An old dog with new tricks

What they say about being older and becoming a student - it is all true.
It is less about old dogs, and new tricks - it is more about getting a tool that has become accustomed to making judgements on a vast body of accrued information at speed - to now jump off of that particular high-speed track and start filing new data, with meaning, in bulk, in a meaningful and reliably recoverable way. Like a distribution depot becoming

Draw, Paint, Make, Repair, Dismantle, Wonder, Figure out, Tinker, Lab… I am always up for learning new things, and setting problems I don't really need to solve - but rarely, if ever, academically or more specifically assessable to the point of active avoidance. I don't process failure well within that space. I never have. It reinforces my already massive self-doubt and self-deprecating nature.

The last time I got a bit of paper for putting the right words in the right places was at University. While I may have managed to put off starting any form of career for longer than most… this was quite a considerable time ago.

I am currently studying and sitting my RHCSA (Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator) and RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer). The latter is intended for senior Systems Administrators despite how it sounds. The latter the real pressure is time - or the lack thereof in only three and a half hours. In both cases, the pass mark is seventy per cent.

This last week I passed the RHCSA with ninety-four per cent.

I think this is the first time I have ever (properly "ever") had to go down the route of cards, notes, repeat. Books still suck (I have reading issues - which no doubt show in my lack of writing prowess!) - online training and labs win hands down. Classroom even more so - especially if it is practical WITH instruction.

But hey: Old Dog. New Tricks.

Now to grow the habit.