Regaining Motivation

[nick]

Originally Posted by wilder7bc

Mr Lammle hit the mark on this but I will just add to it.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth"
Matthew 5:5

"But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace"
Psalm 37:11

What does these versus mean and how do they apply to CCNA you might ask? Meek means many things but one of its meanings is being humble, supple the ability to be taught, the ability to learn because we are open to listening.

When you understand this fully it opens up to a logically understanding as well why the meek would inherit the earth; Not only from a Christians view but of an intellectual as well.

As you can see its not about being a door mat for others its about learning, about being pliable and supple so you can learn. Indeed those who learn will likely be the ones who do inherit the earth

I like versus as I am a christian so my apoligies but I figured I would throw them in! I think the implicit meaning applies here as we are dealing with learning =)



I work for Global Company, and I love my company and I love my management. However, a company while it can be a family type situation its also a business foremost and first and its job is to make money. This is not a bad thing; if you go into it understanding the makeup of what capitalism works. In the long run everything does workout.

So since making money is the strategy and trying to always build and become stronger, having to restructuring and constantly moving personnel around, and often times laying off, can be a part of what very strong companies do. They are on the top, and making money for a reason.

I have seen many kind people get laid off, who are hard workers and great people. However, they have had great jobs starting out when they were young, and did not keep up on studies and were just really out of the learning phase.

Learning is a process it’s a way of thinking and it takes a few years of learning to really become good at it. If you keep current and study even if just a little bit a day you will really improve your cognizant abilities.

Those people whom get laid off that do not keep themselves intellectually tuned and stay current are at a great loss they may have been using outdated software or hardware or it may very well be that companies hiring in the area use different equipment.

People with children and families now struggle to provide the same type of benefits and quality of living. =(

There is no free ride while I would rather those people not lose their positions I do not blame the companies; that’s the way things go and if it happened to me while, I would not be thrilled I would understand.

However, I am also prepared. Even at 43 years of age I try to stay cutting edge on stimulating my mind and improving myself.

I never become sated intellectually I don’t want to be, after a while you train your brain to enjoy what you do and the learning no longer becomes work it’s who you are. I would frankly be unhappy if all my goals were achieved it’s the act of achieving them the walk in life that makes it worthwhile. I don’t ever have to worry about having goals as I just set a higher goal each time.

As Mr Lammle spoke about coming from a poor background I also understand this, and understand the struggle of being treated like I was a weed that could be pulled; “because another one would just sprout up and replace you”. Its not a very good feeling, but the truth is we do have control of our own destiny and by sacrificing and pushing ourselves we can rise to whatever level we desire there is no limit on what we can do or accomplish.

I am never going to be considered a weed again, not ever!

Don’t ever be satisfied, always be hungry, and excited about pushing forward about trying to be one of the best at something, your brain will get were its stimulated by chemical reaction of learning just as you get when you exercise physically.

I am doing part time in college and my Certs on top of that, and I love it, my employer loves it and even more important they respect it and value me. I know that I can find work elsewhere immediately, and they know it as well this makes me valuable to them both in the present and in the future.

I worry more about feeling bad about leaving my employer in the future than I do about keeping my job. The certs and education bring confidence and if you train yourself correctly in how you look at things and think it can bring pleasure as well.

I work 8 hours a day sometimes more come home and spend 3-6 hours a night studying that’s a bit extreme but that’s because I am closing in on completing one of my goals. I usually let up when I accomplish one goal and, then start poking at the next one putting more and more time into it as I go.

Now I will say to much studying makes you fat, haha! I need to learn more balance and put physical exercise in there as well but hey we just keep trying to improve in all areas including being healthy =)

By the way the certs are not icing on the cake, thats a mistake to make dont set youself up for such a false mindset; to do so will just set you up for pitfalls. The certifications are huge, and I do not understate this, they are key. Its interesting the only ones who I ever see state things like the certs are not needed is the people who dont have them and are not interested in learning. Often times they are also the people who have bad habits, because they learned how to perform task but do not understand all the basics or the consequences of their designs and how everything is intricately interlocked. Much like the difference between a tech, and a engineer they dont understand the concepts fully of what they have implemented and thus dont put much stock into doing them as they should be done, Techs are great we need them but I dont know about you, but myself I would rather be an engineer! I dont like doing things because someone tells me it should be done that way I like to understand the reasons behind the decisions so I have full understanding, and can do things better and catch mistakes and be fully involved in what I do.

Now I dont know everything about all certs but I have studied cisco certs for over a year including salaries and positions available and certs are your key to money, success, respect, and doing things the correct way not the wrong which can often happen when people are taught ways that often times have more to do with ease, and short cuts than it does with being done correctly.

I dont say this because I have my certs, I dont I am a nobody when it comes to certs, but I work closely in the field with many IT co workers and with almost 15 years IT experience I have seen alot and the difference the certs make in peoples career.

In the end certs are not everthing it does depend on the person as well and being a hard worker, but the certs are huge, and very, very important in your career. So first of all get the icing on the cake out of your head thats incorrect.

Understand just how important they are, and yes they rank up there with actual experience, though they do come in behind it. In addition, when you put both together your in business. One without the other I think is weak but when you connect experience with certs you get a new exponential and dynamic relationship that explodes pushing you forward.

I just wished I had not been so igorant in my youth and already had my bachelor, and all my basic certs and was working on my CCIE instead of my CCNA now. However, I just picked up my associate in Physics with Honors at 43 years of age, I am finishing up my bachelor in networking slowly and on top of that doing my Certs and learning on the job the position of Server Support Engineer.

its never to late to start, never!

(btw even better is Experience, Certs, Education/College minimum a bachelor degree now days on top of your certs thats if your really up to the challenge =)

Oh I forgot one very important thing, you really should love what you do. If you do not then find what you do love and be successful at it, dont give up on dreams find a way to be successful at what you love and have the fortitude to go after it and not give up; make it happen.


Grasp for the stars, feel the satisfaction of being great at something then take it to the next level!

Absolutely brilliant and spiritually moving reply Brian! I would like to to add another two quotes that I think may help us all:

"Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God" Psalm 27:14

"Run the race that is before us, and never give up" Hebrews 12:1

I am of a comparable age and after reading your post realise what a fool I've been and now feel some hope.

Nick