I have spent a good part of my career navigating in technology, particularly around IT infrastructure, and outside of work I have always enjoyed being outdoors. Hiking and exploring give me a chance to get away from screens, meetings, and the constant stream of problems that come with working in technology.
At first, those two parts of my life seemed completely separate. Technology is about systems, networks, infrastructure, and solving technical problems. Being outdoors is about getting away from all of that.
Over time, though, I started noticing some similarities.
Both require preparation. Both require you to pay attention to what is happening around you. And in both cases, you can have a plan and still find yourself having to change it.
You Can Have a Route Without Knowing Exactly What Is Ahead
When I head out to explore somewhere unfamiliar, I usually have some idea of where I am going. I might look at a map, check the conditions, and think about how long the trip should take.
That does not mean I know exactly what I will encounter.
A trail may be more difficult than expected. The weather can change. A route may not be as straightforward as it looked beforehand.
Technology careers are not much different.
You can have a five-year plan and still have no idea what the industry will look like five years from now. Technologies change. Organizations change. Priorities change. Sometimes the opportunity you expected does not happen, while something you never considered ends up opening another door.
I learned fairly early that having a plan is important, but being too attached to it can be a problem.
Preparation Gives You More Options
One of the things I appreciate about spending time outdoors is the importance of preparation.
You think about what you might need before you leave. You check the route. You consider the weather. You make sure you have enough supplies and that you understand where you are going.
None of that guarantees a perfect experience.
What preparation does give you is options.
The same has been true in my technology career. Working with infrastructure taught me that preparing for problems is often more important than simply reacting to them after they happen.
Backups, contingency plans, documentation, security, and redundancy may not be exciting subjects, but you appreciate them very quickly when something goes wrong.
I have always preferred asking, “What happens if this fails?” before it actually fails.
That mindset has followed me outside of work as well.
You Have to Pay Attention to Your Surroundings
When you are outdoors, it is easy to become focused on getting from one point to another. But if you stop paying attention, you can miss changes in the environment around you.
Technology requires a similar awareness.
When I worked with IT infrastructure, I could not afford to focus only on one system in isolation. A change in one area could affect something somewhere else. A decision that seemed small could have consequences for other parts of the organization.
That taught me to look beyond the immediate problem.
Sometimes the most important information is not sitting directly in front of you. It is in the surrounding circumstances, the people involved, or the things that have changed since the last time you looked.
Sometimes You Have to Change Direction
There is nothing particularly wrong with changing direction when the original route is no longer the best option.
That can be difficult to accept, especially when you have already invested time and effort into a particular plan.
I have experienced that in my career. There were situations where I had a clear idea of how something should be handled, only to discover that the circumstances called for a different approach.
The easy reaction is to think, “But this was the plan.”
The better question is, “Is this still the right plan?”
That distinction matters.
Changing direction does not necessarily mean that the original decision was a mistake. Sometimes you simply have more information than you had before.
I think that is one of the most useful lessons both technology and the outdoors have taught me.
Experience Changes How You Handle Problems
Someone who is new to hiking may be more concerned about every unexpected obstacle. With experience, you begin to recognize what deserves your attention and what does not.
I think careers develop in much the same way.
Early on, I probably spent more time worrying about whether I was handling every problem correctly. As I gained experience, I became more comfortable with uncertainty.
That does not mean I stopped caring about getting things right. It means I became better at understanding that not every problem requires the same response.
Experience gives you perspective.
You begin to recognize patterns. You remember similar situations. You know when to slow down and investigate something further, and you know when a problem simply needs a practical solution.
The Goal Is Not Always to Move Faster
There is a natural tendency in technology to value speed. Faster systems, faster decisions, faster implementation, faster results.
Speed has its place.
But moving quickly is not always the same thing as moving in the right direction.
The outdoors has reminded me of that. If you are hiking somewhere unfamiliar, rushing can cause you to miss a turn or overlook something important. Sometimes slowing down is actually the more efficient choice.
The same applies at work.
Taking an extra moment to understand a problem can prevent hours of unnecessary work later. Asking another question can sometimes save you from making the wrong decision. Thinking about the long-term consequences of a technical choice can be more valuable than simply completing the task as quickly as possible.
There Is Always Another Part of the Journey
Looking back at my career, I realize that I have learned to become more comfortable with not knowing exactly what comes next.
That is probably one of the biggest similarities I see between navigating the outdoors and navigating a technology career.
You can prepare. You can study the route. You can build experience. You can make good decisions. But you cannot control every condition you will encounter.
At some point, you have to start moving.
For me, the important thing has been learning to stay observant, remain flexible, and not become discouraged when the path changes. Whether I am dealing with a technology problem or exploring somewhere unfamiliar, I have found that the best approach is usually the same: prepare as well as you can, pay attention, adjust when necessary, and keep moving forward.