Diary of a Network Geek

Two great tastes that taste great together.

It’s that magic time of year again, when I think about career paths and long-term goals and what I need to do to meet them. For IT geeks like me, that often means training and certification. They’re not the same thing, incidentally. Sometimes, I think IT staff forget that. I’ve taken far more training courses than I’m certified in! But, since getting the right certifications can help get you past the gatekeepers in HR, they are important. And, even more important is getting the right one. So, here are the Top Ten Hottest Certifications for 2008, according to TechRepublic:

1. MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional)
2. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)
3. MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer)
4. SCJP (SUN Certified Java Programmer)
5. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
6. Comptia A+
7. Comptia Network +
8. MCTS SQL Server 2005 (The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist)
9. RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer)
10. Comptia Security+

I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many CompTIA certifications in that list. Why? Well, in part because I have one already, the CompTIA Linux+, but also because I’d been planning on doing another one which is on the list, CompTIA Security+. The other reason I really like the CompTIA certs is because once you certify, you never have to take the test again to maintain your cert. Trust me, that’s a big, big deal to someone with a bunch of certifications!

The other thing that I was looking at the other day was the Dice.com Third Quarter IT Local Market Reports. These look at the hiring and general employment trends that DICE has seen over the financial quarter. You can probably find your major metropolitan area in there, or one close. I’m not sure how the whole country is doing, but, I’m pretty pleased with how things look in Houston. Always nice to know that there are jobs out there, just in case.

Anyway, I hope this helps some of my fellow geeks plan out their personal and professional goals for the next year. And, folks, if you haven’t been planning, why not?

It is by Caffeina alone
that I set my mind in motion.
By the Beans of Java,
my thoughts aquire speed.
The hands aquire the shakes,
the shakes become a warning.
It is by Caffeina alone
that I set my mind in motion…
– Javacrucian chant, attributed to Isaac Bonewits

Well, the past three days, this has been my mantra. Between adjusting my life to a new roommate and that freakish bout of insomnia Saturday night, caffeine, especially in the form of caffeinated mints, has been my constant companion. I used to live on three-and-a-half or four hours of sleep a night for months at a time, but that starts to draw me pretty thin after a bit. Maybe my slight irrationality this weekend was, in part, attributable to that lack of sleep. You know, my motto used to be, as Warren Zevon would sing, “there’ll be time enough to sleep when I’m dead”. I used to really get into this mode of thinking that I have only so many hours of life in this world and a lot to get done so sleep was the first thing to get cut. More waking hours equal more time to accomplish goals. But, I never seemed to get those goals accomplished…
Well, then, when the caffeine shakes wear off tonight, I’ll finally get some sleep. Everything else can wait. I have time. Or, if I don’t, it won’t matter anyway.
Sleep.
But, only after I spend the rest of the day with Gimp editing pictures. Again. If you Photoshop pictures with Photoshop, am I Gimping pictures with Gimp? You can see an example of what I’ve been doing to the right, there. Have I mentioned how hard this is when you have the caffeine shakes?

No, not just that early-morning vision problem, either.

Seriously, according to this article on MSN Health, caffeine can help ease muscle pain. So, it really is a good idea to “start your heart” with a cup of java before your workout. Or, your commute!
Go, drink your coffee and enjoy your Friday.