Where to From Here?


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Maybe it's because I am approaching the 50 year mark, maybe it is something else, but over the last year, I have begun to assess where I have been over the last 47 years and then started looking ahead.

It is almost like De Ja Voues. I can remember enrolling in college all those years ago and wondering what the heck should I take? What the heck am I going to do as a career? What do I want to do with my life?

At this point, it starts out more like, "What have I done with my life?" and "What would I like to do different?"

I have taken advantage of numerous opportunities over the last 25 years to supplement my education with various courses of study that have continually opened doors along my career path and have prevented me from running into the stonewall of a particular path that was dying away. In the technology world, I have seen that happen multiple times and have been fortunate enough to step over into another path and continue moving.

Right out of college, I was writing compiled BASIC microcomputer programming code and COBOL mainframe programming code. I began to see the handwriting on the wall that PCs would eventually take the place of the bigger systems and began to grab any opportunity to learn more about the connectivity of PCs and assembly and repair.

Eventually I took several Novell networking courses and began to work networking PCs, building PCs, repairing and upgrading PCs.

Microsoft made a full scale assault on Novell, and I began to work in both circles supporting Novell Networks and Microsoft Windows Networks. I managed to take courses on various Microsoft technologies and have since been supporting various Microsoft technologies.

In the midst of all of this, I have sought to find a meaning for my life. Seeking it through my career seems pointless. Every three years, everything I assemble or create gets ripped out and replaced. It is the nature of technology and has been for years. It is just the natural cycle of the industry. Nothing about it has staying power and nothing about it is positively impacting peoples lives.

So, I have volunteered with Kairos Prison Ministry, various motorcycle ministries and with Habitat for Humanity. And this is why I am going to Venezuela this year and why I have applied to volunteer deeper within our church. I want to impact peoples' lives in a positive lasting manner.

I am currently attending night school. I have a general idea where I am going with my supplemental education, but I am still pondering the emphasis. As I ponder the direction of the final 15-20 years of my career, I feel like I am in Statesboro 25 years ago wondering, "What should my major be and what do I plan to do for the rest of my life?"

I am continuing to pray and give careful consideration to these important questions while researching matters.

Have you ever been at a crossroads and had to make these kinds of decisions?

How did you go about deciding the emphasis of your major?

How have you decided your career path?

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