I read
this thread and it got me thinking of my new years resolution for 2010 and my motivation.
My Story:
I've been in "IT" for over 10 years. Pretty much a story I hear from a lot of people my age. You get to the point where the skills you had coming out of HS/College are becoming outdated. I built my first computer when I was a Freshman in HS but never bothered getting the A+ cert. I took my CNA after working at a company that used Novell. I took the CCNA training but never went for the exam. I got heavy into Web Design and Development after the "help desk gig" would only go so far. I failed a DreamWeaver MX cert and just lost all interest in exams.
What I did in 2010:
Fast forward 10 years with a lot of self study/learning of Web Design, Development, and Linux Administration. I decided in 2010 it doesn't matter if I get a CCNA or RHCE - I was going to get comfortable taking exams and learning new things. Start with some easy exams and try to get one cert for each month. Of course as the exams got harder the frequency slowed down, but the value of the certs went up.
It was a great experience and over the course of the next 2 years work for my RHCDS and then the year after that achieve my RHCA. After that it'd be nice to get into the Cisco stuff, but I'd need to work with it on a near daily basis for it to stick.
Certs I achieved:
Google Analytics IQ
Apple Certified Support Professional
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator
(Took a month off to get my motorcycle license)
Linux +
LPIC-1
Ubuntu Certified Professional
Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator
Red Hat Certified Engineer