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Hey all,
Just a late hello to everyone here to introduce myself.
Hello! On-line, I'm Zig. I'm a guy, in my twenties. To be honest, late twenties. Depressingly late. I like computers (well, duh!), martial arts, writing and languages. I'm currently a teacher (teaching adults).

A while back I studied Electronic Engineering at a pretty good (top 10) UK Uni, and I passed. Wha-hoo!On the downside, the course put me off the subject for the best part of a decade. In retrospect, I think it's fair to say that the over-theoretical handling, combined with the genuis-in-their-field-but-utterly-lacking-teaching/communication-skills-or-charisma lecturers killed the subject for me. I could do all the maths I needed to pass the exams, but a lot of the time I had no idea what it was for, or how I could turn it into hardware.

In the year or so after Uni I went through a few jobs, including the most glamorous job known to man: software salesman! (Me and Leisure Suit Larry - we're like that!) Finally, I landed in a branch of Siemens doing some very basic IT/database stuff. It was good for a while - with nice co-workers - but it was one of those backwater branches that avoids offering any kind of career advancement for fear that people will start wanting a proper paycheck. I rose to be one of the 2 key team trainers, getting a grand total of NO extra pay for my efforts! From that career cul-de-sac, I went into teaching.

Teaching came to a wonderful head with me living in Japan for nearly 2 years - within site of Mt Fuji, and my local station just 20mins by bullet-train from downtown Tokyo! I had the absolute time of my life! However, in about a year, I transformed from a single, carefree dude, to a married father of two (one step-daughter and one baby boy)! It's all good, but I wanted to have the kid back in the UK as there's better childcare options for very young children, and I wanted my wife and daughter to learn better English, which is good for them.

As such, I'm back here and looking to move back into IT. After joining here to ask about Cerco, I've decided self-study is the way to go. I'm currently working up to the A+.

Hoping to take the test in late September.


And that's me. Soz it took so long to say hello!
Thanks for reading!

 

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Welcome to the forums!

Chin up - you're NOT too old. Plenty of people start out in IT in their 40s, 50s, and believe it or not, 60s.

I joined the Army (believe it or not, after my car broke down and couldn't get to work) at age 19, got out at age 22, and got my Chemistry BS degree at age 27... and couldn't get a job as a Chemist despite a great GPA. So I put my 18 years of "messing around with PCs" experience to work for me and got an entry-level IT job at age 28. Now, at age 38, I've got a successful IT career. You can too! It's NOT too late.

 

Hi Welcome

 

Hi and Welcome.

Martial arts - riiite

Anything you say Sir!!

You're never too old. Best of luck with the studying.

Davidus

 

Hi Zig

For someone in late 20 sound like your had a good life so far. Japan/Family so on...
Best of luck with study s

Do train in martial arts what one?

 

Cheers people!
Yeah, reckon the A+ will be okay. Working through that Meyers AIO book (6th Ed). Most of the stuff so far seems pretty familiar. I reckon I'll book the test tomorrow for mid-late September if possible.

Anyone recommend anywhere for buying components? I'd quite like to do a full build before the exam. So far I've just done upgrades and general tinkering. Where should I buy new stuff from? I quite like the look of the new ATI 4850!

I've done quite a few. Favourites were wing chun for precision, and Muay Thai for raw insanity! Though I also enjoyed normal kick-boxing, Karate, boxing, and stick fighting (can't quite remember the name... Escrima?). Capoeira I didn't like so much - just couldn't get the timing right, too dancey for me.

Sadly, I've been out of training recently. I wanted to do Karate, Judo, Aikido or Kendo while I was in Japan, but lessons ALWAYS clashed with my working schedule (I worked afternoon through late evening) and there was a definite language barrier the few times I could make it (my Japanese was zilch when I went. Though I did build it up over my time there. After the A+, my next exam, in December, is gonna be the JLPT level 3. Level 2 in 2009).
Once I've got the job thing sorted, I'm gonna go out and find a local martial arts club. I'm thinking something quite high-energy to start off - boxing or Thai - as I need to get back some stamina.
Any thoughts or advice?

 

Hi & welcome to CF

Here are some of the sites I use for components:-

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

http://www.ebuyer.com/

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/

http://www.crucial.com/uk/index.aspx


HTH

NB

 

Cheers.
I used overclockers to buy a load of stuff yesterday. My first from scratch, full-build this weekend!

Another question.
Anyone know where to get certification exam discount vouchers? I'm looking for the A+.The site suggested in the Self-Study Guide has bugger all for CompTIA in the UK. And my trusty friend Google keeps throwing me to the states, to Computeach, to pages with discount voucher for Aldi (hard to imagine!), or to 3yr old threads on this forum asking about discount vouchers.

I want to take a couple (the essentials and the 602) so a bit of a discount would be pretty welcome!

 

Hi there and welcome

 

Great to have more newbies like me. Welcome. Late twenties - lucky you!

I'm twenty years older than you just started going for my certs and hoping to change from teaching to IT

 

Hey Welcome to CF!

You can go to Preplogic which is where I get my vouchers from or GetCertified4less is another one I heard of before but I never use it.

I too do martial arts, but I am now consitrating mostly on MMA. I did tae kwon do for a good while, I got to a black belt 2nd dan, then I started doing something with more contact like boxing and kickboxing. Then a friend of mine introduced me to Muay Thai where I started to love the sport simply because it was all I wanted in a martial art. After doing that for abit I was looking at trying mma as I thougt I am well rounded, then when it got to the ground I learned the hard way. So now I am learning Ju-Jitsu continually practicing MMA. I've got to admit it's a very challenging sport but it keeps me in great shape.

 

Hi and welcome to CF!

Don't worry about your age I just recently hit 31 and only started out in IT two months ago