Certified IT Pro Seeks Employment

I'm so close to reaching Sub-Goal 1 (I will work in IT) that I can almost taste it. Mmm, dat sweet victory. UNFORTUNATELY, I'm also so entrenched in the plan that just keeping afloat with house chores, personal health, and marital duties, not to mention recording the journey, has all but fallen to the wayside. Gomen! On this rare occasion that I have a bit of extra time, I better write as much as I can.

On August 15th I passed my second exam and became a dual-wielding, certified IT professional. CompTIA recognizes my A+ and Security+ as equivalent to two years of hands-on experience, and the certs qualify me for entry-level IT positions. So as a celebration of sorts, I took a vacation a couple days later to see what my future could hold.

Another coast, warm weather with a cool breeze and no hint of humidity, and the birthplace of the technical revolution - I found myself in Silicon Valley and the greater Bay area around San Francisco for Jasmin's friend's wedding. Though my time was limited, I managed to visit the Googleplex campus, 1 Infinite Loop at Apple headquarters, and the Computer History Museum, drive through beautiful and legendary Palo Alto, and pass by Facebook and numerous tech giants who call Silicon Valley home. The energy there is unbelievable, and somehow it's fused with that laid-back California attitude; while driving around in SF, I once witnessed a line of cars waiting at a light, without honking, while the car in front took 30 seconds to realize that it had turned green.

Wherever I find myself at the end of this journey, I want to contribute to the exponential revolution that promises to push forward every facet of the human experience. I don't know exactly what I'd like to focus on, and for me that's part of the fun. Study the terrain before carving the path, so to speak. I'm interested in analyzing human psychology, in improving health, and in all kinds of mobile tech. I'm not naive enough to believe that the game will be the same when I enter that world in four years, though if I can learn as much as I can about the fundamentals perhaps my contribution will still be relevant.

All this talk about contribution to a field I've barely stepped foot in. Right now I want to build up a solid resume of education and experience. The education part is coming in another post, but as far as experience goes...

I'm looking for a job.

A programming job? I wish. But I'm not that slick yet. Which brings us back to the IT certifications: as I've explained previously, I want to get my foot in the door in the tech world as quickly as possible, increase my networking with like-minded individuals, and possibly set the stage for a backup career in IT (specifically cybersecurity). My job search hasn't been prioritized as much as I'd hoped, given classes and everything else, so ignore that deadline for now. I'd prefer not to get into the search details quite yet until I can confidently say, "this is how I got the job." How about some cert jutsu in preparation for this step?

In my last post almost two months ago, I described how I got the CompTIA A+ and my plan for getting the CompTIA Security+. You can also refer to this post for information on planning for entry-level IT. Sure enough, I was able to go from start to finish with Security+ in three weeks:
Wk1: 15.5
Wk2: 28.5
Wk3: 5
Total: 49 hours

The second week was a little high, twice as many hours as my prior high score when studying for A+, and requiring consecutive 5 hour days. Why would I do that to myself? I was on a tight schedule and needed to prove a point! In other words, yes it's possible but I'd recommend spreading out your studying if you can afford the extra time. To keep track of my time, I broke it up into 30 min. sessions like this:
-30*4 (8:14pm)
-Left: 2
-Total: 6
From the bottom up, 6 is the number of 30 min. sessions you plan to complete that day; 2 is the number of sessions left to reach your goal; and 4 is the number of sessions you've done so far as of 8:14pm. If you're diligent, TestOut should be more than sufficient in preparing you to pass the CompTIA certification exams. It took me a grand total of 124.75 hours and 954 SRS flashcards to accomplish this feat. And here is the completed goal calendar (in Japanese) for proof:

For those of you interested in the final price breakdown:
2016-05-29 : CompTIA A+ : 398.00 - 39.80 (discount code) = 358.20
2016-06-05 : TestOut A+ : 79.00
2016-07-05 : TestOut A+ : 79.00
2016-07-26 : CompTIA Security+ : 311.00 - 31.10 (discount code) = 279.90
2016-08-05 : TestOut A+ : 79.00
TOTAL : $875.10

Wish me luck on the job front, guys! And if you have any leads, you know where to pass them on to. ;) Here's my updated Profit Plan:

1. Earn IT certifications.
1. CompTIA A+ Training Birthline: Sunday, May 29
2. CompTIA A+ Training Deadline: Thursday, July 21
3. CompTIA A+ 220-901 Certification Exam: Friday, July 22
4. CompTIA A+ 220-902 Certification Exam: Friday, July 22
5. CompTIA Security+ Training Birthline: Monday, July 25
6. CompTIA Security+ Training Deadline: Sunday, August 14
7. CompTIA Security+ SYO-401 Certification Exam: Monday, August 15
2. Find an entry-level IT job (ideally with exposure to programming).
1. Job Search Birthline: Monday, August 22
2. Job Search Deadline: Monday, September 19
3. Take pre-requisite courses online while learning programming on the side.
1. Pre-req Birthline: Monday, August 22
2. Pre-req Deadline: Sunday, May 07, 2017
4. Apply to grad school.
1. Application Birthline: Wednesday, March 15, 2017
2. Application Deadline: Monday, May 1, 2017
3. Program Birthline: Fall 2017
5. Increase professional programming experience.
1. Fall 2017
6. By graduation, I'll have both education and experience.
1. Program Deadline: 2019-2020???
7. Profit.
1. 2020???