Self Training
I've been at my job for a little over 2 years now and I really like it. Basically I'm one of 6 people who support a college in a university. When I started, I was very green to things other than hardware and proprietary software. I got introduced to many things that I can now use in other jobs if I decide to move on.
The problem is, I don't think there's anywhere to move on to unless I leave the university. Even though I love the job I'm doing, I'm kind of stagnated because the knowledge I gained from working here is all I have. If I were to try for a higher position, I'd have to know a lot more than what I do now because places aren't doing much training for people above my level. Also, because of "The Economy", budget cuts are being made that effects jobs...especially IT jobs. Add that to the fact that the university president thinks that there are too many IT departments and wants to cut redundancies.
So, starting...soon, I will begin training for certifications that will pad my resume to make me look good(I really am good). I already picked out a book to get Network +...it's basically everything I learned in my college networking classes minus the Cisco router/switch programing. After that I'll go for my CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate...or something), then CCNP. It's a lot of reading but the book series that I'll be using makes the material easy and understandable. I like my job and I feel good knowing I have some place to go that allows me to use my brain instead of repeating the same sales lines over and over. I've babbled enough and I have work to do. Later!
The problem is, I don't think there's anywhere to move on to unless I leave the university. Even though I love the job I'm doing, I'm kind of stagnated because the knowledge I gained from working here is all I have. If I were to try for a higher position, I'd have to know a lot more than what I do now because places aren't doing much training for people above my level. Also, because of "The Economy", budget cuts are being made that effects jobs...especially IT jobs. Add that to the fact that the university president thinks that there are too many IT departments and wants to cut redundancies.
So, starting...soon, I will begin training for certifications that will pad my resume to make me look good(I really am good). I already picked out a book to get Network +...it's basically everything I learned in my college networking classes minus the Cisco router/switch programing. After that I'll go for my CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate...or something), then CCNP. It's a lot of reading but the book series that I'll be using makes the material easy and understandable. I like my job and I feel good knowing I have some place to go that allows me to use my brain instead of repeating the same sales lines over and over. I've babbled enough and I have work to do. Later!