CompTIA A+ Certification

May 31st, 2018

Prior to taking the Paralegal Classes for certification, of course, I have to pay for it. Looking at the current job’s pay, while on a weekly basis it’s a start in the right direction to start stabilizing financially, it’s long-term is bleak. I would need to do 12-hour shifts daily, including a day or two extra, to make any significant money to save/lower debt. Even though my body is adapting to the hours, it’ll be challenging to go to school, plus go to the paralegal course, and be awake at any of them and still work 12-hours daily.

The key is to get a better job that pays more without the challenging hours. How do I do that? Get a certification in the middle of everything.

I’m currently taking classes in AIU toward Information Technology but they don’t contribute toward getting A+ certification. A lot of jobs are looking for IT professionals WITH certification in at least A+. I never took the test in the past because it was incredibly expensive at the time. We’re talking an easy $300 just for the test alone.

Now, it’s $90 bucks per test (there are two parts) and $140 for the practice/study of it all. Yeah, I know you’re saying it costs more now than before. The $300 was just the test. The practice was either on your own or some other amount. There’s a saving of $100 today than back then PLUS it seems to be done at home online. Back then, you had a location you had to go to.

In any case, I’m in a better position now. Tomorrow I’m paying for the practice/study program. Over the next two months, I’ll practice/study the A+ work, and around August, take the test. If I can do it within a month, that would be awesome but two months is realistic. Get certified and get better work in order to properly balance a better job and paralegal study.

Naturally, the certification is going to be a huge benefit to the overall IT degree process. If it goes well, I’ll take other certifications. Particularly the Network+ certification.

If this plays out as planned, I’ll have to be at this job til August/September. It’s not bad, but just inconvenient. My wife needs to take Uber every day I’m working and that adds up. Getting a second car is a goal, but again, need a better job.

This is life. Always need a strategy to keep afloat.

360

May 29th, 2018

You know, I might just be pulling off the greatest turn-around in history. The degree and other future happenings not only look probable but due. Verily expected and grounded in reality.

Even though I spent a lot of this journal swamped in depression, spurts of anger, rage against people and myself, occasionally suicidal and in debt with off and on again employment — the core reason I started the journal in the first place is bearing fruit. Regardless of the inner turmoil, the plan is working. I can even go on to say, the plan that is working is healing the inner turmoil.

In a little bit, I’ll be in my sophomore year of college with an excellent GPA. I am considering a paralegal course on the side to achieve certification to help toward the LSAT and law school — as well as a means to gainful employment of a professional level. Something to get me out of the ‘Walmarts’ and soda warehouse blue collar sector and make ‘real’ money.

Should any of that fail, the backup is Information Technology. With the IT degree, I can still get great pay in this era where digital investigations are necessary. I’m considering taking the CompTIA A+ certification to complement the IT degree.

Should both succeed, I will have a shield of knowledge and experience to be more than the man I was when I started this journal.

I can actually start formulating a proper resume that is really who I am that I could be proud of.

So what still needs to be done?

1) Maintain the job I currently have. It doesn’t pay much, it’s just sweeping the floors, but it helps with child support, paying minor bills, saving some money and paying for the CompTIA A+ and the paralegal courses.

2) Keep looking for tech work to replace the current job. Start fleshing out the career path in IT exclusively, if possible. Nothing customer based. I don’t want to do IT support for stupid customers that think putting their phones in rice is a great idea.

3) Take the CompTIA exam. Never hurts to have it.

4) Take the paralegal course and get certified. Solidifies one potential guaranteed future.

5) Take my wife out more. We’re going to Savannah next week. I’m sure we can find other places to go.

6) Consider getting back to archery.

7) Buy all books and study material for the LSAT.

I’ll have to keep working my way back up the social thing to want to go to a lodge or Toastmasters. No rush. The paralegal course looks like it emphasizes on speaking and communication with others anyway so I’ll wait for that.

All in all — as of this moment — I feel stable mentally, with ‘adult grown-up’ career and financial stability on approach.

What I hope anyone gets from this journal is exactly what is happening: Make plans in life, see things fail, make adjustments, come up with new ideas that work and come close to the original goals as possible. Losing your mind along the way, but finding where to stabilize.

It’s been an incredible year.

Southern Poverty Law Center Volunteer

January 5th, 2018

I finally sent out the paperwork to join the SPLC Remote Volunteer team. Not entirely certain what it’s about, but I stuck with the promise to do so and I anticipate it aligning me with my law aspirations. Also should look good on a resume.

I also started working at the ‘Free Code Camp’ website. I figure if I do ten lessons a day, I’ll re-gather my coding experience. Helpful when working on my wife’s forthcoming site and possibly something to contribute in this IT degree switch. I’m banking that I can do equally well at this as I am doing in the rest of my academic pursuits.

Having said that, I’m already exploring the idea of getting a few certifications. Particularly the long elusive CompTia A+ certification. Not that my life will be exposed to computer repair, but I’d rather have it in my stash of certifications than not have it. I’ve noticed the CompTia Networking and security certifications; they are closer to my degree program. I get down on all these things, by December 2018, I can look powerhouse to a good IT job even with a progressing degree on the way.

Why does he still pursue tech when he wants to go to law school? Because I want it all, quite frankly but the truth is tech is a safety if law falls through.

Today, yesterday and the day before have been very productive days.