As you have probably heard at this point if you follow the show American Idol, celebrity gossip, or just happen to watch the news from time to time, Paula Abdul is leaving the show American Idol.

She’s walking away from the most popular show in television history and into an unknown future.  Why would she do this you might ask?  Well from what I’ve read and heard, it comes down to several things: Money, Respect and Overall job satisfaction.

You’re more than likely saying “That’s wonderful, with the economy in the shape it’s in, Paula Abdul is walking away from a multi-million dollar a year job; where all she has to do is sit and be nice to aspiring singers and take an occasional chiding from Simon Cowell.”

Well, you’re right with regard to the fact that millions of people around the world are suffering through economic hardships and she’s turning down an eight-figure deal. On the other hand, money is not always the most important thing in life. I didn’t say it’s not necessary, just that it’s not the most important thing in and of itself.

There really must be a combination of financial reward, respect and an overall feeling that your appreciated and valued.  In other words, we need to feel that we matter.

This leads to me to the title of this blog post, in that IT professionals (and anyone for that matter) can learn a lot from Paula Abdul when it comes to career choices.  Simply being paid a lot doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness.  Even though she was making several million dollars a year from the show, her counterparts were making many times more than that.  Simon Cowell is reportedly making upwards of $45 million for doing basically the same job.

As an IT professional, it’s important to balance financial rewards with the intangibles to find a job that is rewarding mentally, physically and financially.  Many people get stuck in a rut where they feel they can’t leave what they’re doing even though they hate it and subsequently their overall quality of life suffers.  This also has an impact on the people around them as well (i.e. family, friends, children, spouses, etc).  Quality of life is more important than simply being well-paid.  Many people who have a lot of financial success find themselves depressed and overstressed because they reach a certain level but haven’t learned to balance the other aspects of their lives.

As IT professionals, it is crucial to keep your skills sharp and learn new things whenever possible.  This also means constantly working toward keeping a balanced life as much as possible.  Training is critical to developing new skills and keeping marketable.  Some people take classes, some learn online and many self-study with computer training videos at their own pace.  Whichever path you choose, it is important that you keep moving forward.  This not only gives you options and allows you to make changes when it best suites your needs, but it also insulates you to a degree should disaster strike and your forced to quickly find a new job due to downsizing, etc.  If you are thinking about working for yourself there a number of things to consider in order to become a successful entrepreneur.

Don’t be afraid to take the step into the unknown or go after the things you deserve.  Take a lesson from Paula Abdul and seek the quality of life that will truly make you happy.

I’d like to know what you think, was it a wise decision or not?  Can IT professionals take a page from her book and improve their quality of life?

We put up a new video on YouTube, a 10 minute sample of our CompTIA A+ training videos. 

Our IT Certification training video samples are some of the most viewed IT videos on YouTube.  You can visit our YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/palaestratraining

This video covers printers, and goes into detail regarding a number of printing technologies:

• Dye Sublimation Printers
• Thermal Printers
• Thermal printer papers
• Laser Printers
• The 6 steps of the laser printer process
1. Clean
2. Charge
3. Write
4. Develop
5. Transfer
6. Fuse
• Coverage of the EP (Electrophotostatic drum)
• Fuser assembly
• Corona wire / assembly
• Troubleshooting some common printer problems

This short demo is a clip from the longer two-part printer video series.  All together our CompTIA A+ training has 32 videos and over 20 hours of world-class training you can take with you and watch anytime, anywhere.

As with all our training, it’s available for immediate delivery via download, or we can physically ship to your location.

With the overwhelming rate of change in all the areas of IT, the skills you have today are outdated tomorrow, so the path you choose can be both exciting and daunting.

And the rise of e-everything the need for IT floods every corner of our lives. Technology has revolutionized communications, computing, productivity, and has had a profound effect the quality of human life.

So much of our lives depend on technology, which means there’s a variety of employment areas to choose from, such as web design, software development, software testing, programming, systems administration, networking, and more. Even jobs outside the IT sector require IT skills.

If you’re contemplating breaking in, consider a few of the highest paid entry level IT jobs as your springboard into an exciting and rewarding career.

The following pay scales are according to the salary.com national averages for the Chicago, Illinois area.

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Many companies are already chomping at the bit to take advantage of many of the features Windows Server 2008 offers.

Services such as improvements to Terminal Services, Server Virtualization and security enhancements including bitlocker and read-only domain controllers for branch-office type installations.

Many of the services and features included in Windows Server 2008 will be able to replace software and applications many companies pay for currently.  While this is certainly going to be a welcome addition by many IT departments, it also creates opportunities as well.

Training and certification will continue to play a big part in securing higher paying jobs, opening doors, being considered for new opportunities, changing careers, earning the promotion, etc.  Some of the Top IT Certifications for 2008 will continue to be the perennial favorites, including CompTIA A+ Certification and Cisco CCNA Certification.

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Palaestra Training’s CCNA Certification Training video on Frame Relay has gotten over 45,000 85,000 views on YouTube in just over 9 months time.

Our IT Certification Training Videos are the most watch IT Certification videos on YouTube and just goes to show we’re not the only ones who think our training is simply the best!

Jason Emerson, Palaestra Training’s Cisco CCNA instructor has a great conversational style, and makes learning technically advanced concepts fun.  The recently updated series covers the material on the new Cisco 640-802 exam and fully prepares students to take the exam and do the job.

That’s an amazing amount of interest for a technical training video, and a testament to the quality of our training.  We create technically-accurate training that is both educational and highly-entertaining.

In addition to IT certification training for Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA, Palaestra Training also created an Internet Safety training series designed for parents to help keep their children safe while online.

Several recent surveys, including the recent article by Computer World shows that demand for IT workers is growing at the highest rate in several years. 

As a result, salaries are also on the rise.  Why?  Companies need talented, motivated Information Technology professionals and many companies report difficulty in finding those people.

Additionally, as with any asset, IT infrastructure has a life-cycle that necessitates upgrading and/or replacing every 3-5 to stay current with new and emerging technologies.  For many companies, utilizing current technology is a competitive advantage.  For others, it’s a necessary evil, but either way, those companies need IT professionals who know how to install, migrate, maintain and support their infrastructure.

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Palaestra Training has just released it’s newest training title, Microsoft MCDST Certification training for the 70-271 exam. 

Our trainer, Bill Ferguson, literally wrote the book on MCDST Certification.  He is the author of the best selling book "MCDST Certification Study Guide" published by Sybex and is a much sought-after trainer and speaker.

Bill is one of only a handful of Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT) in the world to be featured on Microsoft’s website.  Palaestra Training is very excited to be able to bring this information-packed training series to it’s customers.

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What is the DoD 8570.1-M?  It’s part of a directive that’s part "Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program".

This program mandates which mandates that every full- and part-time military service member, defense contractor, civilian and foreign employee with privileged access to a DoD system, regardless of job series or occupational specialty obtains a commercial certification credential that has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

For personnel who are tasked with maintaining computer hardware and/or software, CompTIA A+ certification meets the T1 requirements of the directive.  CompTIA A+ Certification is the cornerstone of any IT career and allows a student to secure a position in a wide variety of industries.

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A question often asked by people starting out in the IT (Information Technology) field is “What is the BEST entry-level IT certification to get started with”? 

That’s an excellent question and one that I’m sure garners a variety of responses.  For the most, it’s generally agreed that CompTIA’s A+ Certification Training is an excellent way to get started in IT. 

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