So, what are you doing to become successful or improve yourself?

[Walking-Decoy]

So, what exactly are you doing to become successful? I use the term loosely, so define it as you wish... Successful in personal life, marriage, finances, business, etc.

Before I get into mine, I did want to share this video. My old boss sent me this video after he read a post on my facebook about how I stayed up all night because I was engrossed in my work studies and didn't want to stop. He said he was happy to see me taking the tough steps to be successful, and that the part in the video about no-sleep made him think of me. It's a little cheesey, but it's worth a watch in my opinion. I usually watch it first thing in the morning to mentally prepare me for the next 10-14 hours of studying at my desk, in my tiny ass apartment, in the middle of no where. lol.

 

I'd also like to add that my definition of success is waking up and being happy with life. I am pretty happy at this point, but there are areas that will make me even more happy. Having a great marriage, and having some well raised kids, will be my ultimate success story when it happens. Money comes in goes, but of course it's nice to have and it does unlock doors and makes things "easier" in a way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ&list=PLAx_TLdr0Qw9MbBcQ24Hp_hpUNq6_a0Vv

 

Oh and I love this video too. It gets me pumped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY

 

As for me, I got a new job at my dream company almost 5 months ago after being laid off out of no where from the company I was working for almost 7 years. I put my resume out the day I got laid off and started searching for a new one... and 2 days later got calls about this job. It required a move to a different state, and since I had just recently met what was soon to be my girlfriend 4 weeks prior, I was hesitant to move... Not only because I knew immediately how good of a catch I found in her, but my entire family and friend base is in Tampa.. The decision to move I had to make was made even tougher because I was also offered a work-from-home position with the SAME company, so I didn't even have to move! The two positions I was offered had slight differences, but the Boston one paid a little more, started me at a level 2, and would give me more real world experience and offered faster growth potential.. It was tough, but I chose to move, and left my life in Tampa to take the better experience\growth position. So now, I don't know anyone here in the Boston area, as all I really do is sit and study in between clients, and I'm perfectly fine with that. This year or two is about my career and growing my knowledge. I'm in my last year of my 20's and although it'll be quite boring, I'll be thankful to eventually get back to Tampa, putting in a transfer to continue working for this company, with a lot more knowledge and experience under my belt. I got a super tiny apartment to keep costs low, and am actually putting my house in Tampa on the market and preparing to save every dime I can to put what I hope to be a 50% down payment on my next house. It may not be the best use of that kind of money at these interest rates, but I'll sacrifice a little bit of investment gains in order to be able to afford a house on a single-worker family income, even if it means flipping burgers if it ever gets to that for some reason. I also am putting all my finances to paying off my car loan as well, which will be paid off in a couple months (5 year loan paid off in 2yr 4months w00t).

If something else comes up, I'll deal with that as well. It's the only way to keep moving forward.

So, what are you guys doing to be (or did to become) successful? I like hearing stories about this kinda stuff. Good motivation and it's a nice break from the usual banter.

[gplaydee]

Well done, sir.

Personally, I'm taking courses outside of work to get ahead. If you like the company you're in, look at the next level up or another position you want to be in between now and 5 years (10, if you're disciplined) and figure out what skills you need. Then, find a way to learn how to do that job better than the guy sitting in it.

Don't ever hesitate in investing in yourself, even if it costs you tuition, fees, time, headaches, weekends. As CoverGirl says, "you're worth it". And as much as I hate it when ppl use this like a cokewhore, YOLO.

[Kamekazi]

I just recently started college after taking 10 years off of school. Going to get my degree in IT. I've always wanted a job working on computers, so now I'm going to make that a reality.

[Walking-Decoy]

I just recently started college after taking 10 years off of school. Going to get my degree in IT. I've always wanted a job working on computers, so now I'm going to make that a reality.

