Time for a change of career? #500wordsaday

niallon11 (68)in Qurator • 4 years ago

This is where dedication to the cause comes in. I’ve been going since I got up for work at 4.30am this morning. The store manager is on leave at the moment which means I have somehow ended up running the place. (Don’t worry. It seems to be holding together fairly well. Some might even say a bit better than usual but then again I am a bit biased.)

Did a twitter interview with the all powerful @nathanmars who seems to be running 24 hours of the day. I’ve been to dinner with my girlfriend’s family and it is now 11pm and I have finally gotten back to the house almost 19 hours later.

I still have some catching up to do with Nathans work ethic.
Glass of wine in hand and now sitting in my comfy armchair I want to make sure that I get my 500 words added to the community. There might be some days where I actually can’t make it so I won’t miss the days where it is an issue of laziness to post.

One of the things that I was thinking about today is a change of direction. I currently work in retail as a manager and have a degree in business management from about 8 years ago. I do like the job for the most part but the hours are cruel. Shift work, early starts and with no proper schedule it has held me back in some aspects of life. I have also done quite well from it so it wasn’t all bad.

That was fine when I was unattached and young with no fear of 5am starts and could go drinking on a Tuesday. My back was strong and I could work all day. Over time unfortunately these things change and so do circumstances. It’s been on my mind to change career for the past couple of years but I have no idea where to go next. I do enjoy a lot of the job but I want consistency. It’s not an immediate rush to move but it’s time to seriously think about where next.

One of my good friends sent me a link yesterday that really caught my interest. There is a site over here that is a government initiative and re-education opportunity. They offer a range of courses that are partly subsidised by the taxpayer.

He is in a good job as well but is also looking to the future and was looking towards a management qualification when he found one that he said might interest me.

Certificate in Blockchain for Business

Sounds perfect right?

The Certificate in Blockchain for Business will appeal to business professionals and managers in a wide range of businesses. Blockchain is a new, disruptive technology which has the potential to change way business is conducted in the future graduates of this course will have the knowledge and skills necessary to apply Blockchain techniques and capabilities to their own businesses. This course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of Blockchain, and its implications and effects on business models and processes. Blockchain is the technology which underpins the Cryptocurrency market, it's most famous incarnation being the Bitcoin digital currency. There is a great deal of debate about the legitimacy of such electronic currencies and their future is somewhat uncertain especially given their dramatic devaluation over the past year, however, commentators and technologists both agree that the underlying technology of Blockchain is the real star of the show and its potential uses seemingly limitless. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology, a decentralised, distributed database that maintains a list of records that are secured from tampering and revision (so-called immutable) without the need for central authority. The core characteristics of Blockchain, immutability, speed and security, create the ideal platform for tracking and protecting high-value assets and critical data. Records encrypted on the Blockchain are immutable i.e. they cannot be changed or erased. This provides a single version of the truth and provides assurances of the authenticity of the data the Blockchain system itself will confirm the authenticity of transactions through the consensus of all users. The decentralised nature of Blockchain provides security for the records and all parties to the transaction hold a complete copy of the database, no one entity has control. Blockchain can also provide for Smart Contracts, otherwise called self-executing contracts where assets can be exchanged.

I have the requirements for the course even though I’m not sure how my computer skills would hold up in an environment like this but it did catch my eye. The course is 90% subsidized and is only €300. It takes place online over a 1 year period and gives out a level 8 qualification when completed. That is a high level over here.

My main worry is that with an already busy life, if I could dedicate myself to it enough to do well. If it is above my skill range when we get into the computer side of it and how I would use it to move on from my current position.

I have until the 31st of July to apply for it with 25 spaces available. I would need to get proof of my previous degree which I have already sent an email about just to be in the right position. I’m really not sure if it is the way forward for me but I do love this whole area of technology and blockchain in general.

What do you guys think?