Michael posted a comment just a bit ago that got me thinking. I’m very open to this sort of stuff right now because it is a position I am in. I am sponging up everything I can learn still on a rather broad scale, and I am also not in a job that I see myself sticking another year in. I guess, like Bridget Jones with relationships, I’m looking for something extraordinary that adds to my life, as opposed to sucks away 8 hours or more a day. There’s plenty out there, so it is a waste to stay in something that doesn’t fit the bill.

So part of Michael’s post was:

I thought I’d be a shoe-in but alas, everyone was looking for the Exchange-SQL-Checkpoint-Oracle-Linux-Unix-and-all-the-Windows-versions guy. Sucks to be me I guess.

That’s too true. I really hate those adds and people who are expecting an IT guy to know 15 mainstream things and then an additional 5 rather small tools or technologies. And then to only have 2-4 years of experience and get paid a barely competitive level. What the hell?

It is important to realize one’s limitations and skills when looking for an IT job these days. Do I know all 20 tools? Or better yet, do I have the capability to learn the tools I don’t know at the moment? Is the company (manager) looking for someone who can grow into those roles, or already knows them at that level?

And that’s where I am today. I am keeping myself broad and rather open and knowledgable about a hell of a lot of things in IT and security, but have yet to really dive in and get to be an expert in any one (then again, I am likely harder on myself than others are on me, so others may consider me nearly expert whereas I think I have a ways to go…).

This way, when I find that job that truly adds to my life, I can adapt to it and see what opportunities are presented to me. For instance, if I happen to get a job that opens doors to web app security, I can quite happily dive into it feet first. Likewise with something like PCI/DSS.

By the way, yes, that means I may post my resume somewhere around here in the near future. If you want to see it or offer suggestions or see what I did as inspiration in your own, feel free to email or IM me and I’d be happy to give it out.