Starting the New Year with a Bang!

Starting the New Year with a Bang!
I did it again this New Year’s eve. I waited in line for an hour to get into Saint John the Devine for the annual concert for peace. The idea for the Concert for Peace was originally developed by Leonard Bernstein. He chose Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man�, as the opening piece and it has been used since the 1980s. Harry Smith, Judy Collins, Martin Cortese, Lauren Flanigan, John Musto, Amy Burton, and the NYC Philharmonic Orchestra were all in attendance once again this year. The concept for the Concert for Peace is based upon the community gathering to send out the old year with a wish for the coming one of Peace on Earth. I was especially pleased to hear and see the African ensemble with Kewulay Kamara and Sarah Dioubate doing a Badenya greeting called, “Being of One Mother.� The main instrument used for this song was this real cool looking 22 string instrument which looks like a big banjo made of animal skin and wood. I came away from this concert ready to start 2009 renewed and ready for the job at hand.

The job? Find work for CCIEs ready for a change or hurt by the economy anywhere in the world!

I have been asked to support the drive with Cisco’s Talent team in the emerging markets of Egypt and Africa. Botswana is an interesting place and I have learned that the historic effort there to build a modern infrastructure for the country includes a lot of work for Channel Partners and CCIEs. Egypt is also an area of concern for networking talent. I am still supporting the efforts of channels in Belgium, Switzerland, UK, Canada, UAE, USA, Mexico, Finland, Germany, France, and more coming daily. I am in a good position to help CCIEs and future CCIEs with career choices like never before.

For a better run down of the openings click here; http://www.ccieagent.com/33301.html

2009 is here and with it there is a renewed effort on my team’s part to connect with many of the CCIEs and Network Engineers in my network in order to make sure they are doing OK. We have seen a lot of scary news about lay-offs, reductions in force, downsizing, rightsizing, and cut backs. My resolve remains firm in support of the Channel Partners since they are still hiring and Cisco solutions are still in big demand.

Harry Smith said it felt like the whole country is waiting to exhale when he spoke this past New Year’s Eve, but I would say the whole world is waiting to exhale. There is still a lot to do to make the economy right and the mid-size and small business are leading the recovery and this is another reason I am pleased to be supporting Cisco Channel Partners, most of which meet that profile. It would be good advice to consider these companies as a next move.

I started my New Year with a bang when I returned to the office today. With dozens of CCIEs submitted for openings and many new roles to satisfy. So it is back to work!

Here’s hoping your year is starting off with a bang too!

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