Digitally drifting (At a crossroads, revisited)

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deepred

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#290829 7-Dec-2021 19:36

The story so far:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumId=86&topicId=129253
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumId=75&topicId=212729
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumId=75&topicId=223651
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumId=75&topicId=281118

I graduated from a web development boot camp in mid-2019, and to put it mildly I'm getting heartily sick of repeated zero returns on investment. I registered for the 2019 Summer of Tech internship programme, only to miss out and didn't qualify for the next year's one - there were about 12 applicants to every available internship.

Since then I've been digitally drifting in the online gig economy & earning what passes for income. And when I finally get round to completing some 3D models that are good enough to sell on sites like Turbosquid & CGTrader, it'll be a nice side hustle but still not yet a viable living.

In July this year, WINZ referred me to the Learning People for a cyber-security course (others' experiences here). It's been nearly 5 months in and I'm yet to sit a single exam, and I've struggled to stay focused on the video lectures. I've stopped bothering with the practice labs, because they take too long to load due to being hosted on a far-off server in Europe. At the same time, I'm wary of completely pulling out of the course because WINZ is paying for the first 12 months of it, and it could put my benefit at risk unless I manage to find a job with "proper" hours.

I've said it before, but being a neuro-diverse ASD/ADHD type, my learning style is far more suited to immersive practical training on the job, including but not limited to apprenticeships. Conversely, when I watch video lectures I'm prone to falling asleep or getting sidetracked in the process. COVID levels have forced a lot of learning online, and large numbers of school students have not adapted well, even I suspect when they still have the right hardware & good broadband. The struggle to learn online is far from an isolated case. One-time ICT Minister David Cunliffe once proposed a digital apprenticeship scheme, but as far as I know it went with him after he retired from politics.

Neuro-diverse folk like me have fallen through the cracks in the job market, and supported employment agencies seem to only go so far. I'm warming to the Fabian Society/FIRST Union's proposal for a Ministry of Green Works, whether it actually comes to pass is another matter.

"I regret to say that we of the F.B.I. are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate commerce." — J. Edgar Hoover

"Create a society that values material things above all else. Strip it of industry. Raise taxes for the poor and reduce them for the rich and for corporations. Prop up failed financial institutions with public money. Ask for more tax, while vastly reducing public services. Put adverts everywhere, regardless of people's ability to afford the things they advertise. Allow the cost of food and housing to eclipse people's ability to pay for them. Light blue touch paper." — Andrew Maxwell

deepred

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#2826390 8-Dec-2021 00:33

Addendum: In the absence of an edit button, up till early 2019 I was working in computer retail/servicing. I jumped ship after realising that the industry was becoming concentrated in the hands of large retailers like Amazon & MightyApe, as well as the fact that tablets & smartphones were diminishing the role of desktops & laptops.

dt

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#2826437 8-Dec-2021 07:55

If cyber security is of interest to you try apply for a couple of cyber security jobs and state in your applications that you’re 6 months into your cyber security training course.

There’s a massive demand for cyber engineers at the moment and very low supply due to boarders being closed you’ll be surprised.

Do a bit of reading up on SSO, MFA and Microsoft security suite to help in the interview as a lot of companies are just doing the bare minimum in cyber protections for insurance purposes.

If you can get your foot in the door that’ll give you the practical learning better suited to your learning style.

Good luck !

Lias

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#2828538 8-Dec-2021 11:06

deepred:

I've said it before, but being a neuro-diverse ASD/ADHD type, my learning style is far more suited to immersive practical training on the job, including but not limited to apprenticeships. Conversely, when I watch video lectures I'm prone to falling asleep or getting sidetracked in the process. COVID levels have forced a lot of learning online, and large numbers of school students have not adapted well, even I suspect when they still have the right hardware & good broadband. The struggle to learn online is far from an isolated case. One-time ICT Minister David Cunliffe once proposed a digital apprenticeship scheme, but as far as I know it went with him after he retired from politics.

Neuro-diverse folk like me have fallen through the cracks in the job market, and supported employment agencies seem to only go so far. I'm warming to the Fabian Society/FIRST Union's proposal for a Ministry of Green Works, whether it actually comes to pass is another matter.

I'm also neuro-diverse, learn through doing, and struggle with video lectures. What works best for me was building a home lab and experimenting myself, but using the videos/manuals/etc as an aid/guide.

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup.

deepred

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#2829083 9-Dec-2021 08:05

dt: If cyber security is of interest to you try apply for a couple of cyber security jobs and state in your applications that you’re 6 months into your cyber security training course.

There’s a massive demand for cyber engineers at the moment and very low supply due to boarders being closed you’ll be surprised.

Do a bit of reading up on SSO, MFA and Microsoft security suite to help in the interview as a lot of companies are just doing the bare minimum in cyber protections for insurance purposes.

If you can get your foot in the door that’ll give you the practical learning better suited to your learning style.

Good luck !

My experience in the last 2 decades of applying for jobs in the NZ ICT sector is that it's long been a credentialist closed-shop, who typically bin any CV's that don't have a completed bachelor-level qualification. I simply stopped bothering to get a foot in the door when I found all the doors were welded shut.

It's part of a wider global issue of credential inflation where jobs that only need secondary quals are now requiring uni degrees, even post-grad ones. Even with COVID closing the borders, I found that things haven't changed much. I would firmly count myself among the ranks of discouraged workers with a capital D, capital W, who would greatly benefit from a direct government New Deal approach or even a UBI. Neuro-diversity isn't strictly a disability or mental illness, but those like me who have it face the same barriers to gainful employment, and far too many societies are still under-equipped to meet their needs.

Another area that's interested me since the Capitol Putsch & 15 March is counter-violent extremism by way of CERT NZ or Action Station or Netsafe, but according to industry insiders the number of paid jobs in that area can be counted on one hand.