Hi everyone, My name is Kennetta. I currently work as a Customer Service Representative and also support digital access for member accounts. Through helping users with account access, password resets, MFA, and other access-related issues, I developed a strong interest in Identity and Access Management (IAM). I’m excited to learn more about IAM, build my skills, and connect with others who share the same interests. Looking forward to learning and growing with this community!

Someone asked in one of our weekly calls what an IAM person actually does at a company day to day. I made a video answering that question. It covers why company size changes everything about your first year, what the honest day to day tasks look like. If you are trying to figure out whether IAM is the right move for you or what to expect when you get there, this one is worth 8 minutes. There might be many other facets to your first year activities. Also this is not for someone who might already be in IAM for few years, it’s to help someone who’s making a pivot into IAM. NOTE: this video focuses on analyst and engineer entry roles. If you are targeting an IAM architect, product owner, or business analyst role, the day to day activities look quite different. Drop a comment on the video or here if your experience or expectations are different. Would love to hear what others have seen in their first year.

Most people learn IAM and then go looking for jobs. Sometimes, this is a good approach if you are set on the job profile you want to get in to. From my experience, I'd suggest doing it the other way around. Start with the job descriptions in your area (location). Pick 5 to 10 IAM roles - analyst, engineer, administrator, whatever matches your target and read them carefully. Do not apply yet. Just read. You are looking for patterns: ➡️Which tools appear in 80% of the listings? That is your primary lab target. ➡️Which concepts come up repeatedly? JML, RBAC, SAML, OIDC, PAM, access certification - note them all. ➡️Which certifications are mentioned most? Note them but do not chase them yet. ✅Now you have a personalised plan to follow. ✅Not a generic IAM course. ✅Not someone else's roadmap. ✅Exactly what employers in your city are paying for right now. Then Build in this order: 1. Core concepts first - JML lifecycle, RBAC, authentication protocols. No tool, just the mental model. 2. Pick the tool that appears most in your job descriptions and build a lab around it. 3. Add the certification that comes up most - after you understand the concepts, not before. 4. Put the lab on your resume. Be ready to screen share it in an interview. 👉Try it now: Go to LinkedIn or most known job portal, search IAM analyst or IAM engineer in your city, open 5 job descriptions, and drop the most common requirement you see in the comments below. Let's map what the market actually wants in your area, that might be helpful for people in this community. 👇