As I mentioned in one of my first blogs, I have been going back to school to update my computer skills. I was only attending part time so that I could work and continue my class schedule. Fortunately, things have come to fruition and I completed the series of courses from Cisco, who makes about 80% of the switching and routing equipment that connects computers together.
This prepared my to take the exam to qualify as a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), the entry level for working configuring and managing this equipment. And, after two tries and untold hours of study, I passed the test and now have a certification to put on my resume to show, "Look! See! I really can do this!"
Hence, I am now spending lots of time poking over the results of computerized job searches and applying for a job to start working and put those skills to use.
I can't pretend to have really figured out the modern job market. But, at least all those internet web sites let me look for jobs across several states without spending huge amounts of money and time on the road.
And, searching for a job as a "network engineer" gets results that are better targeted than looking for jobs working with computers, which is pretty much everything these days. But even something like "technical support" can turn up some weird results.
For instance, did you the know that the person who cuts, shampoos and styles your hair (otherwise known as an Associate Salon Designer ) is really working in technical support?
Or, if you're looking for a Computer, Information Technology and Mathematical Job, perhaps you'd like to work for commission as a Lady's Shoe Sales Person? Of course they have to check my email address every time I visit, so it helps to be a little bit tech savvy. Maybe I should have gone to cosmetology school?
And, another one that showed up from one of my searches was a Sephora Product Consultant. I noticed from the job descriptions that, if you work your way up to Sephora Senior Education Consultant, you will need a working knowledge of Microsoft Word which was part of one of my classes.
And, although it may seem so, I'm not trying to poke fun at the people who spend long hours working in these jobs. I need and use their services myself and have spent several years working in retail.
I think primarily it's just a symptom of the vagueness of word search algorithms. And, it's probably better to err on the side of including things the person searching is not looking for rather than leaving out things which they are seeking.
But, it would be nice if the job posting sites could be more specific about the job requirements and let you focus your search a little bit tighter! It certainly seems feasible from all the questions you have to answer when you actually apply for a position.
Lest you think I have been starving all summer since I haven't posted any recipes, here is my breakfast special this week.
When I was growing up in Oklahoma, I learned to make biscuits and gravy by helping my grandmother roll out the dough on the counter in her kitchen and cut the biscuits with a circular cutter. Of course, that meant there was left over strips of dough from between the circles you cut out. This dough had to be reshaped and rolled out again for cutting.
But, thanks to the power of geometry, we know that a hexagon is a very efficient space-filling shape. So, with this Stainless Steel Hexagon Cutter, you can cut out six biscuits at once with no in-between strips! (There's still the strip around the edge, though.)
So, Monday morning I got ambitious (or perhaps just more interested in cooking than in reading about Microsoft Server 2012) and mixed up some baking powder biscuits with the recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook.
Meanwhile, I browned some sausage and made a little basic white gravy with butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper. I liked the results and one of my sons must have agreed, because he finished off the leftovers!
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