April Fools Day has officially started!

Long story short, I have a rescheduled testing time on Sunday and everything should be fine after that.

I really wish that people in government positions would be more prepared and faster at what they do. One of the problems is probably procedures that are not well followed.

Ugh. Just an annoying day so far.

One of the most frustrating things about the search for a job, is the amount of employers that are looking for people to work from 8AM to 5PM. Because I am going to school at Clover Park Technical College, I am unable to work any time before 3:30PM. I probably would have been able to work 20 or more jobs by now, but because of the schedule conflict, I couldn’t apply.

Today, after driving to different stores around Tacoma asking if they were hiring, I ended up coming back home to check the job search websites, indeed.com, and craigslist.com, I found a company that was looking for someone in the IT field. What a surprise! I finally found a company that was for sure, hiring for nights and weekends! After looking through the details of the job, I couldn’t find one request that I didn’t match. My classes at CPTC cover almost exactly what they need. Getting an education and having a job that directly matches what I am learning, would be perfect! I am hoping that this might be my lucky break, and I might have my jump start into Information Technology, the career that I will be going into.

As a backup to all of the job searching that is going on, an application that I turned in a while back, finally processed. The application is for a chance to work for LESA in Tacoma. LESA is the Law Enforcement Support Agency. I applied to become a Communication Officer or Dispatcher for Pierce County. They are holding a qualification test on the 19th where I will know if I possess the skills necessary to become one of their dispatchers or a 911 call taker.

I am hoping that soon, I will be able to post that I have settled into a new job!

I am looking forward to finishing these classes and obtaining an associates degree, so I can look for a decent paying job!

Lately, I have been busy with work and spending time with my girlfriend.  Within the past week, I have been working on my computer and replaced my old Netgear router with a Linksys WRT54G-TM Router.  The reason for the switch was so that I could replace the firmware inside of the box with the newest version of DD-WRT.  The new software is a breeze to setup and has a much better range of features for the router.  The second modification I made to the box was to install a heatsink on the main chip and a fan on the top of the case to push more air into the box to cool down the components.  This was a fun modification and has kept me from being bored with my free time.  The WRT54G-TM model is better than some of the other routers because it has the available space to install the Mega version of DD-WRT.  This model also runs a bit faster and won’t bog down as easy with heavy load.

I have a vacation coming up soon and I am saving up some money for the trip.  Disney World HERE I COME!  But really, I have only been to Disneyland and that was when I was 12 years old.  My girlfriend and I booked a trip to fly to North Carolina to visit some of my family and from there we are all going to drive down to Florida to stay for a week.  I will be taking my camera with me and I hope to come back with an awesome collection of photographs to post here and upload to flickr.  The entire 10 day trip will be awesome, considering it has been a very long time since I have been out to N.C.

My plans for a career path started out in Information Technology.  At the start of college, I began focusing on becoming a Systems Analyst to work my way up to managing Information Technology.  But lately, I have lost the drive.  I have hit a roadblock.  It is possible that photography might be the career path I choose, I don’t know.  One thing I do know for sure, is that I bounce around way too much between career choices.

I have a decent knowledge of electronics and a more in-depth knowledge of computers.  Programming, not really.  Not as far as application coding goes.  But I can work my way around html, css and php, it just takes a bit of work.  I know quite a bit about home networking and building/setting up computer systems.  One thing that is limiting my progress in IT is certifications.  I have not bothered to study and certify myself in CompTIA A+, Linux+ and Network+.  As far as what I have seen with the tests, the A+ should be a breeze for me, Linux+ would be a slight stretch, but not by much, and with how in-depth the terminology and understanding of enterprise networking systems is, the Network+ certification would probably be the hardest.  Also, the tests are not free.  It is kind of useless to certify myself and not have a reason to use the certifications.  Not to mention, to find a job that would take me in with just the certifications and not much of an IT background, would be close to impossible.

Right now I am having fun with photography.  Although I lack the required funds for multiple lenses and a full frame body, plus accessories, I am trying to make the most with what I have.  I enjoy going out and taking photographs, and I just may continue to do so.  When I have a few more dollars to spend on a couple zoom lenses, I will be able to start putting myself out into the community for a chance at starting my own business.  Even if photography does not end up being my main career, it will definitely be a hobby if not a secondary form of income later on.

If you have any thoughts on what I should do or any experiences of your own, please let me know.

*Edit*
As far as I know, the problem is solved. If you are still using the outdated Internet Explorer v6, let me know if the site is shifted in some way.

Next to the search box is a Paypal donation link for my web hosting and camera equipment fund.  I do not expect anything from anyone who reads my blog.  But if you do feel generous enough to pass along spare change, I would be very thankful for your contribution and would like to promote your website, blog, flickr photostream, or reference your name.  As a college student with a part time job, every little bit helps.

My links on the right include some of my favorite sites to visit, including one blog by Carlos Miller called Photography Is Not A Crime.  Carlos updates his blog with stories about photographers rights being violated and is currently in a lengthy legal battle to have charges dropped for photographing police.  His stories are interesting and excellent.

Feel free to check through my links and see what you like.  Feel free to leave feedback about my website including my photography site.  If you have thoughts or ideas about what I should add, change or remove, let me know.

I have a short shift at work tonight, 6pm to 9pm.  Tonight will most likely be really slow, especially when retail sales are down, not to mention, the NYSE took a hit today and dropped like a rock.  I might try to take a few photos of products or something to pass the time when I have nothing else to do.

Three hours until work and it looks like today will end up being fairly mellow.