Virtually all of my life, I have been an IT guru. I use the term loosely, because I have always been more of a jack of all trades. I am not a qualified success in IT (or ICT as I refuse to call it), but technology has always been my hobby and something that I have had an affinity for. I can strip, rebuild, upgrade and repair computers with my eyes closed. As a result, I have always been employed in this field.
The problem that I have with IT is, that it is a multi-headed beast… and by multi-headed, I mean it has literally thousands of behaviourally challenged, emotionally charged craniums. I envy those who can keep up with it, but I am someone who straddles the gap between personal and industrial IT – better than the average Joe, but not someone who lives and breathes code.
I have a love/hate relationship with most technology, computers especially. I love it when they work, I love tinkering with them when they don’t. But when I am relying on them and the critical sensor inside decides that I am at a high enough stress level to break down, I don’t. Also, problems that I cannot fix are like splinters in my mind. I can’t just leave it until it is fixed or my nerves are finally shot to pieces.
What I am basically doing here is justifying my choice to start to move away from this career path towards one that will start to utilise the skills that I am developing. I like computers, but I love writing, I am at a time in my life when I want to start doing jobs that I enjoy, not just something to bring a wage in. The main problem is that I have waited until my fourth decade to start moving and get qualified in this. But, at least once I have my degree, it will not be obsolete in two years’ time like most computer skills.
So it looks like it’s time to put down the screwdriver and multi-meter, and pick up a pen and pad. I’m still not opposed to an extended session on an Xbox, however.
