P.D. for I.T. enthusiasts

I've been deep in thought over the last few days. Last night, I took the things I am dissatisfied with and started "troubleshooting" my own P.D. (personal development) with my knowledge in I.T.. I started taking my dissatisfaction and 'troubleshooting' in the same sense a technician would troubleshoot technology errors and/or upgrade considerations. The thoughts came to me as I was driving to the store for a few things. To the cars stopped next to me at red lights, I really must have looked crazy talking to myself, hand-gestures and all, while working through these thoughts.

A handful of people know that I have had a lot on my plate lately, and it must seem crazy that I'm not totally focused on that ONE problem (depending what day of the week it is and what was communicated) for a singular time frame, and instead, go off and seemingly distract myself with hardware and software projects and talks about joining a Dojo for Aikido lessons, and wanting to rework my Life Plans. I believe everything to correlate to each other. A big jigsaw puzzle of energy that draws itself together by scientific design, like magnets do.

Well...it was these 'Life Plans' that actually got me "troubleshooting" tonight. I got anxiety there for a while over what it is I could possibly have to stop trying to achieve, instead of looking at the error corrections I could make instead.

When I arrived back at home, I was excited to find no one home and about some 'play time' with a new graphics card I WAS going to install that they let me take home today. The graphics card didn't fit. It's PCIe, and I currently only have PCI slots on the motherboard. I couldn't have fit that card if I had taped it to the slot! But...I swiped the DVI connector and hooked it up and get way better monitor graphics now, and I was actually able to watch an entire episode of Numb3rs without it skipping or freezing ONCE! So, it got me thinking in a "Troubleshooting Tree" sense about hardware, software, networks, and hacking, and how all that relates to how we live our lives.

If there is a problem or when you want to upgrade a system or an infrastructure of systems, you usually start with the users of those systems. Many times the problem lies between the chair and the keyboard. If all "rules" (set by who made them) are being followed, then you move on to check the hardware. If no errors are found with the hardware, you move out to the software. If no errors there, then you move out to the network. If no problems there, then you move out to "outside of your domain" and start over from the beginning....user, hardware, software, network, next. It ALWAYS follows the same pattern of resolving an issue.

In people, you can consider the same.

The user is you...and YOU determine whether you are between the chair (procrastination or other excuses) and the keyboard (what you're putting out).

The hardware is your body. Does it need upgraded? Are you willing to take on a few gigs of speed and better performance? Or is it working at the speed you need it to. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right? Wrongo! The body needs constant upgrading. We do this naturally when we're young but neglect it when we get older. My own correlation to this thought was my recent statement of wanting to join a Dojo for Aikido, participate in Zen meditation sessions, and push forward with the Yoga practices I have chosen. All hardware upgrades!

Hardware alone lets the system turn on, but you don't get much else out of it if you don't put software into it. An Operating system. Your head and your heart are your operating system. How is that current install of yours? Do you know deep down you need an upgrade and are just too scared of the "security alerts" and patches to errors that OTHER people get? What's wrong with programming your own Operating System? Nothing! YOU operate on it! You at most INFLUENCE others with it, but YOU operate it. So what are you going to put into this OS so it runs smoothly and reliably?

Ok...so now you have an OS...now you need some applications to work with...like Microsoft Office. I would call these your actions...your passions...you keep coming back to them to use them over and over...you need them to collaborate with others and share like information and values.

After that, you need a network to share all this stuff on. These are the people around you connected to you by a common resource somehow. You can have a very secure network, or you can have a weak one. Either way, you can be and will be hacked. If you're hacked successfully by Mr. Robin Hood himself, he will tell you what corrections need to be made in order for you to be successful.

Networks can be hacked...we all know this. But WHY are they hacked? Yes...for fun and sometimes out of boredom, but mostly because someone wants a piece of KNOWLEDGE from ONE single source, or a set of specific sources, off the network. Think about WHO you are friends with. Are your valuable friends and your own knowledge valuable enough for a hacker to steal and share? Why WOULDN'T they want to share that? Why do you want to protect your friends and your knowledge from outside sources? Not likely that someone wants to tap into you or your friends because if the credit cards owned...it's your ideas, your PERSON...your PERSONALITY that they want. Something you have inside of you that someone else thinks they can benefit from.

Some people like to turn on their computers and just cruise, surf, see how much mileage they can get out of their hardware before considering an upgrade or even a new system. Some people live by the sense of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Some people like constant improvement because they like change and trying new and better and more demanding things all the time. I'm not pigeon-holing anyone, but there does seem to be a pattern of personality types: constant change, middle of the road where security is found in known everyday functionality and new and exciting things add spice to the monotony, and then the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" regardless if the outside world is changing constantly.

