Finding a sense of direction...

IS3

Hey there,

This feeling has been bothering me for a while now,... You ever had that feeling were you're so motivated to learn new things, trying your best to achieve that goal only finding yourself getting motivated to learn another cool thing.. I don't know if this is a mental issue, I am not sure if I have low self confidence, or maybe because I am scared of the competition. I always think that why am i learning this cool thing knowing that someone else knows it already? Is it an attitude problem? Do i have to be in a brink of losing my job, or my health in order for me to really have a sense of direction?

Here in front of me is a book called Cisco CCENT/CCNA ICND1 that i always bring every single day to work, open, reading when i have downtime... I'm on chapter 12 now, and the topic isn't as exciting as when I was reading about VLANS for the first time...

Anyway, I am stuck... I opened it, read a little then I closed it... Maybe I am burnt out? i don't know... I always tell myself " Someday i want to be a network engineer " or sometimes " I want to be valuable in a company " not necessarily THE BEST but a valuable piece...

It is really hard... or should I say I am having a hard time finding a sense of direction... Please help...

About7Narwhal

Anyone who has been on this site for a while will know that I had a very hard time getting through the MCTS for Windows 7. I was excited and motivated when I went through the study process for the exam. After failing, I lost all drive to study. I would open the book, read a page or two, then determine it was hopeless. After a month or two of "studying" I went and did worse. It was as if I booked the wrong exam. I failed a third time and finally passed on the forth. Once I passed I didn't want to learn anything at all. I didn't study for certifications, I didn't look into topics that used to interest me, and I didn't attempt to learn aspects of my job. I had burned myself out on the educational aspects of IT.

A year or two down the road, I learned something from the process, aside from the apparent requirements for the certification: Certifications are not worth burning out on. I do not believe they have made me a better employee, nor have they (in my current company) provided me any growth opportunities I didn't already have. This was because I was gaining certifications to replace outright experience in the field. I was learning to get a certification instead of gaining certifications to prove what I already knew.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the path to becoming a valuable Network Engineer does not have to start with a certification. If you enjoy VLANs, then study up on those. Become the go to guy for the VLAN configurations in your company. I can promise you that once you start learning something you enjoy, other topics will start to creep into the scope out of necessity. If you work with VLANs, you will need to know switching and other such topics. As you learn more, different things will become your focus and there is nothing wrong with occasionally ending up on a long branching topic. Just be sure to take notes on what you learn and remember what your initial goal was.

And most importantly, never be afraid to take a break. If you want a day off, take the day. Just don't take too long or you will be starting your studies from scratch. A prime example was this past week for me: I took vacation and didn't open a single Networking + book. It helps to clear your head and spin down to zero.

I have been there, and you eventually learn your way through the process. Just keep doing what feels right, what is fun to learn, and you will be fine.

IS3

Thank you for your kind words. Sometimes i need people like you to give me a jumpstart. a little derailment wont stop me from achieving the final goal. Thank you very much.