Everything technical I have learned has been learned on my own, I have business degree but I’m motivated to just get in there and figure things out. I’ve come a long ways over the years. When I was volunteering at my church, they paid for me to become A+ certified and I’m now halfway preparing to take the Network+ exam.

I have mixed feelings about certifications, I think it looks good to someone who is non-technical but it doesn’t give you real hands-on experience. I find that if I’ve read it in a book, I still have to figure out how to do it when I’m in the situation, but studying to become certified does help me personally to focus and at least learn concepts. I get a lot more out of actually doing it though.

Last I knew, A+ and N+ serve as an elective for MCSA and that’s kind of my long term goal, only 3 more tests after N+.

So, certifications are good, in my opinion, to prove you know something, but the real experience comes from doing.

I’ve learned a ton from posting things on my blog and getting feedback and now I’ve got some good contacts that I can email or call directly when I hit a wall.

I’ve never been afraid to ask, either directly or thru my blog. I’m always the first to admit that I don’t know it all and I’m always learning, and I’m not afraid to get in there and figure it out.

I don’t know that I’m your Paul or Barnabas, there are many others with more experience and knowledge, but I do share your heart for church and technology.