Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Big News (for me personally) I'm going back to school!! Hopefully for a long long time, which isn't to say that I want to go hide at school forever (...that may be true, but I don't want to say it ;o) I'm taking classes at Tufts this semester. It all happened very quickly... well as quickly as something can happen that's 9 years overdue. In general the response I've gotten has been favorable and supportive. People seem to think it's a good move. I agree, and in fact the more I think about it, the more I 'm inclined to believe that there is a very deep 'rightness' about it. It's right because since the day I left SUNY Buffalo with a Classics BA I've wanted to go back. Even that's not saying enough... I wanted to go back since probably sophomore year... junior year at best. I knew at that point that I had made a mistake and I wanted to go back, start over again and get it right the second time. Hopefully this is my chance. A little advice: Don't make flippant decisions that affect the course of your life. Think about them and be very purposeful. Better to delay a decision than to make the wrong decision hastily. I'm not talking about procrastinating. I'm talking about holding your ground and taking the time to make right decisions when those decisions can impact the course of your life. If you don't see any great options don't jump at the first choice, or some random choice. Put yourself in the best position you possibly can and wait for something to develop. Tangent:
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I actually am very fond of Classics and have an honest appreciation for Latin at this point (after 8 years) but I'm thoroughly disappointed with Classicists. There was a time when I wondered how the study of Classics get so marginalized and isolated. People study everything from the behaviors of ants, to biological structures and the universe itself looking for insight into pressing issues and difficult questions... economics, health care, politics, war, management, social systems and on and on. Where is Classics? With the study of ancient history you have all of the complexity of any modern civilization and the exact control of a lab environment. There is a lot to be learned... general rules to be understood, implemented and improved on, examples to follow and to avoid. There is a wealth of data relevant in one way or another to just about everything I can think of. I know we like to think that our future is in front of us and of course that's true, but honestly a lot of it is ground that has already been covered. George W. Bush as Commodus? You tell me. (Not exactly but this is nearly two millennia later. George W Bush as Commodus if this were the second century BC...?). How is it that there is a National poet but no National historian? After a BA in Classics I don't wonder about all of this anymore. It's obvious to me now that Classics is in the corner because that's where Classicists have put it.
- - - - - - - - - - So that's one reason why I feel like this is a right decision for me. I'll quickly add that at this point I've been working professionally in IT for nearly 10 years. I've found that I have a genuine interest in computer technologies (borderline obsession) and a real talent for it (well either talent or limitless tolerance for forcing myself to absorb this stuff). For the past 10 years I've done everything I can do to learn as much about IT as I possibly can... Every platform, every architecture, every protocol, etc. as well as industry news/current events, trends, issues. I don't know how you measure success or failure of something like this. I've kept myself employed for nearly 10 years and always in progressively more important roles (support - - administration - - management - - senior level management...). I've worked with a large variety of organizations and many, many different people working at accomplishing varied goals and I've been successful without a single notable exception. Maybe the best measure is that all of these years later I'm not burnt out. I'm still trying to cram as much of this stuff into my brain as I possibly can. And this decision is an extension of that effort. This is a way for me to open up new avenues of exploration, and that is something I'm eager to do. I'd also like to put myself in a better position to contribute in a more general sense than I've been able to do up to this point in my life and my career. There are a lot of reasons that I believe this is a right decision for me. I could go on and on but I'll end with just one more... I'm no salesman. I've been saying this for a long time. I usually use it in the context of my career to imply to people that I consider it my role to gather unbiased information and present options. By the way, I do believe this absolutely. In my opinion IT is a support service and needs to be capable of presenting unbiased information And considering all available options. It follows that IT needs to have a good working knowledge of all of these available options to carry through with decisions that are made in a responsible and timely manner. Opinions offered need to be based on facts, well reasoned and documented (like everything else related to IT). I also use it sometimes to mean simply that I can't sell. For example I have several ideas that I've been nursing for some time and I've been making steady progress but they'll all probably go nowhere because I'm unable (and/or unwilling) to go about selling them. Because I do say it so much I usually don't think much about it. My job search has prompted me to think about it a little more. I've been looking for a full time job for a year with not a lot of success. I have good resume, nearly 10 years of experience, a very thorough working knowledge of IT (and these are tested and proven skills). I have a strong work ethic and a dedication to responsible IT implementation and management. Add to this a willing to make just about any reasonable compromise... For example I've proven that I'm willing to work 80+ hour weeks for years at a time in exchange for subpar pay, sacrificing my personal time, vacations, even my health. And I have references who would willing attest to any or all of this. That seems to me a fairly appealing product. And I can't seem to sell it (me) to anyone. I've spent months looking for the problem. How am I flawed? It could come right back to salesmanship. Being a bad salesman isn't about having a bad product. In fact I'm sure that some of the best salespeople have had to sell some crap. How else can they be considered great after all? Almost anyone can sell a perfect product that everyone wants at cost, right? Like strength of schedule in sports. It's not just about your record, it's your record in the context of the level of competition. If my assumption is that I'm a very bad salesman then it's possible that I'm fine and I'm just lousy at selling me. Getting a job is nothing but selling. School isn't about selling at all. I don't have anything to sell at school. At school I'm an idiot playing catchup to get into a masters program eventually. I'm happy to be able to take a break from beating my head against selling myself. So I think this is a right decision. I hope it turns out well. Wish me luck.
1:59:46 PM
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