The Journey of How I Decided I Want to Be an IT Person

March 6, 2026 · 5 min read

It all started with a CRT monitor, Windows ME, and a mother who loved playing games.

The Netkad $10 That Started Everything

I was around 7 years old, living in my old house, watching my mother play games on the computer, the frog leaping on a lily pad, PopCap games, SkiFree, you name it. She loved it. So when she wanted more games from PopCap, my father was kind enough to buy a Simpur netkad for $10 just to download them.

I still remember the sound of the internet connecting. That dial-up screech that meant the world was about to open up.

But when the download finished, the game turned out to be a trial version. Seeing my mother disappointed made me sad, and that sadness turned into determination. I wasn't going to let that be the end of it. So I started digging around, learning about LimeWire, FrostWire, Pirate Bay. At 7 years old, I had become a pirate.

That was the moment I realized: if there's a problem, I'll find a way to solve it.

Counter-Strike and the First Server

A few years later, my father brought me to a cyber cafe. While he was reading something on the internet, I noticed a group of kids beside us, glued to their screens, clicking furiously. I had no idea what they were playing. Later I'd learn it was Counter-Strike 1.6, on de_dust, CT side.

That image stuck with me.

My uncle eventually downloaded CS too, and after sekulah ugama every evening, we'd play on his laptop. By the time I was 10 or 11, I had my own laptop and my own copy of the game. By 12 or 13, I was hooke, and when a friend found out I played, he brought me to a proper Brunei server.

That's when things got serious.

A year later, I decided I didn't just want to play on servers, I wanted to run one. So I learned how to set up an HLDS dedicated server, dug into AMX Mod X, figured out port forwarding, and eventually got my own public CS server running from my house using my home IP.

I was maybe 13 or 14. And I had just accidentally become a system administrator.

The Gear, The Grind, The Go-To Guy

By 14, IT wasn't just a hobby, it was becoming who I was. I had the setup: Razer Carcharias headset, Razer Imperator mouse on a Goliath pad, SteelSeries Siberia V1. A proper battlestation before I even knew what that word meant.

I learned Photoshop CS3 from a friend, started customizing everything on my laptop, and spent hours on Google learning how to squeeze every bit of performance out of my machine, not for school, just because I wanted to.

And slowly, I became the person people came to when things broke.

Battery issue? Come to Sufi. Laptop won't turn on? Remove the battery, hold the power button for 30 seconds, reinsert, fixed. No Googling needed. It was just instinct by then.

I got a credit in Computer Studies for my GCE O Levels. Not the flashiest result, but it meant something to me.

From Youth Programs to Custom PCs

In 2014, at 18, I joined the ICT Youth Development Program. IC3, IC Citizen, Microsoft Office Excel Specialist, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere. I learned things I'd already taught myself, but having the certifications made it official.

In 2015, I enrolled at IBTE Jefri Bolkiah for an HNTEC in Information Technology. I wasn't top of my class, Java and databases humbled me. but I was always the one helping friends install software and fix their setups.

By 2017-2018, I was working as a sales assistant at Netcom Computer House. That's where I learned about Bitcoin mining, really understood PC specs at a deep level, and built my first custom PC from scratch.

Then from 2018 to 2022, I was at Politeknik Brunei doing an HND in Information Systems diving deep into SDLC, advanced Java, Linux sandboxing, and more.

Why I'm Still Going

Looking back, it was never really a decision. IT chose me before I chose it.

It started with wanting to make my mother smile. It grew through curiosity, through late nights, through broken laptops and Brunei servers and pirated games. Every problem I solved made me want to solve the next one.

Now I'm learning web development, building projects, and writing about it here. The tools have changed. The drive hasn't.

If you're reading this and you're somewhere at the beginning of your own journey, just start. You don't need a plan. You just need a problem worth solving.

Thanks for reading. If you want to follow along, check out my projects or drop me a message.