The Road Taken

It has been tough times... but it is through the Times of Trouble that you develop character... or more likely survival instinct. My family was homeless for 4 months. We arrived to Florida in hopes of finding a job, and what followed was a frantic effort to survive and job hunt. We had helping hands that allowed us to have a roof over our heads, opening up their normal lives to have us there... literally. It's been four months of ups and downs, fights, disappointments, doubts, hardship... We just knew that the worst of all things had happened (our 5 year old daughter's sudden death) so we could survive everything else...

Efforts paid off when I got a part-time offer from Home Depot, another part-time offer from Disney, and three weeks later I also got a full-time offer from the Clerk's Office. I hope to stay with Home Depot if they can schedule my times around the Clerk's Office job. Disney is a no go, as they ask for 24/7 availability and although I was more than willing to do it my family needs me to have a good paying job. The Clerk's Office job offer came the same day that we were to leave to the Homeless Coalition shelter to live there... so I really took it as a signal that it was time for ensuring family security. Ironically, I had been expecting news for a computer job at Bartow, and they called me for an interview the day after I signed with the Clerk's Office. Life is funny and ironic...

So... Tomorrow I start my new full time job, basically performing the things I used to do during my long time with my old employer back home. That is way cool. I will have the opportunity to refresh my knowledge, and to get hands-on updated how to. I hope that all I learned for so many years come back to me, so I can prove an asset and ensure some job stability. Stability... the new key word that we really look forward to... because we know the bitterness of lack of it, and the sweetness of just spending a Friday night in your own home just "chillin" watching Wonderpets... The good old times... We won't be able to recreate that scenario to perfection, but at least close to it...

The 1st step is the job. The 2nd step is the apartment... hopefully within the next 15 days. The 3rd step will be sound transportation... hopefully within the next 4 months... The 4th will be getting the CCNA certification, and then the CCNP. And then the 5th step will be paying all debts that we have. The 6th step, within 3 years from now... will be looking for a house (maybe), but I'm inclined to wait on that... I already feel bitter about the house I bought back home and that turned out to be Rose Red. Hoping next one will be a little house from the Shire... I will then consider what my course of action will be about my studying habits... I want to get an ATP certification, and maybe get in a Master-Doctorate program... I know I won't be happy until I complete the PhD, that's for sure. Maybe I should just go with leadership, marketing, or something about arts... I wanted something about emerging media... distance education or the like... but I don't know if the field of education is for me. Whatever, there's enough time for me to ponder that path...

So.. with all these storming thoughts, I shall just leave. Wish me success tomorrow, so I can start the long path towards stability... and then hopefully towards finding my destiny.

My 1st day of work also marks the 6th month since I lost my daughter... I take it as a sign from her. By now I know that there are no casualties...

 

