I lack motivation

arunm17

Hi All,

let me tell you the truth..i am in my mid 30s married with kids. I am doing well at work & earn well.

When i was alot younger like mid 20s i did all my certification with conviction & determination. You can see my signature below.

But after 30..i lack motivation & laziness has crept in. The last paper i tried was PMP..1st attempt failed miserably for underestimating the exam. Second time also failed, 3rd time didn't attend as my wife gave birth. 4th time Failed again..
I registered again for PMP but so far never got down to studying & always coming up with excuses.

Am i that stupid or lack the hunger to study? I am confused. I put in the hours to study the last time around. almost 150 hours & took the exam but still failed.

One guess i have is that i am very comfortable with work, life around me as i don't have to compete with others. Feels like retiring myself from certification. I think i talk my way out of doing an exam because i don't have to. It is not a MUST to have the certification.

I have tried to listen to motivational books, audios & videos but nothing seems to work. Do you think i need to find someone to motivate me?

Honestly folks..i really want to know how you all do it? I have tried to motivate myself & in fact the missus tried her very best & ended giving up. I feel sorry for her. She is the best at what she does & she is an accountant. She is highly qualified.

When i read the threads for sitting for exams..i wonder how you all find the time & motivation to study & take an exam? How do you do it? Whats your secret?

Please please share! I feel like i am a lost cause & not worthy of the exams i want to take..like CCNA, CCNP, CISSP, CISM & most importantly PMP.

You may say whatever you want as i am open to suggestions.

Thank you,
Arun

Verities

Are you actually interested in any of those certifications you listed? What's the purpose of pursuing these certs you listed, including the PMP?

Because it sounds like you have no enthusiasm for taking certifications anymore. I can understand as I've tried studying for some certifications but just couldn't keep going as I had literally no interest in the subjects even though they could open more doors for me.

arunm17

Well the PMP certification will allow me to earn more money. I have reached a stage of saturated salary in my current scope of work. I cannot go higher than this pay packet unless i move up the ladder. I work as Senior DBA (Oracle) come Infra Specialist. Total IT exp is 15 years. I have seen it all in the IT Field. Bored of my current role.

The PMP exam will allow me to move to Project Mgmt Job (Different exp) & earn more money.

Plus the CISSP & CISM paper i am planning to do is because once me & my wife (snr audit mgr) retire..we could start our own small business of auditing small companies. Expense money for our retirement age without touching our pensions.

This is in the long run plan though...

JustFred

I would just take a long vacation if you can afford it. Recharge and come back to evaluate what you would exactly like to do or go from here.

Verities

I agree ^. Burnout is a real thing.

jibbajabba

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST



100% true ...

docrice

I think you have to ask yourself what is it that really motivates you. For some it really comes down to income, for others priorities change when you start having kids. It all comes down to what your sense of purpose is and how you want your life fulfilled. It's something that you must be honest with yourself about. All ambitions stem from some root source, and it sounds like a little soul-searching is part of the recipe right now.

powmia

You can't motivate yourself to do anything for a sustained period. You have to find the thing that motivates you. Take what motivates you and turn it into a career.

That PMP crap, is apparently not going to work out.

JoJoCal19

I feel your pain. I'm 32 and have three small children. I'm to the point where I just don't have anywhere near the same motivation to study for certs. As it is, I am working on my MSISA and will be done next June and had planned to wait about 4 years and do my MBA back at UF, however it's looking like I will have to go right into it after about a six month break after the MSISA because I also feel my overall motivation for any sort of studying is going away. I think as far as InfoSec certs I may just do the CISM and CISA next year and call it quits for certs.

I do think there are two distinct issues when it comes to this. One is burnout, where you get burnt out from a subject, or a certain cert, for example the PMP for you (for me it's the CEH). The other issue is overall decline or lack of motivation due to a change of priorties, getting older, or other factors such as a growing family or growing workload. I think for me it's more burnout right now from studying for the CEH, but I do feel my overall motivation for studying in general is declining.

[Deleted User]

I've found that my burnout has come as I've gotten experience. In the beginning, I had a fire and I was excited to get certifications. I lacked experience at that point and now that I'm starting to catch up with experience I don't have as much motivation to complete certifications. I just accepted a new job though and I think that is really going to spark me again. Sometimes you need the "threat" or "competition" in the workplace to make you feel like you need to strive for something or get better. My motivation comes down to not being a disappointment to both my coworkers and my family. I have a little guy that's going to be here in about a month and I never want to think about how I'm going to make ends meet for him.

Deathmage

my friends have a motivation thing they do for me when I lack focus, we all go paintballing and blow off stress and frustration.... usually helps me with my studies for about 3 months until we kick each other ass again...

jibbajabba

Funny, if there is a time where I feel burnout I wonder if I.T. is the way to go haha .. Even wondered if I can afford a massive paycut to just do a normal labour job again lol (obviously not gonna happen).

A shame you can't make that sort of money by filling up shelves, drive a van or deliver milk :P

Jon_Cisco

It's not always easy to find one but a mentor might help. Sometimes they give good guidance but they also hold you accountable.
It's also possible that project management is just not for you. Find something you like to do and it will probably come easier.

Alexsmith

I understand how you feel OP, when I was younger I had a fire to pass the certifications and gain the experience. I started the ccnp track and development books and just couldn't finish the materials. I would take a vacation and regroup your thoughts on what really interest you in IT.

UnixGuy

I'm in the same boat (nearly 30, not married though). I can't for the life of me motivate myself to do anything IT related...I took a relaxed job as well.

I don't know the answer...sometimes I get excited research job ads and starting to studying, but man my motivation and priorities changed...when I started working in my early 20's my job was my life...now my job is the least important aspect of my life....and as someone said above, I wonder if working in IT is a good idea to begin with.


Keep in mind that with more experience certifications become irrelevant. Perhaps all you need is a new job in a higher position (i.e. aim for a team leader position, management, pre-sales, project manager)...maybe when u get to that position you will be forced to progress either by studying or gaining new skills.


great thread..

karl88

Do not underestimate health problems like depression kicking in. Assess your diet and exercise. I get the impression from others that PMP is very dry and boring which could partly account for your results.

arunm17

Based on what i have read from you all.. I guess i have summarized it to 2 things..

1. I am having a burnout & at the edge of depression. Sometimes you don't realize the burnout until someone explains it to you. I guess a very long vacation is due now.

2. I am worried about making ends to meet for my kids. Either i buck up, study & move up the ladder or live with regret for the rest of my life of trying to make ends to meet.

I guess i have lost my way alot & keep steering towards the easy way out in life.

Thank you to everyone who have some good insight on what should be my action plan. Thank you!

I hope to take a difference approach to tackle this problem. First up will be a long vacation!

Regards
Arun