Unexpected Outcomes

July is here, and we're getting very close to the Final Four of the biggest sporting event in the world, soccer's FIFA World Cup. Believe it or not this thing has only been rolling for 88 years — the first World Cup was held in 1930 — and two tournaments were skipped on account of World War II. So there have only been 21 World Cup titles, and Germany (4 titles) and Brazil (5 titles) have almost half of them. These guys are like the Celtics and Lakers of soccer.

After getting off to a rocky start in Group Stage play with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, the Brazilians are on track. Team Brazil will face Belgium on Friday for a shot at competing in next week's semifinal round. Germany, on the other hand, was eliminated in the Group Stage, losing two of three matches. It's not as embarrassing as Team USA's failing to make the World Cup at all, but it's still pretty embarrassing, especially when you're the defending champs.

Also of note is that the current World Cup is being played in Russia. And you know who has already advanced to the Round of 16 and is just one more underdog victory away from making the semis? Hey, look, it's Team Russia! Imagine that. Vladimir Putin could certainly imagine that. Good thing that FIFA is the most incorruptible sports governing association in the world, and hasn't been involved in a major scandal since at least 2015.

One IT takeaway from all of this is to remember that life is unpredictable. Computers and technology are famously governed by logic and rationality. Yet even so, you can't look at every IT situation and know exactly what the outcome will be, to say nothing of precisely how events will unfold to create that outcome. (Well, maybe unless you're Vladimir Putin.) Sometimes the details can get a little catawampus, and you end up, like Team Germany, wondering what went wrong.

That's why it's good to keep your IT certifications up to date. Technology is constantly changing, and it can be a little dizzying trying to stay current. Even those who work in the industry every day have to run to keep up. At TestOut Continuing Education, we're here when you need us. You can grab a subscription, get a quick refresher, and go on your way. If you need to make a World Cup bet, Brazil is still in the mix. If you want to bet on great IT training, look to TestOut CE.