Wow.

I have to apologize. I am not keeping up much with my blog as of late.

So, what have I been up to in all this time? Well, I’ve earned CWNE last March, I am CWNE #275. This had been quite the trek, since it is required, as you may know, to pass 4 exams and submit an application before a board of peers to be recognized as an expert in wireless. Being awarded the cert is quite humbling. I feel like it marks both the end of a journey and the beginning of a new quest for knowledge. Wi-Fi is such a vast subject, with 802.11ax coming up and the perspective of new channels in the higher end of the 5GHz spectrum, there is still much to learn. As a matter of fact, with automation coming our way, and more and more devices ditching their ethernet ports for one form or another of wireless connexion, CWNP has decided to look into creating a new train of certs, the “systems” train.

Exams and certs are the core business of CWNP, so they take the development of any new exam really seriously. In order to create the upcoming associate-level certification of the systems train, they gathered 8 SMEs for a couple of days in order to write up a JTA (Job Task Analysis) for the person who would be a CWSA. I had the pleasure of participating in the JTA and let me tell you: course dev and JTAs are no easy task. With 8 SMEs around the table, none of which do the exact same job, opinions fly around the table faster than a beacon on a 802.11 network. Regardless we finally came up with a tangible, realistic and task oriented job description for the CWSA:

The Certified Wireless Solutions Administrator (CWSA) implements, administers and troubleshoots technologies that heavily rely upon, or directly integrate with, wireless systems. This individual is able to install, customize, and coordinate appropriate solutions to meet an organization’s requirements and constraints.

Folks, this is the beginning of something new for CWNP but I feel strongly that the industry needs it. I cannot go a week without getting requests into whether something interferes with 802.11 networks, or if we can onboard, support or automate something else. I am really looking forward to this new train of expertise (and I can’t wait to take CWSA at Wi-Fi Trek either!)

Some of you know that it is not my first collaboration with CWNP (aside from having the certifications of course!). I have also had the chance to do some technical edition and co-author books for them. Not that I want to brag but both were amazing experiences. There is definite truth to the saying that writing something or trying to explain it to someone else consolidates one’s knowledge about a subject. Hopefully I will get to write some more, as I really enjoyed it. I’m grateful Tom C and Sean S invited me to be part of this process, what an awesome opportunity!

I  also finally  took ECSE this year, after working with Ekahau Software since v 2.1. I strongly encourage anyone who wants to master the software to look into that class. Even for an experienced user, there are so many tips and tricks that Keith Parsons and his team of trainers teach you that the time you’ll save will make the class pay for itself. Once you’ve completed that class, there is also a follow-up created by Blake Krone, Advanced Ekahau. Hopefully I will have the occasion to take the later at some point, Blake is quite the power user, knows reports inside out and so many more tricks I’m sure.

Next up in my bucket list of objectives: more book writing, class development, tech editing, teaching (CWNT is a formality as we speak) and getting involved more and more in this community I love. My boss will also tell you I have to work, my husband and son will say I’m also a mom, and my WLA pals may remind me I’m still chairwoman of the WLA’s standard’s commitee…yeah. More. More living, more experiences, more certs (gotta recert that CCNP eh?).

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On another subject. I am meeting with a journalist this afternoon to discuss the role of women in IT. I thought I’d try to share my point of view on the subject here first, to wrap my thoughts about it.

Thinking back at my younger self, I would not have thought a career in IT was for me. To me, the only sucessful IT pro was a strange cross between a lab rat and a mad scientist. Plus, when I was a teen, IT was not something cool. It was the early beginnings of the Internet and computers were mysterious, complicated and…well…boring! It was way more sexy to dream of fashion design, or communications. How wrong was I! There is so much to learn, so much more to try, to master, to create in IT, especially in telecommuncations…

Honestly, if there was one thing I’d change, it would be to go straight into IT. Instead I took the long way there. Regardless, I am thankful of where my dorky geeky self landed. I have a job I love, and my subject matter is…well, infinite….

I know, I know, hindsight is always 20/20…but still!