The Start of Another Trip Around Our Star

Well, the last trip around our star was eventful, to say the least. Some of the highlights include my decision to earn the MCSE certification from Microsoft, start pursing my own self-education (both in IT and in other areas), getting laid off from the job I held for nearly 14 years, learning to become a better father and husband to my family, and travelling approximately 940 million kilometers around the Sun. I cannot take any credit for that last one, though. I was merely along for the ride.

Making the decision to earn myself the MCSE certification was not risky, but it has been challenging. Perhaps more challenging than I thought it would initially be. For the first four months, carving out enough time to study was a huge issue, and one I'm not certain I ever really was able to overcome. Getting laid off from my job certainly opened up a lot of free time, but there is still a lot of material to cover. It wasn't until I broke down the exam objectives into discrete items that I started to realize just how much Microsoft expects you to know in order to pass these exams. Daunting task aside, I am confident that I will be able to complete my MCSA exams before June, and my MCSE exams by the end of the year.

As I have stated in a previous post, getting laid off suddenly, after nearly 14 years, was a huge shock. I don't think anyone could have seen that one coming. The up side to this event is that it has given me ample time to examine where I have come from, and where I want to go. I had been told several times that I was getting too comfortable where I was. I did not understand, at the time, why being comfortable was a bad thing. Everything seemed to be going quite well. I was happy! Or was I?

As I look back, yes I was too comfortable, but no, I don't think that I was happy. I think that my growth as a System Administrator was actually being hampered by the fact that I was unable to expand my knowledge and experience beyond what I had learned in that particular network environment. In a nutshell, I had outgrown the nest I grew up in, and it was time for me to go. So, like any good momma bird would do, for my own good, I was picked up, and dropped out of the nest. I won't deny that the first bounce hurts, but it was what I needed.

Becoming a better husband and father is always a challenge, but one that I gladly accept. I cannot recall anything specific over that past year that has led to a general feeling of improvement, but I know it's there. I have a little bit more patience than I used to, and I am able to pitch in and help more than I used to. If I was forced to identify one change, I would say that it is the realization that a family has to work together as a team. Sure, we are all individuals, with our own desires, wants, needs, and responsibilities, but we also have to work together in order to grow together.

The Earth's orbit around the Sun is nothing I can take credit for. I just held on to the Earth as it whizzed around the our closest star. When I say held on, I really meant that Earth's gravity held my down to it's surface. So, really, I cannot take any credit for this last trip. Here's an interesting fact, the day that I wrote this was the same day as Earth's perihelion (closest point in it's orbit to the Sun). Strange. It doesn't feel that warm. In fact, it was a frosty -30 C when I got up this morning. If you'd like a better explanation of why it's so cold at our closest point to the sun, check out this article.

On to 2015 then!

I usually do not feel compelled to make a bunch of resolutions to mark the beginning of a purely arbitrary point along our orbit of the Sun, and this year is no different. What I will do, is share a couple of my longer term plans that are simply carried over from last year.

First and foremost, is finding employment somewhere that I feel I belong. I am still not sure what I want to do, but as I continue my search for a network I can call home, I am considering a few options. These include working for a large corporation as an Enterprise System Administrator, working as a consultant, and becoming a IT trainer/author. They all have their pros and cons, and before accepting any position, I will be weighing those pros and cons carefully.

My second objective is to complete my MCSE certification. My time frame for completing it is at most, a wild guess. There are so many variables to consider, that it is almost impossible to predict the exact completion date, but it will be completed. I still have the occasional doubt as to how well I will do on the exams, but thankfully I have friends, family, and my instructors all telling me that I am going to do fine.

To be truthful, I feel a little like Bilbo Baggins does at the beginning of The Hobbit. I was in a nice, comfortable home, with a nice, comfortable life, and suddenly, almost inexplicably, I find myself on an adventure, not knowing where exactly it will lead. I do know, however, that by the time I get through the next year, I will be a vastly different person than I am today, and God willing, a better one.

Have a wonderful trip around the Sun!