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.