Chris Wright Interview
Chris from the UK is currently employed as an Azure SME at HTG, and has worked in Tech for over 17 years. Chris has become a well known individual within the twitter tech community due to his kindness, passion for learning and helping others in any way he can. I have personally met Chris twice, including at an in person event, and he is a great individual anyone would get on with.
I really enjoyed reading this interview and I’m sure you will too, so let’s get started.
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Chris Wright Interview
Tell us about yourself?
Hi, I’m Chris Wright currently 34 from Liverpool, UK. I’ve worked in IT coming up to 17 years now. Since an early age, I’ve loved IT and technology and I always knew that I wanted to work in this area. I currently work for HTG as an Azure SME; HTG is a Microsoft Gold Partner covering several areas. These include Azure, M365 & AVD, also we have recently added Gold Security Partner to that list. Away from Tech, I’m married to Katherine, and we have a dog called Ted. We love to travel and see different places (pre-covid of course) and experience many different cultures and that includes food, of course! I also enjoy gaming & gardening (looking to add some tech projects in this area). Although I always find myself playing with tech even in my spare time.
What is your greatest achievement whilst working in Tech?
I have got to say joining HTG. This was my break into working within Azure, this was an area I had set my sights on and worked so hard to gain my knowledge and several certifications in. This was not an area of interest for my ex-employer, so this was all done in my spare time mainly over weekends and evenings after work. A lot of hours went into getting to where I am now, and it’s proven to me that hard work does pay off.
How did you get started in Tech?
As mentioned previously I have always had a passion for IT and technology. I remember getting my 1st computer and not being happy with just using it, I wanted to know more about how it all worked. I was always rebuilding the device, creating new builds, and tinkering. I then got a passion for building websites and at that point, I always thought I would go into web development. Life for me took a change of direction after 10 weeks of 6th form, I’d had enough and going down the route of A-Levels and then a degree, it just wasn’t for me. I left 6th form and went straight back to connexions (this was a service for career advice). Connexions would have career advisors come into school and when I went into connexions there was a friendly face I knew, a guy called Eddie, we discussed what I wanted to do, and he said he would keep me on his list for support. A couple of weeks later while looking for jobs I realised I needed a CV, so I called Eddie to ask for support with this, I still remember the conversation “Hi Eddie, I’m struggling to find work as everywhere wants a CV”, “Chris are you busy right now? I’ve had something arrive in my inbox just a few minutes ago and I was going to give you a call shortly to see if it would be something of interest to you” …I went straight around there to see what it was he had me in line for, it was for an apprentice IT Technician. It involved a 12-week training course and then an opportunity for a work placement…and as they say, the rest is history.
How did you get into the world of Microsoft Azure?
After working on-prem for 15 years at that point I was looking at my next steps. I was a little unsure what to do but I was at a point in life where I knew I wanted to push my career forward but unsure what to do. I thought about maybe going into networking as that was something I enjoyed but I always wanted to keep my hand in server infrastructure too. I felt a little lost as all I had known was on-prem. I discovered one of the free Azure Fundamental training days with a free exam voucher. So, I thought I’d give this a go and see what this was all about. I remember after the 1st day and thought this could be for me, the more I played around with Azure I then knew it was for me and I’ve never looked back.
What would you recommend for someone wanting to learn Microsoft Azure?
For me, I think there are tons of fantastic resources out there. Microsoft Learn is a fantastic platform this is always the foundation for any of my Microsoft certifications.
There is also some fantastic resources out there on YouTube a particular favourite has to be the fantastic John Savill – YouTube his content is always brilliant in my eyes and he is also a great person to follow to keep up with the latest Azure news.
Sign up for a free account to play with Azure. For me, I always learn best by doing, just remember to delete or at least shut down your resources when not needed!
The other big thing for me is the AMAZING community! Attending user groups, making friends, and learning together. I feel that the community in my opinion has played a massive part in my development.
What are your areas of expertise? Are you still working with other Microsoft products apart from Microsoft Azure?
My job is focused on Azure primarily (migration/implementation), although I do help support other parts of the business with 365, Defender, Microsoft Endpoint Manager etc…
You switched jobs in the Year 2020 and mentioned that you had been with your previous employer for a long time. What would you recommend for those wanting to step up in their careers but suffer from the effects of Imposter Syndrome?
I’ll be completely honest I had never heard of imposter syndrome until I was making my move into cloud. From coming from a network that I had helped design, implement, and manage I knew everything about that network, how it was set up and how it was run. My biggest bit of advice would be to just go for it. I do suffer from imposter syndrome, and I find a good way to combat it is by simply talking to others.
How did you motivate yourself when taking the next step in your career?
Several factors kept me going, once I discovered Azure there was no way I was going in any direction but to a career working with Azure. I’d had many great years in my old job, but I needed to do something to push myself, I was stuck in a role that was no longer challenging for me and I needed a challenge.
I was also diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis several years ago and with my old job I was struggling to help with any of the physical sides of working on-prem, as well as other parts of my condition, so I knew I needed to change my direction to try and find a role that would suit my life with my condition.