 

That's awesome man, what field of IT are you trying to get in? I may be able to help somehow, if not, well, it's always fun to talk shop. I'm obviously biased, but backup\recovery and storage are two areas that aren't going away anytime soon, especially with the technological revolution we are still going through, data is being created at faster and faster speeds and it's all gotta be stored, and backed up. It's a good career.

[Walking-Decoy]

Well done, sir.

Personally, I'm taking courses outside of work to get ahead. If you like the company you're in, look at the next level up or another position you want to be in between now and 5 years (10, if you're disciplined) and figure out what skills you need. Then, find a way to learn how to do that job better than the guy sitting in it.

Don't ever hesitate in investing in yourself, even if it costs you tuition, fees, time, headaches, weekends. As CoverGirl says, "you're worth it". And as much as I hate it when ppl use this like a cokewhore, YOLO.

 

Thanks! I fully agree about the next level up statement. I'm actually eye-ing a role in my company about 4 levels up, with a slight move to the presales team. The experience I'm getting now will be extremely important to getting that role which is one reason why I chose this position (The one that required the move) versus that stay-at-home-and-dont-change-anything position I was offered in Tampa.. I think it's important to always look at where you wanna be. It's also important to be content and happy where you are at currently, as it's not healthy to be miserable in the now and always hoping things will get better. I'd say if a person went more than 1-2 years being unhappy but hoping things get better, than that person needs to re-evaluate what they are striving for and how long they can keep that up.

[zutron]

I will say u gotta adpot to the everything that happend arround you. Always upgrade your knowledges. New classes new courses and stay tuned with news in the field you are interested.

 

For example. My friend huge fan of cars, motors and shit. He got diploma. Worked in the GMC meintenace shop. But its steady job and no future. You not gonna fix the breaker for entire life. So i advised him to go to the Mercedess School, then Warren Henry, Alfa Romeo. Right now hes so into this so by now hes the first of student who got his Tesla diploma. How many mechanincs for Tesla (car just came out on the market here in US). Now hes a chiefe engineer for Warren Henry, mostly for Friska. With 3 times more paycheck and 2 times less work.

 

I got my bach in 2002 Project manager for bridges, highways,seaports and airports. Baisicly architect. Second was for LAN/WAN administrator same year. In NYC i went Microsoft Courses to get Win 2000 Server Administrator and Win NT Administrator. (2003). Then ITTech for graphik design, now i got my diploma for courses on 3ds max Interior. At home im learning new things in designing, it is my passion. This year in september ill move to the next step - animation design (gaming, movies, TV commercial).

 

So bottom line, adopt and advance. Never sit on what u r doing right now. Now u r happy, in few days, month years u will get borred of what u r doing and u will want some more. Or you will grow up and will have a family - and your paycheck will b not enough to support, but your degree, diploma and experience is not enough to get a better job. Never sit in what u have. My opinion.

[Fusion]

I am back in school, i got my associates in exercise science, realized i wouldn't make the money I want to make unless somehow I became a top trainer or had a bachelors to become more than just a trainer with companies. So now I am back in school for nursing, so I can work 3-4 days a week as a nurse, then maybe do training on the side. I grew up pretty much without having a father around, my mom raised 3 kids on her own, we went through hard times, we almost didnt even have a christmas one year,but a miracle came through and a 500$ donation came from the church and my mom was able to provide us with presents by going shopping christmas eve night. My goal in life is to be able to provide for my family and make sure my kids do not go through the struggles my family went through. Yes it shaped me into the person I am today, but i want to cry when I look back and realize how much my mom did to raise us. I also want to be able to provide for my mom because she has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was 11. She is in pain every day, and I would like to be able to afford to tell her she doesnt have to work anymore. I am thinking about after a few years of nursing applying to med school. We will see how things go after I graduate nursing.I pray I get into nursing on my first time applying, I will be applying at the end of this semester or the beginning of next semester.  

 

The reason I gave up on personal training is because my goal is to own and operate my own gym one day, and with my income on personal training, its hard to save enough money to see myself running my gym. So I want a nursing job to ensure a set pay and I know I will have work and I know the pay is good enough for me to start putting money aside for my future plans. 