Where are you?

The winds of change...

A recent communication had me remove my last blog post. Sorry guys.

I'm still seeking a contract. But I'm experiencing writer's block this week about the experience. This too, shall pass.

I am moving my residence, so my mind is occupied with the logistics of that experience. Family matters have me furthermore involved. Again, temporary situations involving a different kind of 'velocity'. Change is inevitable, and this time, welcome.

I'll be back with more insightful, thought-provoking materials soon.

Live with passion!

I'm ready to work....but will the contracting agency sell me?

Have you ever gotten so impatient you felt like you were just going to bust? I know I have this week. I've been spending my last weeks submitting a good 40+ resumes and applications per week, and the response rate has been comparable to sales versus contacts for a telemarketer. My patience to stay the course has been challenged these last 2-3 weeks, and more and more I grow antsy to get out there and work no matter what the contract involves. Furthermore, this job search has turned into such a full-time, position, that it becomes harder and harder to have balance in my personal life.

So I happily resolved to a very short-term contract this week. I received a call with an opportunity for a 1-3 week contract, met the agent this morning, and signed the paperwork. Monday morning, it is downtown D.C. bound for me! Hooray!

But you say "okay...what about when that week or three is up?". Did I say I was going to stop applying? No. But as "luck" has it, it is far more impressive to even contracting agencies to be employed somewhere while considering job opportunities being offered than it is to be unemployed.

I do wonder about that concept at times. Is it more impressive to the contracting agencies that you're employed and still looking, or to the clients they are selling you to? I think it is the latter consideration to where it's the client that feels like they have won, if you 'switch' from your current job to theirs. Though, I'm sure that contracting agencies have their own feelings of worth when they can pull you away from your job and give them a chance to pitch their opportunities to you.

The contracting agency then wins the prize to sell you. This also means bonuses and commission for them if the client accepts. So...just WHO are they then selling? Who are you not just to yourself, but to your team mates and your managers? What are at least 3 of your best technical expertise's that you would both brag about and your past managers would back you up on, if called for a reference? What would your personal references say about you? And what are your top accomplishments in your past 4 jobs?

These are all questions I have been asked by recruiters and on job applications. Not that this is unknown material in the job-search market, but it did have me compare the differences in questions according to geography? And it has me questioning if this is just 'normal' to be asked questions like this once you reach a higher career level. I was very seldom asked these questions in Florida when I applied for any contracting positions there. So...is the South more laid back? Washington, D.C. is certainly a more competitive job market in comparison.

Due to my recent struggles with both being in a new area and applying for contracts in this current economy, I have decided to take one of the recruiters advice and re-structure my resume more in a consultant's manner where I lay more value on what I have provided for clients rather than contract time lines. I've also had the idea of drumming up my own business as of late, which this would fit into perfectly. So stay tuned to find out how my results from this advice and my plans pan out. I'll post more details then. :)

Check out my other Blog today!

Only because the content today is in direct proportion to my experiences lately in finding another contract, I'd like to introduce all of you to my other Blog on Wordpress, "The Ubiquitous Labyrinth".

Maybe many of you contractors out there sometimes deal with the same fears? And maybe you have had experiences with the same feelings of procrastination in between contracts when time spans out too far? I'd love to hear your comments and opinions. Read up and share! :)

Lessons in History - Part I

Well....I made it! On June 2nd, 2009 at 5:30pm EST, I moved to my new town, Alexandria, Virginia. It is beautiful here and very exciting! I have spent countless hours wandering the Washington, D.C. area more than I have been exploring Alexandria, and I am inspired by all the history and the opportunity around me. The visual aesthetics of the roman-inspired monuments and buildings that exist in the D.C. area exude a sense of power, authority, and more influence from high-achievers one could ever possibly find in any other city.

As I've meandered aimlessly through the city streets of Washington, D.C. after interviews and on weekends, I am in awe of my own accomplishment of finally living where I have wanted to for a very long time. And I started to reflect back on the obstacle-laden road that has led me here after being asked several times in interviews what has brought me here. My answer: a passionate vision...a dream bigger than I am now.

My resume goes out to about 20 to 30 different companies a week, while I await a final answer from the company who gave me the green light to leave Florida and come here to the D.C. area. So, I review my resume quite often, always deciding whether I should delete this or rephrase that. In the process, I began to play this game and place myself in the different contracting positions I have held in the past, in order to relive those experiences then and see if they still pertain to the outcomes I want now. For one of these positions, I am especially thankful for. It was the position that broke the thin-layer seal for me to enter the world of I.T..

