Letting yourself go stagnant...

msteinhilber

Yep, that's what I've been doing the past two or three years... ugh. I really need to find my grove again and knock out some certs and work hard at getting into a new position. I've done squat since my marriage fell apart a couple years or so ago and as the end of February approaches I'm reminded of my lack of progress given I took the vSphere4 ICM course and the deadline to sit it is fast approaching with likely no shot at successfully passing. Already checked test centers up to a couple hours away and only openings for the remainder of the month are a couple days out which would give me no time to study even if I could bring myself to study as rigorously as needed to review.

How have you found motivation to better yourself when you simply have grown to just not give a @#$... that's what I've spent the past two and a half years failing... finding a way to care again and make some progress.

Turgon

I think you need to spend a couple of months just sorting yourself out personally. Take stock, make some changes and give them a chance. Once you feel more positive about yourself and your daily routines then you can make some plans you can achieve upon. Ambition is fine, and needed, but without execution it holds you back. Life is about setting achieveable goals, and for that you need to be honest with yourself about what you have to work with. If it's not enough, improve on it. It that isn't practical then adjust your goals accordingly. It's still early in 2012, so you could set a target to do things to try and get that motivation back by the summer, then finish the year accomplishing your plans.

spicy ahi

I'm waking out of my own 2-3 funk as well. Last certification I earned was CCNA in 2009. What shook me out of it was getting that notice that it was set to expire. I've been riding that cert hard (it got me my last two jobs) so I had to buckle down and knock out something to renew. Just recently renewed it by passing the CCNA Security and you know what? The thrill of the test has me hooked again. The excitement of going to the test center, watching the proctor boot up the machine and log your session in, the split second of sheer terror when you're about to click begin test and you have that flash of self doubt "Did I study enough?" The feeling of euphoric triumph when you scan the results screen and see the word PASS. All of that came back; and I loved it. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, book an exam, and get back into the cert trenches and fight! Cert warriors like us get complacent when not in the heat of the fight. Time to get back in it.

sixtyten

spicy ahi wrote: »

So stop feeling sorry for yourself, book an exam, and get back into the cert trenches and fight!

I am also in a funk and decided it was time for change. I know its small steps but I signed up to take the Network+ in April to get myself out of the web dev field. After the Network+ its on to the CCNA. I finally feel some sort of hope for my future in IT. I think the quote above pretty much summed things up for me.. Stop feeling sorry for myself and DO something about it. Good luck! You will get through this funk and find your groove again.

sherrill

I'd like to chime in on this too - I was on fire to get my MCITP SA/EA, passed the 640 in July. Went on a trip to Africa and returned, studying full force.

Then, my sister passed, my mother in law passed, and I had gall bladder issues then surgery to remove. Then work started to go south as well (too much detail there). All of this started in November and I'm just now getting back on the horse. It's been really hard to focus and I've started questioning whether I want to keep on my current track.

Hang in there, don't get yourself down. Just your post here shows that you are aware you're in a funk and want to do something about it. But you can't force it. I've just let it come to me and if I don't feel like studying, then I don't. However, I've found the more I chip away at it, I find my enthusiasm is slowly returning.

Good luck man!

FloOz

spicy ahi wrote: »

i'm waking out of my own 2-3 funk as well. Last certification i earned was ccna in 2009. What shook me out of it was getting that notice that it was set to expire. I've been riding that cert hard (it got me my last two jobs) so i had to buckle down and knock out something to renew. Just recently renewed it by passing the ccna security and you know what? The thrill of the test has me hooked again. The excitement of going to the test center, watching the proctor boot up the machine and log your session in, the split second of sheer terror when you're about to click begin test and you have that flash of self doubt "did i study enough?" the feeling of euphoric triumph when you scan the results screen and see the word pass. All of that came back; and i loved it. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, book an exam, and get back into the cert trenches and fight! Cert warriors like us get complacent when not in the heat of the fight. Time to get back in it.

amen!!!!

Turgon

spicy ahi wrote: »

I'm waking out of my own 2-3 funk as well. Last certification I earned was CCNA in 2009. What shook me out of it was getting that notice that it was set to expire. I've been riding that cert hard (it got me my last two jobs) so I had to buckle down and knock out something to renew. Just recently renewed it by passing the CCNA Security and you know what? The thrill of the test has me hooked again. The excitement of going to the test center, watching the proctor boot up the machine and log your session in, the split second of sheer terror when you're about to click begin test and you have that flash of self doubt "Did I study enough?" The feeling of euphoric triumph when you scan the results screen and see the word PASS. All of that came back; and I loved it. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, book an exam, and get back into the cert trenches and fight! Cert warriors like us get complacent when not in the heat of the fight. Time to get back in it.

