Category: Updates

After a long and rather unpleasant job search, I found a great position at Woodforest Bank.

They probably got a good deal on my given my skill set, but I am earning a bit more than I was as a teacher for sixteen years, so I’m satisfied. And it seems like there’s plenty of opportunities to wow them (and increase my pay).

I’m learning a bunch about banking and the specific systems in use at this bank. So far it’s been just the right challenge. I feel right at home a on an awesome team, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me here.

My goal is to document my professional growth on this site, so hopefully there will be more specific posts soon.

I took both A+ tests, CompTIA A+ Certification Exams 220-1101 and 220-1102 without formally studying for them. All I did was take practice tests at examcompass.com and saw was getting on average more than 80% correct, which should be enough to pass the real test. I then looked up info on the items I missed. I passed the second test today.

I also completed the Google IT Support Professional classes at a rate of about one week per half hour. I did this by taking the practice quizzes and only going back into the course material when I missed questions. I was getting an average of about 90% correct on the practice quizzes. There were a few sections with very specific information that I did learn from. I then took the required for-credit tests to progress to the next modules and courses. It it supposed to take you 6 months to complete with under 10 hours per week. I finished the whole five-course certification in less than four weeks.

Not only am I the person my colleagues, friends, and family go to for IT advice about services, hardware, apps, and devices, but I also get questions from those I know who work in IT.

Just today, I had this conversation with a friend who now runs her own business but used to be on-campus tech support for the school district I worked for. She knows her stuff, but knows I’m a reliable resource for IT knowledge.

You don’t really want to buy laptop batteries from just anywhere so you know they’ll work properly (and not catch on fire). I recommended ifixit because it has quality parts for sale and guides for fixing Apple (and other) products.

Here’s where I’ll be posting about career accomplishments, fixes for computer problems, and reflections on technology news.