LOL! It is interesting how synchronous my Yesterweb/Neocities friends and I can be sometimes. The past few days I was focused a lot on business and how we might transform it for the better...

I agree with your assessment and your explanations are lucid. If I am being completely honest, I don't have a high opinion of certifications, although I do respect that it can sometimes be an indicator that someone has a certain level of understanding or experience in regards to a specific subject. Ultimately, I think it comes down to demonstrating one's abilities. Sadness, you have such an incredibly high level of technical skill, creativity, and productivity (as evidenced by this website and all of the other projects that you've done) that you don't need to pay for a test from CompTIA to prove it. If a company cannot appreciate your portfolio, you probably don't want to work there. If they need a cert for legal purposes, then ask them to take care of the cost as part of training. The worst that can happen is that they say "No", and again, any company that is not willing to work with you is one that you probably don't want to work for anyway...I do not want to make any assumptions about you or your situation though, and anything that I have to say on the matter should be taken with a grain of salt.

As for my experiences...I've spent a good chunk of my life in poverty. I have never gone to college and only passed high school online, long after I had first dropped out. There have been many times where I have become tired with how society seems to be going, felt very alienated, and just wanted to leave it. The only thing that has made it bearable has been the company and support of some close family and friends, some random acts of kindness from "strangers", and the joy that I feel when I try to commune with the potential of what we can become through meditative contemplation. Sometimes I am humbled enough to catch a glimpse of an indescribable Love that permeates everything. It brings me to tears and helps me to remember my purpose. I am very grateful that things get a little better each time that I reflect upon it. Will the society that I hope to see be manifested within my lifetime? Perhaps. But if not, I want to at least be among those who help plant the seeds for trees whose shade they may never know. I get the impression that you feel the same.

Take care.