It's an approach, and can work well. But a lot depends on where you are at. That's why I advocate if you have been offbase for a while you regroup a little, then by all means book an exam target. But one you can hit, not one you will fail to hit. Msteinhilber is a long standing member and has been through a lot personally.

msteinhilber

Turgon wrote: »

I think you need to spend a couple of months just sorting yourself out personally. Take stock, make some changes and give them a chance. Once you feel more positive about yourself and your daily routines then you can make some plans you can achieve upon. Ambition is fine, and needed, but without execution it holds you back. Life is about setting achieveable goals, and for that you need to be honest with yourself about what you have to work with. If it's not enough, improve on it. It that isn't practical then adjust your goals accordingly. It's still early in 2012, so you could set a target to do things to try and get that motivation back by the summer, then finish the year accomplishing your plans.

Makes perfect sense, and really it's advice I already know and simply just need to work at executing. It's been challenge after challenge lately since my marriage ended, get through the divorce process and sell the home and back on track for a bit then bills pile up. Start getting that under control and end up having unexpected expenses come up and set me back in the hole again. I really just need two or three months with no new issues to deal with I think.

I'm just feeling the hurt from sticking around at my current role more than ever right now. Some might recall some of my posts in the past, being a 3 man crew with 45 offices and adding more as we go, it was chaos enough at that time. One of our three in IT moved on and they opted to not re-hire the position so I'm really growing tired of it here and burning out whilst facing the tough job market as I look to leave my position where I haven't had much of a chance to become expert in an area but have been forced to be a jack of all trades and I feel that's hurting me.

Turgon

msteinhilber wrote: »

Makes perfect sense, and really it's advice I already know and simply just need to work at executing. It's been challenge after challenge lately since my marriage ended, get through the divorce process and sell the home and back on track for a bit then bills pile up. Start getting that under control and end up having unexpected expenses come up and set me back in the hole again. I really just need two or three months with no new issues to deal with I think.

I'm just feeling the hurt from sticking around at my current role more than ever right now. Some might recall some of my posts in the past, being a 3 man crew with 45 offices and adding more as we go, it was chaos enough at that time. One of our three in IT moved on and they opted to not re-hire the position so I'm really growing tired of it here and burning out whilst facing the tough job market as I look to leave my position where I haven't had much of a chance to become expert in an area but have been forced to be a jack of all trades and I feel that's hurting me.

You have had a tough time man, I know that. Thats why I think you are best off spending the next 6 months just getting the chaos out of your life and recovering. Once you get some balance personally then you can pass whatever exam you want. You have the ability. The job you have is a paycheck. Keep it. You do need a move, but you need to prepare to move. For that look at getting some relaxation and diet changes into your hours outside of work, and some exercise. Do that for two months, then work on drumming up some business on your CV. Posting your CV on TE can do wonders, but no need for that yet. When companies hire, they want someone fresh, feeling good and ready for all the challenges a new job will bring. Not someone disgruntled looking for a move. So that needs to come over in interview, and some people can fake that, but if it isn't there, eventually it comes over in your day to day and you become a bad hire. I say, look after yourself the next 4 months so you do feel happier, and become employable, and will have the energies to do well in your next job. Trust me, while the job you have sucks, any new job you sell yourself into will have lots of challenges you will need to rise to. You will not know the process in a new company. You will have to build new working relationships in a new company. This is all exhausting. So be ready!

techdudehere

Divorce tends to take a toll on men. We tend to have smaller support networks than females and are less likely to admit when we need some professional assistance moving forward. Hierarchy of Needs might be a little corny but maybe something like that is true as it's hard to focus on career goals when deep down you are distracted by an unsatisfying personal life. I'm not saying that's the case for you, as I don't know you, but just speaking in general terms here.

ColbyG

If we're just talking about certs, I hear ya. I have no motivation nor desire to work on any certs at the moment. I've come to terms with this and really don't mind.

I don't feel stagnant though. My job forces me to learn constantly. If you don't have that, you should look until you find it, IMO.

msteinhilber

ColbyG wrote: »

If we're just talking about certs, I hear ya. I have no motivation nor desire to work on any certs at the moment. I've come to terms with this and really don't mind.

I don't feel stagnant though. My job forces me to learn constantly. If you don't have that, you should look until you find it, IMO.

I've been down that road before too, this time around it's a bit more just sitting back and just letting life pass by with minimal effort and as minimal emotion as possible. Kind of let myself become convinced I keep losing battles or just get beat back down after digging back out of a hole. I'm focused mostly on trying to improve my marketability to not only increase my potential opportunities but to also build up my self-confidence in my own abilities. Don't get me wrong, I get the job done just fine - but for whatever reason I just feel I haven't progressed enough the past 2 or 3 years while I have had goals in mind and I'm allowing myself to become convinced I'm just not ready to look for other work. Once I can prove to myself through a cert or two, that I still have it in me to focus on a topic and hammer it out - then I think I'll be ready to jump into other career opportunities. Part of me is pushing to just get out there and look now with my current resume and mindset, because I have delved into various new technologies the past 2-3 years on some large scale projects and got it done - but having that piece of paper acts as more affirmative proof to my mind for whatever reason... playing it safe I suppose (in my head at least) since my financial situation has worsened so much from where it was 3 years ago that playing the safe cards and remaining at my present place of work feels better.

