Deirra J. Footman
SENIOR NETWORK ENGINEER & CONTENT CREATOR
By day, I work to create and support innovative network solutions to keep businesses moving forward. By night, I create relevant content related to the IT field and provide career advice based on my experiences. I’m a passionate advocate for Women in Technology and STEM Education with a goal to inspire others to pursue careers in the field.
My Story
Deirra discovered her passion for Science and Technology at a young age growing up in Baltimore, Maryland. As a child, she always enjoyed taking things apart to figure out how they worked. That curiosity allowed her to build her analytical and problem-solving skills.
Deirra’s love for computer technology and thirst for knowledge led her to enroll in the Cisco Network Academy in High School. This opportunity opened the door to the world of Computer Networking and Information Security. Her passion for the field led her to complete additional self-study and excel in the course and landed her an internship with the Baltimore City Public School District in her Senior Year. This internship served as the launchpad for a lucrative career.
Over the past 10+ years, Deirra has continued to work to build her skill set as an engineer in various industries including K-12 Education, Federal Government & Healthcare. She has worked on various projects related to life cycle refreshments, Network Redesigns, Network Segmentation, and various Network technology implenmentations.
She is now focusing on expanding her skill set into Network Security and the Cloud with the goal of moving into Security Architecture. She currently holds her CCNA in Routing and Switching and is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Business and IT Management.
In 2016, Deirra published her blog CCIE By 30 initially to document her career journey to earning her CCIE and to find a community to connect with. Since then Deirra has built ber platform and established herself as a leader and influencer in the tech industry.
As a woman and a person of color in the technology field, Deirra understands the unique challenges for those looking to enter the industry can feel. As a passionate advocate for Women and People of Color, Deirra hopes that sharing her story will inspire others to pursue a career in the Technology field.
Awards
Cisco
Cisco Champion 2019-2021
Cisco Champions are part of a global group of highly influential technical experts who enjoy sharing their knowledge, expertise, and thoughts across the social web and with Cisco.
Technical.ly
2019 RealList Engineers List
The Technical.ly RealLIST Engineers are among the most influential software developers, architects and technologists impacting their companies and communities. This is a list of the doers — those who commit code, solve problems and build solutions.
Cisco
2018 IT Blog Awards: Best Certification Study Journey
The first-ever IT Blog Awards, hosted by Cisco, was created to recognize our community of independent tech bloggers for the creativity, passion and expertise delivered throughout the year
Press
CTE Alumni Spotlight
Baltimore City Public Schools
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