 

If anyone knows of fitness places hiring positions go ahead and send me a message. I am willing to move for a good enough job. 

 

I am currently unemployed because I had to quit my previous job about 1 month ago when my boss was being a dick about me school schedule. Which sucks because now I am being really tight on money until I get another job, and seems like everywhere is not hiring, or maybe they think im over qualified to be something simple like a cashier. I thought having my associates would help getting stupid simple part time jobs but its not. I had better luck before I graduated with the associates. I never had trouble looking for jobs before. I was always hired at places within a week of looking. Yes people say its a bad economy right now, but when stores say they are hiring and you can't even get an interview....wtf.... Its not like i have a bad record either, I have a tresspassing and a misorderly conduct (both misdemeanors) from like 4-5 years ago. 

 

 

I don't know just kind of venting and rambling on guys. hope all is well! 

[Dragoon]

I currently work as a network engineer for a VAR/MSP mainly focused on Cisco and although it is mandatory for me to do so I am currently working on my MCSE 2012 to become more familiar with Microsoft.  I already have my Bachelors degree and in the IT feld I believe this to be enough because Masters is most generally for Management and I'm not looking to get into Management just yet.  I'm constantly pushing the enevelope with what I do and the projects I take on to show the company that I work for that I am looking to advance and increase my Knowledge as much as possible.  I currently work as a tier 2 tech on their helpdesk and would love to move into the the implementation/ Preseales environement one day, but to do so I have to prove that I am capable of doing the work which I am trying to do on a daily basis. after the MCSE I am going to move to the VCP and then EMC certifications.  Any EMC stuff you could throw my way Decoy would be appreciated as Storage is currrently my weakest subject..

[Walking-Decoy]

I am back in school, i got my associates in exercise science, realized i wouldn't make the money I want to make unless somehow I became a top trainer or had a bachelors to become more than just a trainer with companies. So now I am back in school for nursing, so I can work 3-4 days a week as a nurse, then maybe do training on the side. I grew up pretty much without having a father around, my mom raised 3 kids on her own, we went through hard times, we almost didnt even have a christmas one year,but a miracle came through and a 500$ donation came from the church and my mom was able to provide us with presents by going shopping christmas eve night. My goal in life is to be able to provide for my family and make sure my kids do not go through the struggles my family went through. Yes it shaped me into the person I am today, but i want to cry when I look back and realize how much my mom did to raise us. I also want to be able to provide for my mom because she has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was 11. She is in pain every day, and I would like to be able to afford to tell her she doesnt have to work anymore. I am thinking about after a few years of nursing applying to med school. We will see how things go after I graduate nursing.I pray I get into nursing on my first time applying, I will be applying at the end of this semester or the beginning of next semester.  

 

The reason I gave up on personal training is because my goal is to own and operate my own gym one day, and with my income on personal training, its hard to save enough money to see myself running my gym. So I want a nursing job to ensure a set pay and I know I will have work and I know the pay is good enough for me to start putting money aside for my future plans. 

 

If anyone knows of fitness places hiring positions go ahead and send me a message. I am willing to move for a good enough job. 

 

I am currently unemployed because I had to quit my previous job about 1 month ago when my boss was being a dick about me school schedule. Which sucks because now I am being really tight on money until I get another job, and seems like everywhere is not hiring, or maybe they think im over qualified to be something simple like a cashier. I thought having my associates would help getting stupid simple part time jobs but its not. I had better luck before I graduated with the associates. I never had trouble looking for jobs before. I was always hired at places within a week of looking. Yes people say its a bad economy right now, but when stores say they are hiring and you can't even get an interview....wtf.... Its not like i have a bad record either, I have a tresspassing and a misorderly conduct (both misdemeanors) from like 4-5 years ago. 

 

 

I don't know just kind of venting and rambling on guys. hope all is well! 

