Certification Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 18) VIRTUAL VILLAGE Better Late Than Never DANIEL MARGOLIS of IT): Waiting about wage, wife is pregnant and got my Wii. So, how are your goals coming on?” Another CertMag.com forum discussion board regular, masterssullivan, posted his plans, as well: “In IT: Get a new job, get more certifications, meet more people in the field (aka networking). Out of IT: Finalize my divorce, start a club, become a Mason, eat a sandwich with a Guinness on the side (yum yum), buy a motorcycle and ride it till the wheels come off. 2007 is going to be MY year at last!” That’s the spirit, Masters! Elsewhere in our general discussion board, masterssullivan posted his own “Strategies for getting started.” “How do you all get motivated to start a new project? I know some people like to dive right in because a job’s a job, but does anyone have any rituals they follow before they sink their teeth into a new assignment? Myself? I usually eat a large breakfast every day, and on the special days, I’ll cheat and cook up some extra links of Canadian sausage. I always finish with a cigarette. Calms the nerves and soothes the mind and puts me on a plane suitable for focus and concentration.” Career Development People often enter IT midway through a career in another industry. It’s generally seen as a growing market that draws on skills that will likely remain concerns for the foreseeable future. People contemplating whether to make the change to IT often stop by our forums for some advice on how to best make this transition. This month saw such a visit from new member jamies, who posted a thread titled, “Career change at 44.” “I am new to your wonderful forums and have spent the last couple of hours reading through all your threads. I have found them informative, yet I’m discouraged about my prospects of becoming an IT professional,” jamies wrote. “I’m currently employed as a mortgage consultant, but I am looking for a career change — the mortgage business is unstable. I have had profitable years, as well as lean years. I’ve decided that I need to find a career that provides a steady paycheck. “I am currently doing research to find out what it is I need to do to land an entry-level job as an IT professional. I have an appointment with an admissions counselor this week at ITT Technical institute. Usually, people make whatever plans they have for the year in December or January — with any luck, in February at the latest. But our forums recently saw an IT professional announce his plans for 2007 five months into the game! Nevertheless, the posting received some interesting responses, as other regulars did likewise. CertMag.com forum regular wagnerk got it started with a thread called “Goals in 2007 - post a bit late.” First, he listed his goals in IT: 1. Achieve the MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) status 2. Achieve the MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) status 3. Get another person in my department 4. Achieve the MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) status (maybe — if I can be bothered) Then he listed his goals outside of IT: 1. Achieve a higher wage (overall) 2. Have a kid (currently trying) 3. Get the Nintendo Wii Some of these goals are already on track for wagnerk: “So far, just short of half a year, I’ve: (in IT): Achieved MCTS & MCITP status. Didn’t get the MCT status but did get the IC3 Authorized Instructor status and still waiting about another member for my team. (Out 18 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE September 2007 http://CertMag.com http://CertMag.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.