What I need to update my IT skills

What I need to update & get: 1_ Network+ / A+ Yes, CompTIA’s Network+ and A+ designations are, technically, two separate certifications. But they’re both critical certs that test absolute fundamentals that every IT pro needs to completely understand. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that all IT pros should have both of these accreditations on their resumes. CompTIA is a well-respected, vendor-neutral (though vendor-supported) organization that continually develops and administers relevant certifications. The network, hardware, and software skills tested on the Network+ and A+ exams are basics that every self-respecting tech professional should master, whether they’re performing budgeting tasks, deploying client machines, managing site-wide migrations, overseeing security, or administering networks and servers. 2_ CCNA The next politically correct certification to list is the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert). However, that’s a massive exam that few professionals realistically will ever have an opportunity to obtain. And while Cisco equipment frequently composes the network backbone, fueling numerous medium and large organizations, most organizations don’t need a CCIE and don’t have the resources to pay one. That’s why I believe the more fundamental CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification is a smart bet. A CCNA can help technology pros better familiarize themselves with the network OS’s fundamentals, while simultaneously strengthening their resume. Particularly motivated candidates can proceed to earn a CCNA Security certification, as the network security focus is a critical component of enterprise systems. 3_ MCITP MCITP: Virtualization Administrator on Windows Server 2008 R2 and MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator on Exchange 2010. Microsoft Exchange owns the SMB space. Virtualization initiatives are only getting started and will dominate technology sectors for the next decade at least. Administrators who can knowledgeably navigate Microsoft’s virtualization and email platforms will only grow in importance. IT pros who have an MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional): Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008 accreditation demonstrate significant, measurable proficiency with Active Directory, configuring network and application infrastructures, enterprise environments, and (if they’ve chosen well) the Windows 7 client OS. 4_ PMP Too many chiefs isn’t an IT problem I hear or read much about. Instead, it seems there’s a lack of IT pros capable of sizing up a project’s needs, determining required resources and dependencies, developing a realistic schedule, and managing a technical initiative. The Project Management Institute is a nonprofit group that administers the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. The exam isn’t designed to earn a profit or motivate IT pros to learn its product and become unofficial sales cheerleaders. The PMP certifies candidates’ ability to plan, budget, and complete projects efficiently, on time, and without cost overruns. Those are skills most every medium and large business needs within its IS department and such ability isn’t going to be replaced by an app or third-party developer in our lifetimes.

BIG CHANGES

I did not write about it... It has been the most horrible experience in my whole life. All this time I've been waiting to wake up from what became a real life nightmare. My 5 year old daughter died in October 22, 2012. Life stopped. My world crumbled down. Nothing else mattered. As I realized the imminent truth, my heart broke beyond repair... These past weeks have been a long walk through a dessert of starless nights and cold fog... Everything that was certain faded away.

I thought I would be ready for that... but I wasn't. I expected to have my Deirdre for at least 10 years. I expected to see her K graduation... and to watch her amaze people with all her skills... I expected to race behind her as she enjoyed her powered wheelchair... I expected to enjoy her eyes as they would have been so big while meeting Pocahontas and Mulan at her Make a Wish tour... which did not get to happen...

This has been a big hit on me... on my small family. We feel grief that cannot be lifted, and although we are trying our best to move on... it is there... and we know it will always be there until we all get together again.

We moved from NJ to PR to bury her, and to seek shelter in our families... Things did not went as planned... And although we hated doing it, we decided to move to Florida. Right now we are in Wesley Chapel, thanks to the extreme kindness of a dear friend and her family. We cannot begin to express our gratitude... We needed to at least surround ourselves with a positive environment.

So... Wesley Chapel, FL has become our HQ for a new beginning. I am job hunting, and hopefully will get to start earning experience within the Education area.  I want to start as instructional assistant for exceptional students (special needs now get that codename... which makes me happy, as they are truly exceptional). I hope to apply all that I learned through Deedee... during her home-bound education, as her personal assistive tech professional, as her therapist, as her caregiver, and as her mom. And once me & my hubby secure the simple jobs we will hunt down for a lair to raise our 2 year old cub... Hopefully the plan will have results soon. I don't want to abuse the kindness of our hosts.

I also will start over with the MET-SLMS (which I had quitted in October). I hope to get a provisional teaching certificate, a librarian certification in a year, complete the Master in Education Technologies and then the Doctorate in Distance Learning for Special Ed kids (focused on home-bound).

Everything that happens has a purpose... I just keep on being angry at the fact that Dee is not here... and she had so many possibilities... That is selfish me talking. She was not in deep pain, she was soaring... and a cure is so near... I am angry at the fact she did not get that chance to be there to try treatments or cure. I am angry at the people that did not see her as she truly was... because they chose not to. I know she is
 free of everything now, and doing important things, and smiling and being happy... I just wish for her because I miss her so much, and it is all just plain unfair... I don't understand... But it all is what it is... I can only hope that we all keep living based on the standards we developed thanks to my beloved Dee... and that she walks at our side as our guardian angel... and smiles.

This year, 2013... is a year or renewal... of fulfilling promises... of believing in angels.