[PLUG] A training cooperative?
Richard Seymour
rseymour at spamcop.net
Fri Aug 2 18:13:18 UTC 2002
ptkwt at aracnet.com wrote:
> Then of course the question of 'where' comes up? Maybe FreeGeek? They've got
> bunches of machines on a network.
I was just about to pipe in on the "jobs" thread that when you're stuck
between jobs, check out volunteer opportunities. FREE GEEK, PLUG, K-12
Linux, and Personal Telco all come to mind as opportunities for people
to get hands on experience. Here's a suggestion for folks between jobs:
* Figure out how much time you can commit to a volunteer group (on, say,
a weekly basis). Leave enough time to (a) enjoy your time off, and (b)
continue your job hunt.
* Contact a group (like those listed above) and offer your services.
* Talk with someone at the group. Explain what you know, what you'd like
to learn, and what you kind of already know, but need experience in.
* Think about what kind of a project would both look good on your
resume, and help said organization.
* Sketch out a time line for that project and offer to do it for the
organization. Make certain that you'll be motivated to do it without the
incentive of a paycheck.
* Make a backup plan for the organization in case you actually get a job
mid project.
* Do the project, do it well. Document it. Show other volunteers what
you did.
* Get a letter of recomendation from the group. Put the reference and
the work on your resume.
This is a great way to get some hands on experience, plus help out the
cause.
Another opportunity is to take what you already know and teach it. Think
about being a speaker for PLUG (regular meetings or advanced topics), or
coming down to FREE GEEK and offering to teach a class of some sort.
(Talk to Laurel if you come down.)
FREE GEEK is what I know best, since I work there, so the following
applies to FG, but can be adapted to other groups as well.
We've been talking about doing a series of seminars that, taken as a
whole, would form a basis for understanding a broader aspect of system
administration. For instance on the theme of networking, there could be
seminars on:
* Boolean logic and binary math (needed for understanding how netmasks work)
* How do IPs work?
* What are the seven layers in the OSI Network Model and what are they for?
* How does DNS work?
* How does DHCP work?
* What about encryption and authentication? A security overview?
* Etc...
Anyone wanting to teach this sort of thing ought to come by FREE GEEK,
open (currently) noon to eight Tuesday through Saturday, and find out
how they can help.
Right now, FG has a lot going on, so we need self directed people to
come in and make this kind of thing happen. There's also a not
insurmountable, but nevertheless real, scheduling problem given that a
lot is going on at FG.
Anyway, my point is: if you're stuck between jobs make the most of that
time. Hunker down and do something you want to do. That's got to be
better (in at least some ways) than ending up with a job you don't like
anyway.
:-)
--
My! People have a way of coming and going so quickly here!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Richard Seymour, the Man Behind the Curtain
CHEEP GEEKS Anarchy Software FREE GEEK
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