At any rate, despite some of the advice to get my life in order and balanced, I'm going to jump into some easier exams and get the ball rolling I think. I've spent the past 2-3 years trying to get things in order and it all seems to keep coming down to one common denominator that brings out the most stress in my life and has lead to much of my troubles lately - a lack of money. The next big stressor would probably be just the personal guilt felt from allowing myself to just play the safe card professionally the past 2 years or so. If I can muster the mental energy to slowly get back on track and say perhaps by the end of the year have a couple new certs under my belt to regain my confidence my ability to study and apply that confidence towards looking for a more rewarding position - I think at that point many other things in my life will fall into place where I'd like them to be.

Set myself up with a tentative March 19th exam date for JN0-101, a bit of a birthday gift to myself hopefully since I'll be bringing in #31 on the 16th. Starting out on an easier path with this one since a year and half or two ago I tackled rolling out 45 SRX units to our branch and corporate offices and have spent a large part of the time since then working exclusively with them so I don't anticipate much difficulty with the exam - a good way to get back in the swing of things I think. Guess we will see.

Thanks for all the input from everybody, I haven't visited the site in a number of months but I'll have to get back in the habit of reading/posting here since it can be a good motivational tool watching some of the others here succeed as well!

spicy ahi

Turgon wrote: »

It's an approach, and can work well. But a lot depends on where you are at. That's why I advocate if you have been offbase for a while you regroup a little, then by all means book an exam target. But one you can hit, not one you will fail to hit. Msteinhilber is a long standing member and has been through a lot personally.

Understand completely. I myself have been through a lot with several health issues the last three years as well, so I definitely know when other things in life take priority. As you said, there are things in the background I wasn't aware of so apologies if it came across as a negative post. It was far from my intent! I just wanted to put in a (hopefully) witty/funny/uplifting comment. And use the term cert warrior in my post. No insult intended msteinhilber!

zenhound

I'm going through similar stuff. I've been stagnant for at least six years though. Finding this site has been a motivator. I'd forgotten that if my job is unsatisfying then it's up to me to change it. I started with A+ just because it is the easiest and I really needed a win. Gotta remind myself I can actually do this.

vCole

msteinhilber, weird enough, I was just thinking of you the other day! (I've changed my handle since you were here last, however.)

Sorry to hear you're feeling down. I've been through feeling stagnant the past year myself, and trying to get back on the horse too. Surrounding yourself with positive people (like here a TechExams) will most certainly help you.

joehalford01

I know how it feels, after 3 years of scraping by, I just this last month finally cleared the debt slate from my divorce. Things will get better, it does start to feel hopeless after a while though, so I can relate there. I think your plan is good, do what works for you. And next time....

Pre-nup!

veritas_libertas

Good to see you on TE again. I haven't seen you post in a while.

I know life has been hard on you lately, take a couple of months off and chill for a while. My life has become VERY hectic lately, and I just realized yesterday I need to slow down or I'm going to physically and mentally breakdown. Sometimes the best thing to do is slow down and re-evaluate what you want your priorities to be.

tpatt100

I am in a funk right now myself. I am getting bored of being a paper pusher IT guy and want to do more technical stuff. I have past experience so I just have to refresh/make current a couple of certs and get motivated again.

whatthehell

I think I may be partially part of your "in the funk crew". Been in Support way too long ....over 10 years now (5 at current company).
Getting pretty tired of dealing with end users and demanding customers, and need a speciality. I hear getting a more focused IT career can be less stressful, though it is trading one stress for a different type of stress.

Either way, it is time for a change, but I am pretty comfortable here --- years getting used to people and building relationships. Then again, when one feels nervous or apprehensive about something, usually it is a good change, as it is taking one out of one's comfort zone.

Good luck to you sir, and yes, as others have mentioned, take some time for yourself and get your mind and body right!

LinuxRacr

Here is an article I showed my wife recently. It really helps put some things in perspective: Your job: Signs you've stayed too long - Aug. 2, 2005

veritas_libertas

LinuxRacr wrote: »

Here is an article I showed my wife recently. It really helps put some things in perspective: Your job: Signs you've stayed too long - Aug. 2, 2005

Yup. This is exactly how I feel about my current job. I'm working hard on the CCNA so I can hopefully open up a few doors. I have been Desktop Support/Help Desk work now for over four years. Time to move on.

Repo Man

I'm in the same boat. I'm in a role where I'm no longer learning anymore but I wouldn't make anywhere near the same amount of money if I left.