About me

Well what would a page like this be without me telling a bit about myself and why Im doing this? If you would like to email me, please feel free.

get_certified@go.com

8/1/00

I would have never dreamed that I would be pursuing a certification in a field that I have *NO* real experience in. Ive been reading and learning that you get to start at the bottom. Hell, theres nothing wrong with that. Think where you started in the job you currently have. I dont know about you (heres where you get the opportunity to and tell me about you and your situation), but I want more from life.... mostly more money, casual Friday, and the chance to work in computers. Ill take better working conditions any day.

Well, lets see..Im a Caucasion male, 33 y.o.a. and I go by the internet name of "Stalker" or "The Night Stalker" (not the kind that waits in the bushes for you, but after "The Night Stalker" TV series from the 70's). I live in South Texas and am a lowly public servant who aspires to greater things.

About a year ago, we made the change to 12 hour shifts (thankfully we have gone back to the traditional 8 hour shifts) and our administrator cheerfully pointed out that we were not valued as employees. He actually pointed to a door and told us to go "flip hamburgers" if we didnt want to work the 12 hour shifts.

Im kind of funny I guess since I feel that whatever job you do, you should be valued to some degree. Anyway, on that day, something clicked. It was like a switch turned over in my head and I told myself "I dont want to be here anymore" So, where to go?

I had always been interested in computers and even worked at Radio Shack when I was a lot younger selling the Tandy 1000 and lesser models...cassette tape programs, BASIC, ah yes, fun for the whole family. Anyway, we got a computer about 2.5 years ago when my brother in law decided to upgrade his system and he gave us his old computer (which is still heavily used BTW). Since then, we have come a long way and now have 3 working systems in our house. To say that I love computers is an understatement.

Money and mental health were the primary reasons for my seeking new employment. I need more money and I want to preserve what little mental health I have left :-)

8/11/00

For the first time in a long time, I am actually excited about what Im doing with my life and I dont feel like Im spinning my wheels. I feel almost reborn. Being 33, a lot of my coworkers have expressed concern over me changing careers and believe me, Im concerned about it too, but at the same time, If I risk nothing, I gain nothing. Im thankful to have a supporting family and group of friends that are encouraging me to push the envelope and go for it. I wont ever give up and I wont slow down.

A couple of days ago, my brother in law emailed me with a job offer for an entry level position at a company in Austin. Its perfect for me and they are willing to train me to service, support and administer their product. Oh yeah, did I mention that they want to start me at $45,000 a year? Im getting an interview this coming week and praying that they dont want me to relocate to anywhere other than Austin. Many people live here in San Antonio and commute to Austin, so thats what I would do and its a good excuse to go buy a new truck :-) Please, let me get this job....

8/18/00

Well, I had my interview with Linuxgruven. Can you say "Waste of time"? Good, I knew you could. Thankfully it wasnt anything on my part that prevented me from getting the job. It was the scam they were pulling that prevented me from getting the job.

Here is how it worked: They advertised the job announcement as an entry level position so they could get as many unsuspecting people as possible to set up interviews. Once in the interview, you were told that you needed to be Linux certified (LCA) in order to be eligible for hiring. You are then told that there are three ways of doing this: 1. Go to New Horizons and take classroom based training to the tune of about $8,000 U.S., 2. Do self paced study or 3. Take their company issue skills assessment test and if you pass, PAY THEM $2,500 U.S. as "insurance" against you quitting for the first year. Thats right, pay THEM. Heh, last time I checked, jobs were supposed to pay you to work there, not the other way around. While disappointing, it did open my eyes to the need for Linux certified people since there are very few apparently according to the Linux Certification Site. Even though this was a bad experience, it was still a learning experience. Im still on my original path and waiting for my next diversion.

9/1/00

Well after putting it off and putting it off, I decided to make my appointment with Prometric to take the 70-098 exam (Implementing and supporting Windows 98). I figured that I cant be any more prepared than I am right now, but I still gave myself a month to do final preparations. My research has found that according to a number of people that have knowledge of this test, that its one of the hardest ones that Microsoft offers. This does not comfort me. :-) When studying one night, I began to notice discrepancies in the information that I was learning...arggghh. NOT NOW!.

10/6/00

Well, the test was hard. Probably the hardest test that Ive ever taken in my life and that includes my licensing exam for being a Peace Officer. The easy questions were unbelieveably easy, but the hard questions were impossible. I know that I spent at least 10-15 minutes on more than one of them. I used all but 6 minutes of my allotted time and PASSED the test. I am now a Microsoft Certified Professional. :-)

10/27/00

I totally re-did this site. Added some links and plan on adding downloads as well. I also managed to gain several new affiliates and will be sprinkling them throughout the site. Please, please click on one or two. Brainbuzz is great and you can sign up for some very helpful and informative newsletters.