My first LOPSA post... here goes-

As a technically-inclined physical therapy student derailed into windows systems administration a couple of years ago (I'm the onsite IT department under a 3rd party firm for a medium sized medical facility) I am now feeling the need to tackle some certification exams to move forward (backward? sideways?)...
(breath)
Anyways,
I took an extra-curricular high school class on A+ certification but didn't feel confident enough to take the test. Now, I'm gaining experience in linux (openSUSE, centOS and ubuntu- particularly around virtualization and server management), and am very on board with the open source, open mind, open world philosophy.

As a tech-inclined physical therapy student, I found myself derailed into windows systems administration a couple of years ago (I'm the onsite IT department for a medical facility) and am now feeling the need for formal credentialing to move forward (backwards? sideways? anyways). I'm also bridging the gap with linux (openSUSE) and am very interested (though semi-layman) about open-source co-implementation.

Can anyone give their thoughts and opinions on where a greenish admin might start focusing their efforts?

I took a class on A+ certification in high school as an elective but didn't feel confident to take the exam (plus it was a lot of money back then). Now I meet a lot of MCSE folk. Is a combo A+/Network+ considered about equal? Linux certifications?

Attached is the transcript of the May 2010 LOPSA Live session. This session includes after PICC comments, LOPSA Mentorship Program, position changes for Trey and Travis, and calls for volunteers, most specifically for OLFU, mentoring and the newly open positions).

Attached is the transcript of the December 2009 LOPSA Live session. My (pckizer) apologies for the delay in getting it posted; holiday activities and my forgetfulness colluded to lead to my lapse in posting. This was a short session we expect due to the already mentioned holiday prep on the part of many people. Volunteers and participants for SCALE are still requested as well as a pre-announcement of plans for a NJ event this coming year. Our new Executive Director, MaryBeth Kurland, was with us to be introduced as Deepa has an opportunity in a direction that takes her from primary but will still let her be available in Association Headquarters.

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                           The Lopsagram

         The League of Professional System Administrators
 
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Please email board@lopsa.org with any questions, comments, or ideas.
            We always want to hear from our membership.

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In this memo:

1. A November Note from Ski
2. LOPSA returns to SCALE 8X
3. New mailing list focused on small sites
4. Luke S. Crawford wins 2009 Chuck Yerkes Award  

ABLEconf is this weekend in Phoenix, AZ with great talks on leveraging open source tools to reduce IT costs and increase flexibility. During ABLEconf, you can join LOPSA for $40 and get a free T-Shirt! Tell your friends and support LOPSA and ABLEconf.