After being laid off from an executive administrative position at Honeywell due to a failed merger with GE, I decided to pursue a long-time dream and finally change my career and enter the promising world of Information Technology. I signed up for tech school to obtain my MCSE. For 10 months I would attend night school 4-5 days a week while I worked a job as a construction coordinator to keep the bills paid and food on the table.

When I had completed Tech School for my MCSE, I was faced with 2 more obstacles: there weren't very many women in I.T. at the time, which had companies I applied to looking at me to see if I was serious about wanting to break into the field, but mostly....companies did not want to hire someone without experience. The first obstacle I could handle. I have a go-getter-type personality and I'm unafraid of hard work. But the latter obstacle kicked my behind. The construction company I was working for merged with another company and once again, my position was no longer needed. My kids were depending on me to put the bread on the table and I was struggling. I was forced to live off of state assistance for a while until I could find gainful employment. But I didn't give up on my outcome or my purpose.

This turned out to be my greatest gift.

There was a non-profit agency who helped families in need of housing, utility, and food needs not far from where I lived. I had gone there twice to receive help and the staff and volunteers there were just awesome people. They didn't operate on a conveyor-belt mindset. They gave real personal attention...built relationships with their clientelle. And they were having major, major computer and network issues, and their volunteer desktop support had mysteriously flown the coup. Simultaneously, I was being asked of the state agency that assisted me financially to volunteer 30 hours per week of my time, while still applying for jobs and putting out resumes.

Hmmmm....I said. Opportunity! :)

I managed to arrange a meeting with the Director of the non-profit organization to propose my volunteer services. After an assessment of their systems and network, I proposed my solutions in writing, which included refreshing most their hardware, upgrading their software, and creating a workgroup network with file sharing. I named the time frame I could realistically accomplish this in, considering also the time I needed to fulfill the State's requirements of me finding gainful employment. The Director happily accepted! Woohoo! But that was just step 1.

Step 2 required me to take the written proposal, contact information, and a weekly set schedule to the State career counsellor I had been assigned to. I had to prove my commitment to this non-profit organization and get the State of Florida's seal of approval as well, which, of course, had to go through 'legal channels' and red paper tape. Ugh! More waiting...after all that initial excitement.

I did get it approved and I began to volunteer Monday through Friday at the non-profit organization, doing what I proposed to accomplish. Sometimes, I would be so engulfed and loving what I was doing (finally!) that I volunteered more time than I reported to the State of Florida, and ended up spending even more time trying to put out resumes and make interview appointments.

I kind of look back on that (now) simple refresh project and wonder why it took me so long. I now refresh that many computers in a day and a half. But I have to remind myself that that was my first real hands-on experience, and I was actually working 2 almost full-time jobs and taking care of a household and kids simultaneously. However, after the refresh project was fulfilled, I continued to volunteer my time there as both technical support and volunteer support to the services they provided at that center. I helped with WIC and Family Festival events, I assisted with the design of flyers and helped distribute, and I helped build up the morale of (mostly) women that would come there for assistance.

I will never forget how good that felt to not just be given a chance to build experience, but to help in worthy causes even my own children enjoyed. In one way or another, we ALL have the NEED to contribute....to GIVE back.

I took on 2 more non-I.T. related positions 4 months later for 2 short-term contracts as a construction coordinator after that. One of them was a 54 miles from home one-way trip. And then one day....I got the call. And I was hired into a contract for my very first technical support job. I DID IT!

So today....as I look back on the road that led me here to Washington, D.C. today, and to the dreams I am aspiring to achieve, I look back on my past and I am grateful for the opportunities given to me then that allowed me to enter the world I am passionate about today.

Velocitizing my Contracts

I have recently decided to relocate my contracting career from Tampa, Florida to Washington, D.C.. How did I come to such a conclusion to make such a dramatic relocation out of sunny Florida where tech contracts are not necessarily on a down curve in the employment economy today?

I visited Washington, D.C. back in March 2006 and fell in love with the city! For four exciting days, I didn't just see the sights of the city, I also saw the sights of the professionals that make up the success of that city. By no circumstantial coincidence, I talked with some professionals there in both politics and in I.T. about their functions. Very light conversation, really, but it drew me to become part of the action I saw them in. A friend of mine, I recall, called me on my cell phone while I was there and pointed out that I seemed to be the happiest I had ever sounded.

