Can go a long way, unfortunately, these days too many people are focusing on general IT degrees or MCSE certs that don’t amount to much when it comes to actual hands on ability. I’ve grown up in the IT field. Pops worked for IBM for something like 28 years before he took early retirement and moved on to Hitachi Data Systems and a couple of other IT jobs. Its always come natural to me (as I’ve grown up around it) and if I run in to a problem I need help with the big G is usually there to lend a hand.

One area I’ve always looked at though are the benefits of getting a Cisco certification. Cisco is the uncontested leader in networking and one of their certifications would come in no end of handy when battling the network gremlins. Who knows, if I had one of the certs, I probably wouldn’t go glassy eyed when someone starts talking about the benefits of IPv6 over IPv4. Luckily, there’s a good resource for those of us in the field who are looking to expand our horizons.

The Cicso Learning Center offers a huge array of Cisco certification programs and training that will help get you ready for the real world applications of networking as opposed to the “book” knowledge most programs provide. Another plus is that there is a nice size userbase to lean on when you need a little help.

Take a look at their CCENT program, geared for those interested in getting in to Network management. There are some pretty cool tools on there (such as the binary game) and its a terrific place to start learning the biz for network management. *mental note, must strengthen network management skills*. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Ever wonder what your blog or website is really worth? I was sailing the interweb today and I came across an excellent link at OrangeInks which helps put a dollar figure on your hard work.

CubeStat does just that. Plugin your URL (or any for that matter) and wait a moment or two as it scours the web for information pertaining to your site. Once its done, you’ll be treated to visual feast of information including dollar value, income, page views, alexa/quantacast rating, dmoz listing information, page rank and more. Its a pretty detailed listing of information, including a somewhat out of date thumbnail of the site (DoG has the *OLD* blue theme, so you know its been a while!).

I was pretty pleased to see that Linuxtracker was worth more then 20k and Delusions was worth more than 5k. Those are pretty respectible numbers considering the amount of work thats gone in to them.

Anyone want to make me an offer??

Don’t forget about the ENTRECARD CONTESTS I’m running right now, you have the chance to win 3k in credits!! Also, if you haven’t Joined the Pepperjam Network and Received your $10 Sign On Bonus You’re missing out on a great opportunity to take your blogging to the next level!!