Mccafferty

Hello all.

I have been reading a LOT on this forum and found it an amazing site with so much useful info my head is spinning

I am trying to find out if I am qualified enough to move abroad (not quite sure were yet, was looking at Australia mostly) so wanted to post my experience and see if it is possible or if I need to re-qualify.

I am 32, living in the UK. I have been interested in computers for most of my life and about 10 years ago started building them as a hobby. I have not had much of an employment record due to having insomnia that I nicely inherited from my grandmum (I couldnt have just had her eyes)

At 27 I got a good grip on things and took myself of to college. The qualifications I gained were;

Comptia A+ (hardware and software)
Comptia Network+
City and Guild Level 2 I.T Practitioners
City and Guild Level 3 I.T Practitioners with networking
Cisco CCNA
Certificate in delivering learning 7302 (equivilant to an A level)

Since I have aquired my qualifications, I have spent 2 years working volunteerly as a jack of all trades in a local animal rescue centre but primarily as a Network Manager. I have projected managed (on a charities budget LOL) 3 client/server networks (Windows XP and Server 2003), then removed the server (broke due to an electrical fault onsite) and replaced it with a LAN. After the other 2 I.T employees left, I was left in sole charge of managing the network, building any new computers needed, rewiring the site as and when needed, backups, software, installations, contact with retailers for parts and for you I.T people out there, everything else LOL.

My other duties there are working with dogs/cats/wildlife and general building work and project management as and when needed.

I am currently starting up my own I.T business (fix/repair and network installation) but I am very stuck with my next move, in your opinion what counts for more in terms of experience, getting a job in I.T or starting my own business? does it really matter?

Also my girlfriend is finishing her degree next year and this is when we are interested in emigrating but, if I am under qualified, I may go to university to do a teaching or an I.T degree.

I know I have not really specifies a country but any advice in terms of where I may come stuck would be grately appreciated as you people have mostly been there and done it so please help

Thank you for reading

Michael

Mccafferty

Hello again

Just to update, thanks to all the people for taking the time to read my thread

Due to wanting to take my dog with me, I have settled on Canada, preferably Vancouver. Are there I.T work avaliable there.

Thank you

Michael

christmasoompa

Why can't you take your dog elsewhere?? Confused if that's your only reason for choosing Canada as you can take him pretty much anywhere you want, most countries these days are in the pet passport scheme so it's the same process to take a pet to the majority of countries, Canada is no different.

Hope that helps!

Dreamer

Maybe due to the fact there is no quarantine in Canada for dogs coming from the UK.

christmasoompa

But there isn't for most other countries as well including USA, Oz and NZ. So I was just confused as to why that was his reason for picking Canada when he can take his dog pretty much anywhere in the world using the same process and just as easily!!

Dreamer

There's a 3 month quarantine if taking an animal to Oz from the UK. None in Nz mind you. It's something we considered as we also have a dog and he'd have hated being in quarantine, but in saying that we didn't choose Canada just for the mutt!

christmasoompa

Didn't realise that Oz still did quarantine!! Most countries don't now with the pet passport scheme. Still, the majority of countries in the world would be just as easy as Canada to take a dog too so still not sure why he's picked there based on that!!

Edited to add: have just looked it up and it seems to only be 30 days quarantine for dogs from UK, must have changed since you looked at it as it doesn't appear to be 3 months now. Although any length of quarantine is far from ideal obviously.

Babycatcher

I was told Oz was 30 days???