Bryan Trudel

I’ve been checking out craigslist and other job sites for new jobs. So far monster, T-net and the actual job sites are a bit sparse on positions that I can do. However I am finding a goldmine on craigslist of potential contract work. there are a lot of people wanting a lot of stuff, and I am prepared to assist those people for the appropriate fees. I also applied for a few IT support positions in hopes that I can get on board a company that will have positions to move up the ladder in. I wouldn’t mind being on the ground level of the IT services but move up to an Admin position of Assistant Admin or something. If I can just get a change to work and build my skills and show off what I can do currently, I think I’ll be able to move up fast if there’s room.

I suppose if I can get enough clients I could move tot he self employed route, but that’s a path I am unsure of. I don’t know if I’d like working for myself. Being self employed has a lot of benefits for sure, but it also has a lot of drawbacks. However, I suppose if the opportunities arise who am I to say no? It would be nice to control my own money flow and work. but it would also be really nice to be in with a company and have a steady paycheck and a place to expand your knowledge with a direction and purpose.

So I’ve been working on building up my network of associates and whatnot. LinkedIn has a lot of neat features for connecting and building those network, so I figure why not take advantage of them. I joined some groups, connected with a coupe of old friends, and tried to make some other connections. According to Stanford Who’s Who Networking guide, building your connection base is a wealth of resources to reach out and make new connections. Which makes sense of course. So, I’m going to try and be positive and work ahead with better goals and a better outlook.

I will eventually get somewhere with a new job and a new career. It’s just going to take some time. Why not build better connections and place myself strategically while I wait?

I added a new volunteer position to my resume for Scouts Canada. I am officially (Well almost) the Webmaster for the Fraser Valley Regional Council. It will be my responsibility to work with their new systems and build a new website with the proper content and access they require. I may also get a chance to develop some of he Troop or Area websites in the future, but we’ll see how it goes with the Council site first.

I think it will be nice to have a volunteer position on my resume. It’s free work, again, but at least this has some merit to it. It’s a large organization and it’s full of contacts and people that may be beneficial to me as time goes by. It’s also nice to have something to volunteer for that I want to do as well. Having a child in Scouts and being able to volunteer in this way is good for me. I dislike camping so I don’t really get to help out much in other areas of Scouting, but this is a big project that will benefit the council and Scouts in general.

Ken Pepin, Council Commissioner, is a really good guy and even gave me a recommendation on my LinkedIn profile. I’m looking forward to working with him to get the ball rolling on this whole new site. Hopefully it will be something I can add to my portfolio, or even just to my resume to further my experience as well.

So I have a third interview with the awesome potential job Monday. But I am nervous. It’s going to be a panel interview. More casual than a panel, but I will be meeting the operations team and discussing technical scenarios and answering questions from the team members. A small part of me feels a bit inadequate to be answering questions from experts in the field when I haven’t been able to become the expert in any particular field that I want to become. But I am looking forward to the challenge. I had to take a 30 minute test during my second interview, and I thought I was in big trouble, but the questions were relatively simple. I mean, I don’t know that I got the sub netting question right because it’s been five years or more since I had to calculate subnet addressing, but I did my best and I think it was pretty good.

I guess it must’ve been good because they want me back again. And at this point, even if I doubt myself here and there, I’ve obviously got something they want and in the past I’ve proven myself over and over again to other eomployers and clients that I can do the jobs that are assigned to me. So here’s hoping to the best on Monday. I am confident that I will work well with them (They’re probably a bunch of techy/geeky people like myself anyway) and hopefully I will be able to get the job and move forward in my career and life finally.

Here’s hoping.

My first interview in a few years. But I think it’ll go well. I’ll do what I do, and we’ll go from there. A friend put in a good word for me actually, so maybe that will help. And I have a nice big list of references that will be sure to impress. Between all of that, my experience, and hopefully my charming personality (hahaha) I can win them over and get the job.

I’m feeling anxious and nervous and excited. I hope it doesn’t show too much. Well, the excited part can show because I am excited about the opportunity, and that should be apparent. I’ll try not to jump for joy though. That might be interpreted as insane rather than excited.

Whatever the case, I’m off to see the Wizard!

I have an interview Tuesday June 8th! This is kind of exciting and nerve wracking. I haven’t been to an interview in years. But I’m sure it will go well. If I can handle the last clients I had and all their craziness, I am sure an interview will be a piece of cake in comparison. Just gotta sell myself to them and they will want me!

That shouldn’t be too difficult since this job seems to be suited well to my skills. I am excited to bring my skills to this new job, and learn a crap ton of new stuff. It’ll be nice to learn skills that are transferable unlike my last job. I mean, Project Management is definitely transferable but the rest of the work is antiquated and useless and will never be used. That’s kind of sad. Moving ahead with this job would mean that even if the software or platform they use for their projects goes out of style, the Systems Administration skills I will learn will be forefront to getting me into a better place after the fact.

I hope it goes well. I also desperately need a job.

Well, that discussion went well. I told her about my experience, and what I can do, and what I want to do. She then told me about the company, the lifestyle, and the job. I asked more questions, we had a good dialog and she is going to schedule me for a second interview Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Maybe in a couple of weeks I will be a Junior Systems Administrator. It sounds like a pretty sweet job. And it’s exciting and I can’t wait to talk to them again.

I hope something comes out of it. I need a job BADLY!

So, I’m waiting for a telephone interview to discuss my resume. I applied for this junior position as a system administrator, and I think IO have almost all the skills listed, plus some that weren’t. It makes me nervous to apply for another job with a company after my last station. I don’t want a crazy mental work schedule again. I want to enjoy my work and my life just a little more.

But then, I suppose I’ll take a crazy work schedule just to make a bit of money at this point hehe. I guess we’ll see.

*waits ever so impatiently for 2pm*   I hope it goes well.