Blogger blogging near Seattle
I wrote yesterday that I am pursuing the Google Technical Support Fundamentals certificate. Well, I’ve finished that one. It is one of 5 elements in the Google IT Support Professional certification, so I’m solidly on my way. 20% done!
It’s a fun certificate, and I enjoyed diving back into the subject. There’s so much more to learn, though, so I’m pumped to jump into the next one.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I was laid off (yet again). Growing weary of being the first let go when a company’s finances get tight, I started looking for a new direction. As I’ve long loved technology, I explored options to finally move into tech roles professionally. I discovered that Washington State’s Worksource program would let me collect unemployment while I pursued a Associates Degree in Technical Arts. So, a few weeks before the world locked down, I found myself enrolled at Edmonds College to pursue Computer Information Systems.
I finished that program last summer, and I found myself looking to land that first tech role. Right around the time that hundreds of thousands of unemployed tech workers were starting their searches. A few days ago, I came across this article in Wired that validated my perceptions: “Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare“. My favorite part? “The tech job market “doesn’t show any signs of turning around just yet,” says Julia Pollak, chief economist with online employment marketplace ZipRecruiter.” Man, I opted for this career path because of the significant career growth! I have been feeling frustrated and disheartened.
Reading the article, I see I’m not the only one. Actually, I’m in good company. When the Grace Hopper Celebration, a career fair targeting women and nonbinary tech workers, got slammed with huge lines and, well, men, it’s easy to see the desperation in many a tech worker’s life.
I’m lucky. Currently, I work roughly half-time with two different organizations. So, I’m pretty much full-time. I’m pulling in money, enough to pay the bills. And one of those half-time roles is in IT. So, really, I’ve met the goal of transitioning to IT.
I am not done, though. I still want to land a full-time role. And I still want to grow, to learn. I am in a place to keep growing, even if I’m not in a place to take more classes. Coursera offers some good options. Currently, I’m pursuing their Google Technical Support Fundamentals Certificate. It’s mostly review, but my son is pursuing the same certificate. It’s fun to do this together. I think I’ll go after their Data Analytics certificate next, to finish out 2023. I’m still exploring options for 2024. Perhaps I’ll go after my A+ and Network+ certificates. I also want to get AWS and Azure certified. And I want to continue to grow my coding skills. In particular, Python.
Are any of you finding the current tech job market challenging? What are doing to navigate these new situations? I hope you’re not feeling too frustrated or frightened.
Updated 10/24/2023: Karina Chow, who I follow over on Twitter, shared this Tech Crunch article which I think is quite germane: A comprehensive list of 2023 tech layoffs. Makes me think that the job hunt toughness will continue for a while.
the grace of summer
continuing to hold on
autumn approaches
I found this flower along the Edmonds Waterfront on my walk yesterday afternoon. It’s one of my favorite places to be.
I hope this finds each of you well. May you be refreshed and energized this weekend.
rain clouds to the west
quietly pass overhead
hiding the sunlight
in the morning rain
gently upon the petals
amidst the birdsong
rainfall in the dark
autumnal scents descending
windchime's gentle tone
summer sunsets
gently across the mountains
gracefully cooling air
Ah, OS/2! In the early 90s, I worked on a project for a Seattle stock brokerage, where we were digitizing key records. And, to be clearer, scanning them. This project’s systems needed OS/2, and it was my first introduction to this operating system.
It wasn’t well known at the point, but I was aware of it’s existence. I was intrigued and interested in exploring it. As I think back, my main takeaway: the system was quite stable. I spent very little time dealing with issues, blue screens, or other bugs. It seemed, in retrospect, to be a solid OS.
I have no recollection of using it anywhere else, even though I spent the 90s working myriad projects with many Seattle area companies. Odd, looking back. Odd.
YouTube’s algorithm served this video up today: “The Fall of OS/2”.
It provides lots of insights into how the product failed. And, the story doesn’t paint IBM of the 90s in a good light. It seems the main factors are marketing and leadership incompetence, exacerbated by some petty internal politics. These seem to have been larger factors that Microsoft’s efforts.
I haven’t thought about OS/2 in years. After watching this video, I lament its loss. What would the modern OS environment look like if we’d had a viable non-Microsoft OS on x86 systems? Sadly, we’ll never know.
My friend and fellow blogger Pooja over at Life’s Fine Whine posted this quote yesterday. I felt this is one that strikes home, and is important to embrace if you’re living focused on growth.
Speaking for myself, it’s easy to expect that enacting positive life changes will all feel like smooth joy. No, often, it starts out HARD! Whether a diet, new exercise regime, training for a new role for work…with any of these changes, we start out needing to work hard in order to overcome our life’s inertia.
So, I recommend checking our Pooja’s blog, Life’s Fine Wine.
silence eroding
the filling of coffee cups
crows seek their breakfast