IT Insights Blog — TestOut Continuing Education

Information technology (IT) certification training leads to employment, right? Yes and no. When it comes to seeking IT employment en route to a full-fledged IT career, nothing trumps experience. Enter the ever-frustrating Catch-22: “How am I supposed to land a job that requires experience, when I first need a job to gain experience?”

What do actress Courtney Cox and TestOut PC Pro have in common? No, it’s not Michael J. Fox — although Family Ties was a great show. The connection is actually through the Alabama Department of Career and Technical Education (CTE). It’s a state-run program that combines the academic courses that students will need for success in college with the technical courses that they will need to prepare for a career. The tech aspect of the program is designed to improve the technical and academic preparation of students and to provide a transition plan for those who want to enter a tech-related field

“It’s an Onix!” came a yell from within the large crowd. Nearly 200 phone-fixated folks who had gathered on the library lawn that night immediately turned and bolted across a busy street to catch the rare Pokémon hiding there. Upon returning to the library, one could hear the same phrase being shared throughout the crowd: “Gotta catch ’em all!”

Round numbers almost always make people happy, so here's one to chew on: Exactly 30 years ago, Hollywood opened up a highway to the danger zone with the release of a little action movie about the elite training program for U.S. Naval Aviators. Not only that, but last year showbiz scuttlebutt emerged that the producer of Top Gun, the movie that turned Tom Cruise into a movie superstar, is ready to bring back that lovin' feeling. Top Gun 2 will not, apparently, be doing a flyby of the box office this year, but the movie is in development with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Cruise both aboard.

OK! Alright. Things didn’t turn out quite the way I expected for Dub Nation. We did end up with the best regular season NBA record ever (73-9), and another MVP trophy for my man Steph. Unfortunately we got surprised by LeBron and his Cavaliers in the Finals, and the less said about the release of the Curry 2, the better. It was a disappointing denouement to a great season, but I do still have reason to celebrate — the girls’ soccer team I coach went undefeated for a third straight season. (We were a defensive powerhouse, shutting out opponents more than 57 percent of the time and compiling a goal-differential of 4 to 1.)