Later on, back home, and over the following 3 years, I did a lot of research on the I.T. industry and the lifestyle there and became even more attracted to the possibility that I could be part of contracts there involving Government, Private Sector, C-Level Executives, politicians, and lobbyists. I became even more passionate about my dream to work in I.T. Security contracts. I KNEW I wanted and needed to be there. I pictured myself there already, living out this dream, which is really one of service and value to others. Four days inspired and changed the focus of my future.

I went through many, many trials over the years that followed, but each of them prepared me. I have even been almost homeless on the street, had my last $25 save me, wondered how I was going to get my next meal, and even had had my rent money stolen. But a couple of powerful Tony Robbins programs, and many, many others who have put his and other programs to the test, who I also connected with and received much support from, helped change my states, my beliefs, my fears, and my actions. Not by coincidence. By proximity! It is truly who you put around you, as your top board members of the committee you call your life, that push you on to become all you can be, or not.

It's really the feelings we have that power our thoughts. It's not some want for money, power, or a beautiful car or home or the next cool technical gadget (though I'm game for the latter...haha). It's about us FEELING good. For me, feeling good means working 8-14 hour days in my contracts, but forgetting that time even exists in that time frame due to being 'in love' with what I do in that time. Loving the technical challenges! Loving being of service and value! Connecting with all the people that I do and seeing so many opportunities to make lives easier through just what I do for a living.

I recently had the opportunity to work with a large Microsoft Gold Partner doing a large deployment project in New Jersey for a well-known company who creates health and pharmaceutical products. For five months, I lived my greatest passion yet experienced! I got to be involved in and learn about SCCM, SMS, BDD, ZeroTouch, and MDT. Along with 9 other team members, I got to use or learn about each one of these tools in some form or another through the mass deployment project I was involved in. I learned about so many amazing technologies and people. Both of my managers were very knowledgeable and educational. I was honored with the opportunity to teach the knowledge I learned to others when the stakes were up and high mass numbers of laptops needed to be deployed in very short periods of time. I got to interact with high level executives, some of which I still communicate with, and make a difference in their lives by the services I was willing to provide. For most of my time, I really felt "in the Zone"...in a state where I'm happily achieving, rather that achieving to be happy. In so many ways, this contract was one of the best ones I had ever experienced to date.

I arrived back from New Jersey, just three weeks ago today, and did not feel at home. I missed my work, I missed the people that I worked with, I missed my managers. I even missed New Jersey. I lost my motivation to seek out a Tampa-based position. My truck died twice on me, needing serious repair. I did not feel that "being needed" feeling from my family like I did with the people I worked with (which isn't a bad thing, it's a growth factor). All those feelings, except for the ones around my family (which I love very dearly), that NORMALLY seem to come with "contract end" dates.

An answer to a room mate ad I initiated was finally the last straw. The fraudulent individual skipped town with my money and owes the owner of the residence a large sum in back rent. I was being asked to pay a (reasonable) price on top of the money I had just lost to continue renting and have a roof over my head. I felt some resistance. This too, turned into a blessing in disguise. But at the time, I knew I had to make a decision.

The minute I did, I got excited! My focus changed immediately! I decided, instead of investing the money and time on sustaining myself to the next contract here in Tampa, it was time to follow my dream and make following my dream a reality. I'm going to D.C.!

So yes, I made the decision, and it got me excited, and in my mind I lived this decision like it had already happened.
But now I had to put it into action!
I gave the owners of the residence 2 weeks worth of rent money and notified them that that is all the time I needed. I have spent 14 hour days scouring contract opportunities and looking for room mates to make my relocation a smooth and lucrative transition. I researched statistics, places to live, the metro rails and buses, people I might know close by, associations I am interested in being involved in, what I want to learn while I am there. I dove into one of the biggest projects of my life. Luckily, and more empowering, I have the financial backing this time to make it happen.

The week came to an end and I still didn't have contract or room mate. Rather than feel fear, I persisted and got excited about 'time' not being up yet. Then, early Friday morning I received a phone call from a recruiter for THE perfect position right smack in the middle of downtown Washington, D.C.! The interview hasn't happened yet, but I AM the perfect candidate, and await this upcoming opportunity come Tuesday with anticipation. And early Saturday morning came, and I received an email from a possible room mate. By Saturday evening I had a room mate!!! I will continue to KEEP making progress on obtaining a new contract in Washington, D.C. remotely from this kitchen table in Tampa, Florida, even if it costs me 14 hour days again. I expect to hear from my interviewer, but I also believe in backup plans and getting as many irons in the fire as possible. Just last week, I applied to 30 different contract possibilities.

