Meet the Trainer: John McGovern
Fueled by a natural curiosity and a relentless drive to learn, John went from being a CBT Nuggets learner to becoming a well-known network automation expert. Since joining as a trainer in 2020, he's leveraged his expertise in networking, Python programming, network automation, and system administration to elevate other learners on their own IT journeys.
Learners describe him as a phenomenal instructor whose courses on CBT Nuggets and consistently help them crush certifications like CompTIA Linux+, Cisco DevNet Professional, and Red Hat’s Ansible automation exams. John understands how challenging IT can feel when you're starting out, and that's why he designs courses learners genuinely love.
His approach to both learning and teaching is simple: embrace the constant evolution of technology. As John puts it, “IT evolves so rapidly that I don't think you could really just teach one concept for the rest of your career—and that's the beauty of it.”
Let's dive in and get to know John better.
Can you describe some of the courses or topics you’ve been working on recently? Recently I've been excited about the release of our Cisco CCNP Implementing DevOps Solutions & Practices course. It covers a wide range of highly relevant and practical topics relating to DevOps ranging from CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, streaming telemetry and configuration management tools such as Terraform and Ansible. It really demonstrates the practical side of working with these tools and I had so much fun creating it.
Are there any tools or features you are particularly excited about teaching next? I am planning to work with Red Hat's OpenShift in the very near future, which greatly excites me.
This is essentially the Red Hat implementation of Kubernetes and allows for the robust orchestration of cloud environments. It's an extremely powerful tool - whether you are auto-scaling pods or monitoring your environment, OpenShift can basically do it all!
What attracted you to technology? What inspired you to pursue a career in IT? What’s something unique or surprising about your journey into IT that others might not know? What motivated you to become a trainer? I didn't get interested in IT until my mid-20s! It was just a natural curiosity that grew as technology was becoming more integrated into our lives.
Then at age 30 I decided I wanted to pursue a career in technology. I bought my first CCNA book, purchased a CBT Nuggets subscription and applied for University to get a bachelor of science degree in Cyber Security and Computer Networking. The more I learned about the technologies I was studying, the more interested I became, and ultimately my progress snowballed!
The best part about being a trainer is…hearing from learners that you have played some small part in their success—whether that's helping them achieve a certification or helping them understand a topic or technology that they previously found confusing. Whatever it may be, it is the best form of job satisfaction.
I'm passionate about IT training because… I really love the subjects I teach. Sometimes, it feels like my job is really just my favourite hobby—and the fact that this "hobby" of mine can positively impact our learners' lives just makes it even better.
When I'm not making CBT Nuggets videos, you'll find me…I enjoy going to the gym, going long walks with my headphones on, playing golf, and reading.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice when you started in tech, what would it be? Don't be easily discouraged. I've come to learn that every new technology is ultimately confusing and overwhelming at first. It's not because it's beyond you, it's simply just new to you.
In my early days in IT, some topics would seem impenetrable at first, and it would really knock my confidence. After doing this stuff for many years, you realise this is a pattern. You just need to do the reps. If you make the topic familiar through repetition, your brain will ultimately figure it out.
What’s the most common question learners ask you, and what’s your best advice for it? "What's the best tool/technology to learn for network automation?" There are two answers.
Firstly, I would always advise learning the Python programming language. It is a mature programming language, friendly to newcomers, and extremely flexible. It will give you a solid foundation in programmatic logic.
Secondly, for network automation, specifically, I would recommend learners become familiar with Ansible. Ansible is built using the Python programming language (so knowing Python will be a massive bonus learning this tool) and is by far the most popular network automation tool in the industry. Even though it is much more limited than using pure Python automation, it is the tool you are most likely to see in the real world by a large margin. If you learn these two technologies you'll have a solid foundation getting into the industry.
If your tech journey were a movie or book, what would the title be? Total Recall.
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Whether you’re automating networks, exploring Python, or breaking into system administration, John provides the clarity and confidence to get you there. Your next certification could be closer than you think.
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