I broke a cardinal rule a couple threads down in mentioning my current place of employment. I normally keep specifics out but in this case I felt Amazon is a large enough conglomerate that I need not worry. So Amazon had their Prime days on June 21 and 22 this year. According to their news it was one of their most successful to date. To handle all the extra volume, associates are required to work an extra hour during Prime. So instead of 10 hour days it was 11 hours. It definitely was extra tedious as always but I pushed through it. Thankfully since I'm only working part-time, I only had one day of impact. But while working there I'm on my feet a little over 9 1/2 hours of my 10 hour shift. By the time I get home I ache all over and can barely move. Dom makes dinner and I somehow manage to wash the dishes and have about 30 minutes downtime to surf or play games before I'm ready to crash.
It's the hard knock life for E these days. But I do realize that things could always be worse. No matter how bad it gets, it's better to make a tiny bit of income than none at all. But I haven't given up on getting a better paying job. Interviewing has been a bust so the next best option is to pick up new skills.
For years before I got laid off from my analyst position, I had been curious about cybersecurity. I keep reading about how there's this shortage of professionals to combat the increasing threats of cyber criminals. So after my second contract job ended I was thinking of going back to school to get a master degree in cybersecurity. But then I had this nagging feeling about accumulating student loan debt (aside from unfortunately accumulating huge credit card debt...uggh). At the time I was 46 years old and the thought of having to pay student loans well into my 50's and possibly 60's was not an appealing thought.
I had thought about Western Governor's University. At the time they were touting a lower cost alternative to the traditional college program. They charge a flat rate every six months and during that time you can take as many courses (one at a time) in that time period. The courses are related to the degree and it's a pass/fail system.
But I procrastinated and didn't go that route. And then there was COV-ID. I did have the Amazon job and didn't lose my job like lots of people did. But those first few months not knowing much about COV-ID and suddenly being deemed an "essential worker" it was scary going into work. Eventually we were given masks to wear on our faces. And I pushed through it and still am.
I learned about this academy that had cyber security bootcamps. At the time I was working with a caseworker from Indiana's Work One program. Work One gave me help with resume building, interviewing skills, and job leads (though a lot of the jobs were ones I weren't necessarily interested in). My caseworker mentioned the particular academy that I ultimately joined. There was some funding that Work One would provide to help cover costs but I would have to cover some of the costs as well. In the hopes of getting into the course, I completed some pre-work for the bootcamp and even attended an orientation. Unfortunately Work One wasn't able to agree on funding and I was unable to participate in the program.
As it happens I learned about the Cares Act that was made law in 2020. The academy mentioned that the Cares Act would cover $10000 in cost and unlike previous acts, it included a provision that folks who already had a college degree could still be covered. I also had an additional credit for attending a free orientation. In the end I would have to cover $2500. I felt like it was a great opportunity and they mentioned providing support afterwards in seeking employment.
So the bootcamp was about 24 weeks. It was a grueling experience and the goal was to obtain two certifications, Network+ and Security+. I fell short on passing the Network+ exam and in order to get to the cyber lab portion and successfully complete the bootcamp, I needed to pass Security+. It took a lot of studying but I did successfully pass and I did complete the bootcamp.
But getting the job was another story. As I learned the reason they push Network+ as well is because for a lot of folks you don't get that cybersecurity job right up front. You have to start in technical support apparently and maybe after a year or two, it may lead you to an entry level job. It's disappointing having that reality especially when you keep hearing that there's this shortage. But these companies want you to have all this experience beforehand which obviously you learn over time.
So I wound up taking a different path. I saw an opportunity being advertised to learn Salesforce for free. The program is being ran and sponsored by employees at both Salesforce and Deloitte. I had heard about Salesforce before but I never had the chance to learn about it. There was an online application that needed to be filled out in order to be considered for the program. There were a few questions that were asked in the application. Assuming my application caught their eye, the next step would be a 45 minute online interview with a Salesforce employee.
My application passed successfully and I had that interview. I had a great vibe with the interviewer and I did my best to express my excitement to learn about Salesforce and ideally find employment. But I didn't think I did enough. Interviewing is my Achilles' heel and apparently I've been falling short for the longest time. It's just been frustrating to not find anyone willing to take a chance on someone who gave over 20 years of his time to one company and proved to be a loyal committed employee. But that doesn't matter it seems these days. In fact it seems like job hopping is the way to go. But I'm not bitter. Much.
Alas I did get that callback...finally. I did get accepted into the Salesforce program. That's where I am today. So far I'm four weeks into the program and so far so good. The best part is that it IS totally free including them covering the costs of 2 Salesforce certifications. That's a good thing too since I'm still paying for the cyber bootcamp (last payment should be in December 2021). I'm praying that I'm on the right path. But I won't give up.
I will say that Dom has been my rock (LOL...not Rock for anyone who remembers him) through it all. Even when I'm feeling negative he always has a positive spirit and tells me I can do it. Or that I got the job even if it doesn't happen. I guess he's the Winnie to my Eeyore.
So we'll see where things take me.
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