Competitor : WorldSkills 47th edition

* Timespan: October 2022 - September 2023

In October 2022, I discovered the WorldSkills professional skills competition.
I was just starting my first year in the BUT Réseaux & Télécommunications program at the IUT de Luminy, and I knew absolutely nothing about computer networks and computer systems administration.
However, firmly resolved to shine through my studies and to seize new opportunities, I decided to register in the individual "Computer Systems and Network Administration" (CSNA) category of the WorldSkills professional skills competition, for its 47th edition.

The first details of the competition were sent to me at the end of January 2023, along with some training resources specifically designed to prepare for the regional selection trials. Alongside my classes as a first-year student in BUT Réseaux & Télécommunications, I discovered parts of the second-year program as I started preparing for the competition on my own.

The CSNA regional selection trials took place on March 24, 2023 at the Lycée Ampère in Marseille.
After a few withdrawals discovered on the day of the trials, only 6 of us competed to move on to the next stage of the competition.
Each one had a 50/50 chance to end up on the podium. All in all, nothing to sneeze at.
Each competitor would be graded on 3 trials :

• 3h of computer network configuration: physical Cisco switches and routers, basic configurations, SSH, VLAN, EtherChannel, STP, OSPF, NAT/PAT, HSRP, DHCP and more.
• 3h of computer systems administration: Windows Server 2022 and Debian 11.4 without GUI, Active Directory configuration with group policies, DNS, DHCP, web, Samba, among others.
• 1 hour of Cisco Packet Tracer activity, designed to complete as many tasks and score as many points as possible.

On March 31, 2023, I attended the regional selection medal ceremony at Marseille's Parc Chanot.
I then received the gold medal and continued my WorldSkills adventure by trying harder at the national level of the competition.

As the weeks went by, the regional team reunited for a weekend of physical and mental conditioning.
By early May, CSNA's competitors were receiving preliminary training subjects designed to prepare them for the national selection trials.
I started to work on this in early June, as my university year was almost over.

Over the summer, I immerse myself in intensive research and training to prepare for the national selection trials.
Despite a few occasional helping hands, my struggle remains a lonely one, and the passion that animates me sometimes slips into disgust.
In this wilderness journey, I constantly oscillate between a spirit of determination fuelled by hopes of excellence, and an abysmal state of doubt.
I keep repeating mistakes and failures until I get things right, and beneath the sheen of perseverance, stubbornness becomes my watchword.
It's a thrilling, overwhelming and emotional time.

So September comes.
I begin my second year as a BUT Réseaux & Télécommunications student with a disturbed state of mind, well aware of the trials that await me, as well as my faults and shortcomings.

On Monday September 11, the regional team assembles and heads for Lyon.
Competitors and experts from every field are buzzing with excitement, and the atmosphere reveals a radiant combativeness.

Tuesday September 12 : tour in Lyon.
We cross the city at high pace, passing through the shimmering Parc de la Tête d'Or, greeting the heights of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and stopping for lunch at the renowned Brasserie Georges.

Wednesday September 13 : preparations, visit to the Eurexpo exhibition center where the trials will take place, and opening ceremony.
Competitors, backed up by their regional experts, meet up with the national experts.
A detailed overview of the next few days is provided, and the various items of machinery installed on each professional's stand are thoroughly inspected and tested, ensuring that each competitor will be able to unfold their full potential in the finest material conditions available.

Thursday September 14 : first day of competition.
Networking module in the morning, Windows systems administration module in the afternoon.
Everything moves so quickly, every minute counts. The time allowed for breaks, exchanges and trials is carefully controlled.
At the very heart of the competition, as an emblem of a certain professional excellence, punctuality constitutes an acquired concept that everyone applies and values, respecting one another.
Though I had already been concerned about it over the previous months, the timer became my greatest nemesis.
From my point of view, the difficulty of this competition doesn't lie so much in the execution, but rather in managing the stress and, above all, the time allowed for each performance.
The Networking module is a success, the Windows systems one not quite so much. Time is running out for me.

Friday, September 15 : day two, and not the least.
Linux systems administration module in the morning, Enterprise Infrastructure module combining the Network/Windows/Linux modules in the afternoon.
The Enterprise Infrastructure module was a complete washout, and stupid stress-related blunders regarding my time management cost me a considerable score on the Linux module, despite the fact that I had done pretty well.

Saturday September 16 : final day of competition, rankings and closing ceremony.
Last module in the morning, which is the Troubleshooting module and consists in solving 10 tickets in 2 hours.
Each ticket must be solved by fixing the faulty network/system configurations and writing both technical and user feedback.
Final results were announced during the closing ceremony. I didn't reach the podium, but that's entirely justified considering my performance.
So this is the end of the road for me. Congratulations to the winners, and good luck to the rest of the competitors !

What I regret the most is the fact that I didn't manage to ask for and find the help I needed to train as effectively as possible.
And in the end, my lack of experience and hindsight doomed my chances of going further in the competition, despite my relentless dedication.

This journey was very interesting and enlightening, and above all full of wonderful people to meet.
I really enjoyed the whole competition.
Even if I failed to make the best use of my time, I'm proud of the work I put in during this period, which will remain forever engraved in my memory as a demonstration of resilience, and which I'll often look back on as a humbling experience.

To find out more about the WorldSkills competition, please take a look at the summary video provided below, following the journey of the Southern Region competitors through the 47th edition.

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