I would not say certifications are over-rated. For some jobs, here at the University Of Wisconsin, you absolutely cannot even apply without certain certifications. The job description for some jobs in the security department say you need not apply if you do not have a CISSP. But when I get resumes, they have all these certs, I don't know what they mean and none of that means anything to me anyway. I am much more impressed if somebody says they run their own web server at home. The OP did not ask for advice on interviewing. But here it is anyway. The most important thing is to impress them with your can-do attitude. For example, I was once asked in an interview what programming languages I knew. There was like a dozen of them listed on my resume but, you know, the interviewer is going to ask whatever he wants. My answer was, "Well, I know them all. Once you know more than 2, you know them all. I can produce something in any programming language in an hour and be fluent in it in a week." As I left, the interviewer told me that was the best answer he'd ever heard in an interview. That attitude is great to have anyway, it will help you a lot in your career. But also, it will get you a job (even if you have to fake it). Well, this is already pretty long but the above thoughts do lead me to talk about one more thing. You can sort of turn being blind into an advantage in an interview by making them believe you are Superman. You want to show them that you can do anything, right? Well, you have already demonstrated that being blind doesn't stop you. This is why I do not agree with that advice to not tell them you're blind before you get the interview. I think you should put it out there and make it a positive. Yeah, some people won't buy it. Some people will toss your resume in the trash. But you never had a chance with them anyway. An interview would be just a waste of your time. Besides, who wants to work for a person like that? When I was interviewing, I put that I was a triathlete, a woodworker, and had landscaped my own yard. I made printouts of this stuff and attached it to my resume and cover letter. "Hey, look at me! I'm that mythical super blind guy just like on TV!" Whatever it takes, right? On 1/8/20 4:53 AM, Kelly Prescott wrote:
I absolutely agree with the advice here. I have a couple more points: Ask friends, It is because of one of my friends giving me a chance that I have the job I have now. When you get a job, learn the hard stuff that no one else wants to learn. I am not saying get certs, I have none, but I constantly read, learn, and put that knowledge im to practice. Use bookshare, it is really low cost, and plenty of books can jump-start you on your learning path.
Best of luck to you! -- Kelly Prescott
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org