ITM ServShop

A great many people looking for upgrades to their certifications think primarily about instructor led classes. Typically delivered in a brick and mortar location. Sometimes in seminar form in some hotel’s meeting room or suite. A number of us just don’t always have the time to cut out of our daily schedule to attend instructor led classes. Granted, the best method for delivering knowledge is to go to school and receive the information from an instructor. But sometimes that just can’t happen.

As an alternative, people are looking today towards Computer Based Training. CBT’s are lessons, usually on CD, delivering the information using today’s multimedia technology. There is also a concept called eLearning. You subscribe to the classes you wish to take and pay a fee. You are given a login to a website and you learn at your own pace. Remember the self-paced education that you got from schools like CIE and others with the little subject books and the test in the back? Well, eLearning is a little like that only on the Internet instead of using those little subject books. Many people like this method because they can start and stop their lessons whenever they choose.

CBT’s do the same thing except the learning is self contained on the CD. You don’t need a high speed internet connection. Just a computer with a CD drive on board. The content is quite similar. It’s just a matter of taste. One of the benefits of the CBT is that you own the CD. Your eLearning subscription can run out before you’re finished with the product.

In any case, just remember that if you need more education for continuing in your profession, CBT’s and eLearning are viable alternatives to schools. There are many providers out there. You can learn just about any technical skill, especially in IT, from their catalogs.

If you have served your country in the Armed Services, you probably have a tale, anecdote, or war story. It occurred to me that we might want to share them with each other. I know that in my Military Career, I’ve been in a few scrapes and interesting moments that others of us can relate to or laugh at. So have you.

If you want to share those moments in your career with the rest of us, please let me know. If I get enough interest, I’ll post them on the Internet for everyone to enjoy.

All contributions are welcome. No matter where, when, or what Arm of the Service. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard members all have tales to tell and I want to give you a forum to share your experiences.

You can email your contributions to mailto:itmservnet@gmail.com. If you want to contribute, please give me your name, email address, and if you want your name used in the post. If you don’t want me to use your real name, give me a handle I can use in it’s place. I’ll take your stories in .doc, .txt, or .html format. When your story is posted, I’ll email you when it’s published.

Please help keep you contributions as clean as possible. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep out the blue portions of our experiences and keep them relevant and in context. Remember that we are not only sharing with each other, but with the world.

We have done our part to keep this country safe. Others are out there doing that job of us now. Remember and be thankful for our comrades in arms Overseas. Whether it’s sand dunes or rice paddies, we all have been there. We all know just how lonely and underappreciated we can feel at Zero Dark 30 in the boonies.