A Good Start

I received the grades for the first assignments I submitted for my classes.  Both came back with their own uplifting promise.  I was excited that my algebra teacher indicated on my paper that my work was truly great and she expects great things from me.  I was equally excited when my networking professor stated to me that if I keep studying and working hard, I'll do just fine (in regards to being a network admin).  Needless to say, I aced both assignments - one was an assessment of my readiness for the math class, the other was the first test of the networking class.

In the meantime, I will continue to study as much as I can, learn as much as I can, and succeed in class as much as I can.  The joy of all of this actually is what I am learning, rather than just receiving good grades, although that is a perk.  For once I am at school studying something that really interests me, instead of just doing something because I happened to be good at it.  I believe this is where the phrase "Do what you like, like what you do" would apply.

Believing in Oneself is Important

Today was the first test in my Fundamentals of Networking class.  I studied as much as possible since the last class on Thursday; although the material spanned only two chapters, it was accompanied with a large amount of material and approximately 180 new terms that were new to me.  The test turned out to be a 20 question true/false exam, of which I'm sure I passed nevertheless.  While there were a few questions I wasn't 100% sure about, I checked my answers after the class and was pleased to see my answers chosen were accurate.  I'm excited to see what my final grade is.

I've come up with a study plan for my A+ exam.  I intend to finish studying by November 25th, and test in December.  My Network+ class at school ends in early December so I hope to take that exam around that time as well.  My professor announced that he would be happy to give us the CCNA exam study guides he happened to have, so I plan on bringing a flash drive next class to acquire them.  That would be very awesome to get a CCNA at some point.  The CCIE is an elite certification that would be the icing on the cake, but I understand it is extremely difficult to master.  I have a belief in myself though, that I can do and understand anything I put my mind to, so the more anyone tells me that it would be difficult to obtain or nearly impossible to understand, the more drive I have to pursue it.

This is how I have always lived my life.  From demanding to be added to the correct band class to learn oboe because they insisted it would be too difficult (which I ended up excelling at, winning many competitions and continued playing for 6 years), to making the bassline of the drumline in my highschool marching band because I was told I was not a percussionist and would therefore be unable to do it (which of course I was superb at this as well), and sticking with my algebra class when statistics say 60% of students that did not recently finish a math class fail or withdraw - I am determined to be in the 40% that remain in the class, and also pass with flying colors.  So far I am doing just fine.

I am not intentionally trying to brag about any accomplishments I may have made, but simply acknowledge the fact that my natural mindset is competitive and to do what I am told I cannot do.  At least, as long as I believe I can do it - that is the important part.

For example, if someone said I would be unable to skateboard, rollerskate, etc, I would agree, because I don't believe I can do it, and therefore can't.  I have very poor balance and would likely fail a walk-the-line "drunk test" by an officer while sober, so balancing on wheels is out of the question.  However, when it comes to having the mental capabilities of learning something new (and specifically not involving balance) I am fully confident in my ability to do it, given the opportunity.

I look forward to reading the next chapter for class, and continuing learning about the material for my A+ test.  We'll see what happens next.

A Tech-History of the Blogger

This blog was recommended by my professor to document my interest and progress through the field of my chosen career.  I have decided to entertain this idea, and will therefore be writing about my experiences in the world of IT from my work, school, and independent study.

A quick background about myself:

I was thrown into the realm of computers in spring of 2012 when my father got me a job with his company because "good help is hard to find."  I thrived in this position, learning as much as I could.  I recall on my first day that I inventoried the server room and packages that had arrived, recording their PO#s and serial numbers.  I learned what a VGA and DVI was, and how to downgrade a machine with a corporate image through ghosting.  I worked in this position until December of 2013, when I made the full transition to Brown Traffic Inc., which bought out part of the building and company where I was working.  I worked as the IT Resource for Brown from November 2013 until September 2014, and continued learning as much as possible while on the job.  I became extremely familiar with troubleshooting domain and network connectivity issues, working with a remote support team, installing WYSE terminals and using Citrix XenApp 6.5.
June 2nd I began a contract project for Pedernales Electric Coop, participating as a part of their Windows 7 Migration Team, upgrading hundreds of desktops and laptops via SCCM.  July 9th I was promoted to lead tech of my three-person team.  I have learned an incredible amount from this particular position, including solidifying skills of basic data backup and restore, using SCCM 2012 Console, learned a new ticketing system, and played a role in the overall creation, documentation, and finalization of the final process/routine that the team follows for all upgrades.

Now, with history out of the way, I can now write about the here and now.  I will keep this post short and sweet, considering the length of it already (I'd like to keep these as succinct as possible), and end it here.

Just for my own records, I'll write now that I've created a potential five year plan for advancing within this field, which I have already started on.  I am a student at ACC with the chosen major of Network Adminitration, and I am studying for my CompTIA exams for certification.  It is my goal to successfully complete my A+ and Network+ exams this winter.