What can I do?

[Deja Q]

I need advise for starting a second job.

I'm A+ certified, close to being Network+ certified, and will soon start Server+ certification training, along with playing with Windows 2000 server (trial version I got from a training class).

I'm tempted to go into programming, but if all that's going to be outsourced in the future, then I'd better stick to networking...

The way my dept head is mismanaging things, I'm sure I'll be out of work in 9 months, if not sooner, and I'm not sure anything can be done to keep me employed at my company. Despite job openings and potential job openings of which I've said I'm interested in, they don't want me to move from my position and are showing no signs of wanting me to move (so much for loyalty toward an employee who's got a good record)

I'm in debt and would like to pay it off. Since everything right down to apartment renting and even employment of all things hinges on one's credit history :eyes: I definitely want to pay it off and better myself in the process. (some of this has stemmed from a mental illness, but I must have recently "woken up" since I now want to better myself rather than kill myself.)

I've tried applying for work in stores (B Dalton, wal mart, target, petsmart, petco, electronics boutique, etc) for a second income, but I always fail their psycho personality tests and I don't know why. I can do the job, so why are they denying me the opportunity, cheap as it is?

It's like society wants people to die or something. Been bankrupt? Can't get a place to live in or even work for.

My HR department is fascist-like in terms of what the employees do in their own time. They want to know how much money I'd make if I did anything on the side and anything I'd do has to be documented, complete with "contracts". Let alone anything that would suggest a 'conflict of interest' situation (which is another joke, I'm doing nothing against my company and anything I do on the side would in turn help THEM!...) And it's often been said my company's HR department is mean-spirited and vicious, and I've dealt with them and they are quite cold in personality too. (for some webpage work I'd been doing on the side, all of that is on hiatus pending approval of a 'contract' I had whipped up. On the plus side, it sounds like I'll still be able to work for them and that I've got a few good hours of working ahead of me, but I still need to go through the changes they made to the contract...)

[FatbackSlim]

1. I'm a network engineer...

I think you're spot-on in wanting to stay in the network world. One thing you might want to consider from a skillset standpoint is branching out into Cisco certification and similar network fundamentals.

I'm curious about your problems with your HR department...have you read for yourself your company's policies on working outside the firm? I can understand the conflict of interest provisions, but it seems *very* odd that they would have the ability to have any say at all in what you do outside of that. If you haven't read all the policies yourself, I'd recommend it; corporate HR is *not* your friend.

[Deja Q]

2. Thanks!

More like the server field, I tried revision 1 of the network + test and failed (the transcender test). Rev 2 of the transcender test proved I can actually pass, but I don't have much networking or server experience -- only workstation. Indeed, I missed the "simple" net+ questions yet I did get all the scenario-based questions correct; something I found to be rather surprising. The server+ exam might be easier for me than I'm imagining...

But I've never been good with tests (I even did only a 78 on the A+ hardware test even though I'm very well versed in hardware, except printers...), learning hands-on is the best approach. I can't read from books either. I know how to read, it just doesn't sink in unless I do it. All the theoretical stuff is meaningless. I know the basic difference between 802.3 and 802.5, but not the 'why'.

But I've got 9 months and hopefully I won't get laid off. Time will tell, of course...

And, no, I haven't read all their policies. That is something I will do... a pity that corporate HR is so evil. Heck, a pity that corporations are evil...