This mentally pushed me to keep me going with my study and learning to get myself into working with this technology that I love but would also help me live a more comfortable life. Working from home has given me that little bit more comfort.
You’re the co-organiser of a newly launched user group, could you please explain what the group involves? And how can one sign up?
Yes, I certainly am, “Microsoft Cloud Security User Group,” I noticed Charlie was at the early stages of setting up a new user group. I’ve been saying for a while that my big focus for 2022 will be on the community and I reached out to Charlie to see if he was looking for some support setting the group up and running it. The group is focused on the Microsoft Cloud security stack. I felt this group was missing in that space and a great spot by Charlie (I can’t take the credit on this). You can sign up for the user group on our Meetup Page.
On top of this I am also helping to restart the North East Azure User Group you might think this is a little odd being a couple of hundred miles away but working for HTG they are based in the North East of the UK and my boss and founder Kevin Howell had the idea to restart the group and hopefully get more interest in the Azure community and Azure for the great people of the North East.
Any recommendations on starting a new user group?
For me, you need to have that passion and commitment. There has been a lot to learn starting the user group, but it’s been great getting to know Charlie more and collaborating to bring this to life and to help give back to the amazing cloud community out there. The biggest thing I would say is teamwork and communication, when you attend a user group you just think, people turn up and a couple of presentations but you suddenly realise when you are putting these things together that there is a lot more to it than just that, there are many hours put in behind the scenes, we are very fortunate to be in a position where we have been able to have some input and guidance from other amazing community user group organisers.
In your opinion where is the best place to interact with the Tech community to learn and keep up to date with Microsoft Azure?
In short, Twitter, LinkedIn & User Groups. I have found all 3 of these to be great at keeping up with the tech community, discovering different events, blogs, YouTube channels etc…
Why is it important to get involved with the tech community and share knowledge?
I’ve said this many times before, but I do feel that I wouldn’t be in the situation I now am career-wise without the help and support of this community. For me the community has been a massive part of my learning journey, we don’t know everything and a great way to learn is with others who have the same passion as you.
What certifications have you achieved, or the certifications you are working towards?
So, the following I have already gained:
- (AZ-900) Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
- (AZ-104) Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
- (AZ-303) Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies
- (AZ-500) Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
- (MS-700) Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate
I am currently studying for the (AZ-304) Microsoft Azure Architect Design, which will complete the architect exams, making me a Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert. After that I would also like to study for the 3 ‘SC’ series of exams plus the AZ-700: Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions. I’m also very interested in doing the AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions. I have been using DevOps with Bicep recently for a customer deployment, and it’s an area I would love to get more in-depth knowledge of. I think this should just about keep me busy for now!
How do you keep up to date with the latest Microsoft Azure products?
As previously mentioned, I make use of the many social media platforms out there. Jumping into the Microsoft Tech Community, I also like to drop into websites like The Register which gives me an overview of what’s going on generally in IT & Tech.
What’s next in your Microsoft Azure journey?
Wow, this is a tough one! Azure and cloud computing overall, is growing so fast I think it’s hard for any of us to say but at this moment in time, my focus is on gaining the knowledge and experience to eventually become a cloud solution architect, although I still want to work on the deployments not just the design side of Azure. I enjoy automation, IaC (Infrastructure-as-code), and a keen interest in security.
Do you have any final words of wisdom?
Get involved in the community on Twitter, attend user groups, grow a good network on LinkedIn. Look around and play with Azure in a free trial environment. Look out for free Microsoft training days with free exam vouchers. Discover bloggers and blogs that interest you. GitHub is also another fantastic resource to look around, I’m always on the lookout in there for great people to follow to find useful resources to learn from.
The most important question of all 😊
On a scale from 1 – 10 how crazy are you about Microsoft Azure?
Am I allowed to say 11? 😉
End of interview
Name: Chris Wright
Website: Wright in the Cloud
Twitter: @ChrisWAzure
LinkedIn: ChrisWright
Meetup Links: Microsoft Cloud Security User Group | North East Azure User Group
Other social media: GitHub
I freeze when imagining the prospect of switching jobs. I’d never come across ‘Imposter Syndrome’ until now. It’s reassuring and pleasing to know that it’s not only me who feels this way. Your post has given me a little courage, thank you sir
Hello Paul
Absolutely, you’re not alone. I have come across many who have never heard of the words Imposter Syndrome. I only heard of the words late last year.
More people are talking about Imposter Syndrome so a massive thank you to Chris for sharing his journey with us.
I would recommend watching the below video from Lisa Clark,
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome using the 5 Rs with Lisa Clark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq66Ogc9yJk
Paul, I hope you’re well. It’s hard to overcome; we get too settled at times in our career; when you make that jump, there are lots to learn, and you’re no longer that person everybody comes to for advice. It’s an adjustment, but you will get there with hard work! Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say, and we humans still aren’t either; like a house, there is always room for an extension (in our brains ), and at times we need to rearrange the furniture.