current with podcasts and articles, and stacking practical skills like Active Directory, Windows Server, cloud, backups, storage (SAN/NAS), and scripting. Then I shift into the part most people ignore—people skills and business skills. If you want to reach CIO/CTO/CISO level, you have to think strategy, budgets, vendors, negotiation, conflict resolution, and most importantly: business impact. A CIO isn’t just a tech lead—they’re a business lead.