I haven't posted in a few days, but wanted to check in with my readers. Last week was one of the worst weeks of my life. Between computer hardware issues that kept me from working, to customers that made me wish I didn't have to work.
I only technically had one day off, and I relished the freedom of that day. Yes, technically I did have Tuesday off, but I was consistently working on my computer until the wee hours of the morning. So no, I didn't really have it off, I just didn't get paid for it.
Monday started much the same as the rest of the week. I was tempted to walk away.
I did not.
Today things are going much smoother, though the occasional asshole crept in.
Yet, I think it's time for a change. I love working from home. I love the hours I'm working. I even love most of the phones I support. I do not love the kinds of people I am meeting.
So since I can't change the people, I can't change the phones, and I don't want to change anything else, I have no choice but to change myself.
So how do I do that? I can change jobs, certainly. But in this job market and my lack of provable technical skills, i.e. no advanced degree and no certifications, changing jobs isn't a good idea.
I mentioned an advanced degree and certifications there. I do have an Associate's degree from Florida State University. It was awarded in 1984. I have attempted to go back to school on several occasions, but nothing ever lasts, either because I moved away from a relatively cheap University, or I couldn't afford to go to any other type of University.
Yet I'm no dummy. I may not know everything, but at least I don't act like I know everything. I can imagine some very sophisticated stuff, I just can't actually create it.
Let's look at certifications. I did, not too long ago. I was looking into certifications just for the types of phones I use. Yes, there are certifications for them. Why, I have no idea. Anyway, it's a moot point, the cost to get certified is as outrageous as other college costs. No matter what I want to be certified in, just to take the test is several hundred dollars, which I cannot spare. And if I actually wanted to be sure I was ready for the tests, there's another thousand dollars for each certification.
So it comes down to this: I have to prove I'm smart to get a technical job. In order to prove I'm smart, I have to spend thousands of dollars. The real question is: Is it really smart to go into debt up to your eyeballs to prove you're smart so you can get a job that pays more money?
So here's some of the things I'm going to do: I'm going to try to be more patient with my customers at work. Most of them just want their phones to work and not to deliberately be an ass.
I'm going to finish my script and sell it. One way or another. If that don't prove I'm smart, I don't know what will.
I'm going to try to prove I'm smart, by spouting theories on this blog. I'll put it under the heading Life Theories. I'll try to keep them pertinent. They may be economically based, politically based, technology based or just based on my own life experiences. We'll see how that goes.
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