 

Here is a tip I learned. Customize your resume. Have multiple ones. One for cashier type jobs, one for the jobs that require schooling, and then with each job tailor it to suit the job you are applying at... It does take a little longer, but your success rate sky rockets.

 

Oh and the reason you aren't getting hired as a cashier is probably BECAUSE of your education. Think about it, would you hire someone that just needs a for-now job that will split as soon as he can get something more associated to his education? Or would you hire the 17 year old high school drop out who has no education and will most likely work there much longer than someone such as yourself? It costs a good chunk of change and a lot of money to hire and train someone, so businesses hate high turn over rates.

 

Remove that education. Don't mention it. It's tough to not try and shine yourself in the best possible light during an interview, but the above is true, oddly enough.

 

Good luck man!

 

Also, do you do Cross Fitness training? It seems to me that a Cross-Fit gym doesn't require nearly as much equipment and the prices for a monthly membership is MUCH higher than a standard gym that has to buy all that stuff.

[Walking-Decoy]

I currently work as a network engineer for a VAR/MSP mainly focused on Cisco and although it is mandatory for me to do so I am currently working on my MCSE 2012 to become more familiar with Microsoft.  I already have my Bachelors degree and in the IT feld I believe this to be enough because Masters is most generally for Management and I'm not looking to get into Management just yet.  I'm constantly pushing the enevelope with what I do and the projects I take on to show the company that I work for that I am looking to advance and increase my Knowledge as much as possible.  I currently work as a tier 2 tech on their helpdesk and would love to move into the the implementation/ Preseales environement one day, but to do so I have to prove that I am capable of doing the work which I am trying to do on a daily basis. after the MCSE I am going to move to the VCP and then EMC certifications.  Any EMC stuff you could throw my way Decoy would be appreciated as Storage is currrently my weakest subject..

 

Awesome! That's kind of what I did, I went from the Operations (Glorified security guard for servers) to where I am at now through kind of the same way you are.... I will get you some material.... You'd be surprised how all-inclusive it is. They are 600 page PDF's, but they *LITERALLY* go from "This is what a server is" to "Here is how you fully design a SAN Fabric".

 

Also, there is a ton of information out there as well that can be had for free.

 

And yeah, storage is actually my weak point.. and networking in general.. Blah.

[SylenT]

I have my bachelors degree in Network Administration and an associates in Computer Information Systems.  Right now I am a Network Admin for a huge non for profit company in Buffalo.  Pay definitely isn't as good as it should be but my experience is going through the roof which is really what counts.  Looking into getting the company to pay for my MCSE and Cisco certs in the near future.  The IT department here is severely under-staffed so not only do I do the Net Admin work but I am a project manager and a tech some days.  It's definitely not boring here lol

[Walking-Decoy]

I have my bachelors degree in Network Administration and an associates in Computer Information Systems.  Right now I am a Network Admin for a huge non for profit company in Buffalo.  Pay definitely isn't as good as it should be but my experience is going through the roof which is really what counts.  Looking into getting the company to pay for my MCSE and Cisco certs in the near future.  The IT department here is severely under-staffed so not only do I do the Net Admin work but I am a project manager and a tech some days.  It's definitely not boring here lol

That is AMAZING experience. Being under-paid sucks of course, but like you said, nothing is more valuable then experience. Just be sure to not be afraid to eventually either demand to be paid what you're worth, or find another company that will. I got lucky in being laid off, and even luckier than I can imagine to land at a new company like this... So when it comes to someone with your experience, getting paid what you're worth is just a matter of finding a new company looking for a hard worker.

 

Do you have any good from-the-ground-up Networking docs you could send me? I don't need to learn how to configure a switch type level of knowledge, but I def. need to learn more than I currently know.

[Walking-Decoy]

ps: Finally glad you guys started posting! I was worried for a bit that this was gonna die here, especially since it's been a popular thread in other places.

