[colug-432] Readin', writin', 'rithmetic, etc.

[Matthew W. Miller]

Hello, world!

I'm a thirtysomething who's come up against a wall in terms of
jobseeking.  My precious high school diploma just isn't making the
grade, and I've been "between jobs" so long now that I've gotten into a
"can't get a job because of long gap because can't get a job because of
long gap because..." rut.  I suspect I need to get me some higher
education in order to get ahead, or indeed to even get in the door.

Now, I've been running personal Linux boxes of various flavors for the
past ten years or so (first Red Hat, nowadays Debian).  Understanding
the caveat that taking care of my own machine is a lot different from
taking care of other people's machines, I think I could learn what it
takes to make it as a sysadmin (or maybe network admin), but of course
in the current super-tight labor market, at least in my experience,
nobody wants to give an applicant the time of day unless he or she has a
degree.

Which is where the members of this list come in, if you don't mind your
brains being picked.  What programs/courses do you recommend pursuing?
What fields are in high/increasing demand?  What certifications are
likely to elicit more than a shrug?  Understanding also that everybody
has a different situation and different experiences, I'd like to have at
least an idea or two of what to look for before I start looking through
course catalogues and begging for financial aid.
-- 
Matthew W. Miller <mwmiller at columbus.rr.com>