I was reading The Big Moo: Stop Trying To Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable this morning, and Id recommend a copy of this to anyone who wants to improve their career and their future. And thats all of us, right?

There was one particular line that really stood out to me: Betting on change is always the safest bet available. That describes life perfectly, but it also describes a career in Information Technology perfectly as well. There is no field in the world that has the constant and never-ending changes that IT does. And every single one of us can look at this as a massive opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Is that how youre looking at it? I remember when I passed my first certification exam, the Novell CAN, back in 1997. Man, I thought I knew it all then. J But I quickly learned that youve got to keep learning in IT. I also learned that if youre willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices, theres no other field with the limitless potential for growth and excellence.

Like everyone else, my career has had its ups and downs, but I always kept learning and growing. Today, Ive got my dream job, working with students and customers just like you to help you create your own future.

The next 18 months are filled with endless possibilities, particularly with the rapid growth of VoIP and Microsoft Vista on the horizon. There will be those who rationalize their inertia, saying Ill never have to support those, so I dont need to learn them."

There will also be those who see VoIP and Vista as enormous opportunities to learn and advance in their careers and their lives. These people will get started today, learning the fundamentals of Cisco and advancing their networking knowledge in order to be ready for opportunities as they come along.

You cant start studying and learning when the opportunity arrives youve got to be ready when opportunity knocks. If youve been putting off studying for a Cisco or other computer certification and I know the summer is a really good time for putting off studying get back on track today.

Because you never know what opportunities are going to come along but you do know that when they do, youve got to be ready to take advantage. After all, opportunity really does knock only once!