We keep hearing how AI cannot replace plumbers or electricians. This is also true for network technicians. I've been working in IT for over 30 years, and now I need industry certifications to back up that experience in a way that will enable me to launch a home-based business.

For this business to be successful, I do need to attain a few certifications that verify my experiences and put me within reach of the large A.I. data centers. The certifications I need are from BICSI.org. I need to complete the certification path through "Installer 2" and technician. There are four certifications, and this pathway is the gateway to more advanced BICSI certifications such as the RCDD. I can begin the work I seek to pursue with the first three certifications, but I do want to push for all four.

Each of the four certifications will cost me about $3,000, including exam fees. (This is a best guesstimate on the worst case.)

I was laid off from my job at Google on January 3rd of 2025, and it is now January of 2026. I was already living paycheck to paycheck, and as such, I do not have the funds for this. I am turning to my community for some help getting to these goals.

I am going to attempt these certifications via a virtual classroom using tools I already own. BICSI is encouraging in-person training using tools in their classroom, but I am trying to keep costs down. Hotel costs and airfare are simply too much at this time.

The home-based business summary:

I seek to create a mobile fiber optic emergency repair and installation truck that operates regionally to serve our three current data centers and a vast field of agricultural IoT customers. I plan to establish a network of mutual aid with other partners to provide a robust network of support services. This will require that I enter the local services with all of the right training, certifications, and tools from the very beginning.

While the emergency services I will support are mostly OSP (Outside Plant), the BICSI certifications are intended to support the data center customers on their own ground using certifications they rely on to verify the skill level of technicians they rely upon in emergencies. BICSI INSTF is a requirement of nearly every data center, and we have three of them within a short drive, dozens more within a two-hour drive. With all of the space and energy generation here, more are sure to follow.

One of my key differentiating factors I hope to provide is fiber optic emergency splicing for fiber optic networks, copper networks, and wireless networks, and troubleshooting up to OSI layer 3. This is intended to provide structured hand-off to the appropriate partners and streamline restoration of services, especially in the OSP environment. With the larger propensity of agricultural IoT devices being installed, I intend to capture a fair sum of the market there as well.