[Fusion]

Here is a tip I learned. Customize your resume. Have multiple ones. One for cashier type jobs, one for the jobs that require schooling, and then with each job tailor it to suit the job you are applying at... It does take a little longer, but your success rate sky rockets.

 

Oh and the reason you aren't getting hired as a cashier is probably BECAUSE of your education. Think about it, would you hire someone that just needs a for-now job that will split as soon as he can get something more associated to his education? Or would you hire the 17 year old high school drop out who has no education and will most likely work there much longer than someone such as yourself? It costs a good chunk of change and a lot of money to hire and train someone, so businesses hate high turn over rates.

 

Remove that education. Don't mention it. It's tough to not try and shine yourself in the best possible light during an interview, but the above is true, oddly enough.

 

Good luck man!

 

Also, do you do Cross Fitness training? It seems to me that a Cross-Fit gym doesn't require nearly as much equipment and the prices for a monthly membership is MUCH higher than a standard gym that has to buy all that stuff.

And thanks, I know to have multiple resumes, but I didnt think about the part of taking education out for simple jobs. 

 

No I don't do cross fit training. It is still new fitness craze, I believe that crossfit is probably killing all these peoples joints. My opinion, is crossfit is probably just as strenuous on your joints as power lifting.

 

I was looking into this small place they have available, I was going to open a private fitness gym there if rent was reasonable, but they wanted 1800 a month for this place and I was like hahah you wish. Its a new building so they need to pay off there loan lol.

[Walking-Decoy]

^Hmm, that is tough. Personally I've always wanted to find a gym that had the equipment I needed AND "personal" trainers in set stations around the gym. I'd pay more for a standard membership if it meant that every 6-7 machines there was a trainer helping and guiding people that had questions. Sure, it kind of takes away the "personal" in personal training, but to be honest, I think PT are too pricey for me to pay for, I just don't see myself setting aside 30-60 bucks for an hour of of personal training, and I think a lot of people feel taht way too... it can get pretty pricey to pay for one twice a week for X months. If there was a gym that had it's trainers paid by the hour to watch a "zone" of equipment, and answer questions or assist... I'd pay 60-80 bucks a month in gym membership for that... And seeing as how most gyms are only charging $9-15 for a monthly membership, I'd just toss a guess out there and say it's do-able... But that's just me guessing.

 

ps: I'm not saying PTs aren't worth it, I know they are, as I was in great shape once and switched gyms and got a few free sessions, and that guy killed me and made me sore... but the fact still remained that I just didn't have THAT much extra money to pay.

[Fusion]

if you ever want me to write a workout for you just hit me up, just remember i don't always check this so a pm is probably best to contact me. or my email, [email protected]

 

And thats a good point about the trainers per group of equipment, Ill keep that in mind for my future gym :-p

[gplaydee]

And thanks, I know to have multiple resumes, but I didnt think about the part of taking education out for simple jobs.

No I don't do cross fit training. It is still new fitness craze, I believe that crossfit is probably killing all these peoples joints. My opinion, is crossfit is probably just as strenuous on your joints as power lifting.

I was looking into this small place they have available, I was going to open a private fitness gym there if rent was reasonable, but they wanted 1800 a month for this place and I was like hahah you wish. Its a new building so they need to pay off there loan lol.

Just a tip: your resume is like a story. You want the story to be geared towards the reader you want to attract. So if your audience wants horror, don't put romance in it -- it distracts from the main plot. So in reality, every resume you send needs to be customized. Use words that were in the job description. Remember hiring managers read thousands of resumes a day and if they're confused with how your resume content relates to the job that's posted, they'll throw it out.

[Dragoon]

Awesome! That's kind of what I did, I went from the Operations (Glorified security guard for servers) to where I am at now through kind of the same way you are.... I will get you some material.... You'd be surprised how all-inclusive it is. They are 600 page PDF's, but they *LITERALLY* go from "This is what a server is" to "Here is how you fully design a SAN Fabric".

