I have finally had a moment to sit down and right about this. On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, I was in mental health crisis and admitted to a hospital to get better. During this hospitalization, I had something of a total change in career direction and more thoughts. I guess I have changed my mind about a masters program. While I was inpatient, I had time to reflect on what it is that I really want to do. I know I love information technology and networks when I don’t have to do the work professionally in corporate. So I thought about what it is I like about computers and networks, which is to say I love them when I can experiment and teach.
One thing lead to another, I did a lot of brain storming, and came up with a name for my school, Techknowledgy Now. The aim for this school is to be a combination of information certification preparation and extra learning labs to make students much more well-rounded when they graduate. For example, one lesson with a lab would be on how the domain name system works. On our lab network, we would create a mock setup with several top level domains and explore how DNS works. I think this would be far more interesting to most students than simply a certification preparation.
After all of this brainstorming, it’s time to begin the basics. The first step is obviously going to buy the domain names for the school and begin the setup of a website. That will be a good first step. Then I can use ChatGPT to help develop a logo, Powerpoint theme, and curriculum. I can also use ChatGPT to help with forming the non-profit. This has been something I’ve considered doing and perhaps I might have a knack for it.
The neat thing is that this school will also encourage experimentation and thinking for solutions beyond what is simply offered through some expensive product from a well-known vendor. I want to open students’ eyes to the world that is open source software and creative techniques for solving problems inexpensively and reliably. I believe that this would make schooling less tedious and more fascinating for my potential students. Experimentation is a large part of learning so I am going to encourage this. Sometimes a simple, “What if I did this…..” makes learning engaging.
I am thinking that this could very well be the kind of career where I actually enjoy both going to work and still retain the passion for computers and networks that I have.