that computer world
Regarding the previous entry, I had a suggestion show up from a friend today. I’ve been looking at “IT Boot Camps” to gain some of the basic certifications that I need to back up the experiences in IT that I currently have and to gain new knowledge. All told, having the certs would allow me an easier path to job hunting than trying to simply prove my experience on my resume. It would also allow me a way to step back into trailwork and then return to a contract IT position. In some fashion I consider the pursuit of IT certifications such as an MCSA or MCSE* as a career and travel maneuverability option.
Unfortunately, most of the boot camps are quite expensive. IT certifications can set one up for a well-paying career. As a result most of the boot camps are on par with a semester or two at a state college for cost. The suggestion that came in from my friend today was to look outside of the US.
As it turns out there are courses available in India for about half of the price stateside that offer the same certifications. I’m hopelessly intrigued by the idea as it would let me combine the reality of supporting my travel and dreams while expanding them. No sense, if I were to fly to New Delhi, to only spend the class time there when Nepal, China, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, and the stopover in London (or elsewhere in Europe) are nearby.
I’ve no idea yet if I’ll pull it off but a first glance at the program and ticket prices from Minneapolis to India leave me strongly considering it. I compared the cost of trying to get there from New Zealand post-ice and from getting there after Christmas from the states. Turns out it’s actually less expensive to fly out of Minneapolis in January or February than it would be to catch the Asian subcontinent in November or December from New Zealand.
My plans - in other words, for post-ice travel are to stick to New Zealand and Hawaii, focusing on beaches and a slow transition back to the real world from the isolation of my current life. No sense trying to cram in a trip to and through one of the worlds largest, dirtiest, craziest cities after having just spent the last ten months with only sixty people. I like culture shock but I also like my sanity.
Still, it’s fun to dream and the reality of leaving here debt free is becoming very, very empowering.
- MCSA and MCSE stand for Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, respectively. One of those and an additional certification focus in security and/or Linux System Administration should leave me a far more marketable IT geek.