 

Also, there is a ton of information out there as well that can be had for free.

 

And yeah, storage is actually my weak point.. and networking in general.. Blah.

That would be much appreciated.  Let me know if you need a way to get them to me.. Dropbox or something would probably be easiest as they are most likely to big for email.

[MGSgt.Reaper]

Yeah the second I chose to go into the IT field I didn't realize at how much I was going to have to keep learning no matter what in order to perform in any position I was in but even then I still like the field. I got my Associates in Network Systems Administration and am the first one in my family to even go to college and first to actually graduate. I took a break for about 4 months seeing as I was fried and ready to kill someone because of holding a 4.0. About a year into my degree I got a job working for a global financial company and have been working there ever since while completing my Bachelors Network Communications Management which I am just about done with, just senior project which is going to be a piece of cake. After which I have not determined whether I am going to go straight into getting a couple of certs or just jump in the field at a couple of good job opportunities that I know are available and allow them to train me. I also plan on teaching myself a couple of languages probably russian and mandarin. I don't know though I have thought about getting another Bachelors degree which would be in Drone Aviation which I think would work well especially for a new arriving field because the devices work off of wireless communications and I could have it done before the big boom of drones show up in the public which should be around 2015. Also, I have always wanted to get my pilots license which the degree basically gets you your pilots license minus completing a couple of things. I think thats enough from me for now lol.

[Stevary]

A question to the people in this thread:

 

How important do you think your college choice is/was when it comes to the IT field? Do you think you're at a disadvantage because you went to a less prominent college? Or maybe at an advantage because you went to a more known school?

[butters]

Where you go doesn't really matter as much these days for IT. It only matters if you are getting an online degree, some schools people assume you learn less and aren't career ready. Certs for IT matter more. As someone that hires IT people that's my two cents.

[MGSgt.Reaper]

I would say depending on what college you went to might give you a little more pull with certain companies just because if you go to a private college it is also a company which has ties with other companies so when you get done with your degree or even if you're still working on your degree you might be more likely to get a job with those companies. This could be said with any college where alumni have done well in companies it makes those companies look towards certain colleges for certain thing for example Harvard Law for law students and K-State for their vet school. With a degree in the IT field you can get an entry level position but to keep that job you will most likely be required to pursue some certs and if you want to grow.

[Gohda]

I didn't go to college and run the IT department for a construction engineering company. Equivalent experience and certifications are far more important than what school you went to, and in some places, IF you even went to school. Most IT degrees are focused more on programming or true engineering. If you want to get into break-fix support, you can have any degree, or no degree at all, as long as you have certifications.

 

To be on topic, one thing I've gotten back into that I missed dearly is martial arts. I'm doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu right now, and some Muay Thai if I really want to punish myself. You learn some great skills, improve your physical being, and for me personally, it's an amazing stress reliever. I've been sedentary for several years now, so bringing my physical capacity and capabilities to where they used to be, let alone improving on that, has been very difficult. Power through! I've got perhaps the toughest Tough Mudder (aside from the Toughest Mudder) coming up on June 9th, and really have to crank up the intensity to get there. I'm lucky to have a small mountain within walking distance, so I've been trying to get up that at least once a week, and as the date nears, I'll be doing loops on the mountain to cover the equivalent distance of the Tough Mudder. About four loops at close to a 5K apiece, combined with the 1300 odd feet of elevation gain... the pain is GOOD.

 

I really do need to focus more on professional development, as I've let some of my certifications slide. I'm slowly trudging through a CCNA study guide, and the wonderful stack of Server 2008 books to get whatever the MSCE equivalent is these days. It's much easier just to keep calling it the MSCE! :P

[MGSgt.Reaper]

Yeah 30 days before your CCNA I heard that was a good study book and for MSCE I thought to get that you have to go through the 6 months worth of Microsoft Server classes.

[Dragoon]

Nope the MCSE is just 5 tests which I am currently going through for server 2012.. They are a little rough but not bad.