Now What? A Career Changer's Odyssey: The Journey Continues

Sep 17, 2004

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My Own Future Plans

So, I have jumped back to the Novell bus, big time, and I am happy that I did so while earning a good living. What is old is new again. Will it be long term? I don't know. But like everything in IT, it will last for two to five years. In IT, that is long term. At least I don't have to deal with an employer that is self-centered.

Will I stay with IT? For at least the next two to five years, I will. I intend to keep teaching because I love the student-teacher interaction, to keep supporting networks because schools and businesses can't get away from them now, and to keep writing and working with 3WsCertification because I can reach a wide audience.

Will I pursue another field to prevent being blindsided again? I may. This field is so volatile. If I do anything, it will be in education, instructional technology, or curriculum development. But I am not sure. Am I researching the options? You bet I am. I want to leave my options wide open, in case there is another major downturn.

As for certification, I need to stay certified with Novell and Linux to teach their courses and support their products. My certification plans for the next few years are to get the Novell Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) certification and the Linux LPI certifications, which are required by the CLE. Other than that, I am finished testing for any other certifications. If I was new to IT, I would get certified in A+, Net+, and whatever vendor's products are hot in my area or that are used in my job.

As you've seen, my survival in IT revolves around three core philosophical beliefs for surviving in any kind of business—especially IT:

Never be vendor-dependent.
Find a niche that you really love.
Find a sector or business that allows you to earn the kind of living you want but that allows you to expand your horizons. In other words, find a sector or business that does not limit your potential.

In the long run, going through the downturn was the best thing that could have happened because I was pushed from a stagnant position to one that is much more enjoyable.

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