This week I had a conference from CNN going on in the background on TV while I was working on this goal. Though the conference would have been dry to others, it was of major interest to me. It involves my ultimate success that I picture throughout my contracting career. Success to me looks like taking our global, economical and employment changes and turning it into opportunity to give and to be of service in the name of protecting our country and our world from malicious intent.

I am not just here to respond to my environment. I am here to create, to contribute, and to connect at a high velocity. I cannot fail. I have already asked and answered myself the question of "If I could have my life any way I wanted it to be, and money was not an issue, how would it be and who would I be?"

Could I just be having the perspective that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? Maybe. But not daring to find out is more painful than the butterflies I experience in the moment of change. So, a chapter in my contracting career is about to end, and a new one about to begin on May 31st.
Doug Vermeeren quotes in his recent hit-movie "The Opus", "The end of the story is rarely the end of the story. In fact, sometimes, it is just the beginning." Elizabeth Fay in the same movie quotes "A mediocre plan today is far better than a perfect plan tomorrow, because tomorrow never comes." I find this true for me as well and my upcoming journey to contracting in Washington, D.C.. Wish me luck!

The best way to predict your future is to invent it. So, when would NOW be a good time?


Lisa Wicklein
Microsoft Deployment Specialist



PS: I will post a little earlier during this upcoming week to update my blog, since I will be on the road over the weekend. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Contracting Velocity

If you're an I.T. contractor like me, you know that you need to not only balance your contracts in proportion to your skills, but also where you want your contracting career direction to go in as well. It helps to back your skills up with a marketable resume, and it helps to know where it is you want to go in your career. But understanding the challenges involved with contracting, and getting a plan together to solve those challenges can mean the slight difference between getting that next 'gig' and staying unemployed for an extended period of time after the last contract. Here's just a small list of challenges and their solutions I have implimented:

Challenge: Contracting is insecure employment.
Solution: Change your perception.
Sounds simple, but it's true! Contracting is only as insecure as you feel due to the influences of your environment and what you believe as a result thereof. Your parents, significant other, your bills and bank account, and even the relative time inbetween contracts are all influences that can increase or diminish your confidence to keep contracting. The truth of the matter is that companies will keep needing and using contractors to fulfill short-term and long-term needs, especially within the I.T. Industry.

Challenge: Time is running out on the current contract, and the next one isn't lined up yet.
Solution: Market yourself in a timely manner, preferably 1-2 months before contract end.
Especially if you are new to contracting, being 'currently' in a contract can create the delusion of being comfortably set within the job. Then around 2 weeks before the contract ends, you get this panicky feeling that you may not be able to pay your rent or mortgage payment next month. The minimum amount of time you should start marketing yourself out to agencies and other hiring companies looking for contractors is 1 month. Optimally, it should be 2 months. Update your resume with your new skills as soon as you get a handle on the new job so you're not overwhelmed by the responsibility when the time comes to market yourself. Refresh all the places you have posted your resume in the past with a new one. Really look at what you enjoy most about your current contract and what you want to be doing in the future after this contract ends. Then start networking (Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter, or any other networking site you like to use for your jobs). Usually, it takes around 2 weeks before recruiters and companies begin noticing your new resume in the sea of competition, and before they start contacting you. Make sure you stand out! Then make the calls selectively.

Challenge: It's hard to get the next contract.
Solution: Learn to enjoy networking and marketing.
Now...I know techies cringe at those 'sales terms'. I was one of those techies! But, have you ever met another person in I.T. you conversed with out of coincidence and were amazed and/or inspired by, or just plain out made you curious of a new technology you later on looked up on the web an learned about? Have you had that kind of influence on others? Think about the last time that happend. I bet that didn't feel like 'networking' or 'marketing', did it? The key here is to engage people in conversation. Test them on their interests in I.T. and see what areas they like most, then play the conversation on that topic, then introduce your skills and availability. You'll literally be surprised by how many people love talking about their interests (in I.T.), as opposed to you just going out there and slamming the question to them "are you guys hiring?". Factor in that 'you never know who somebody knows'. Go to meetups.com in your area and start talking to people about your interests. Join a forum. Invite people to talk to you on Linkedin.com, or get introduced by someone else. Keep it within your area of interests, but start the conversations off by asking the other person about their interests first. And take it from there.

Don't forget to relax. Go to a movie (see Star Trek...I HIGHLY recommend it!). Have a BBQ. Go for a hike or walk on the beach. Read a couple chapters out of a book you've been wanting to read. The more you get yourself out of a stressed mindset, the more creative you'll become.

Good luck and see you next time.

Lisa Wicklein
I.T. Deployment Specialist and Contractor