Subject: OT: Desktop sys admin/network engineer

From: Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:22:02 -0600

My uncle is a systems administrator for a contract IT company based here in Denver.  He makes very good money and is good at what he does.  Primarily he deals with server based networks, setting up and maintaining hardware, and troubleshooting (but not writing or developing) software.  
He has nudged me in the direction of obtaining a starting associates degree in this field and pursuing further education once I am working in the field.  

Do any of you guys work in a field such as his?  Is the work rewarding?  
I love computers, always have...  Im probably not the guy to write and develop software, but troubleshooting and maintaining networks just sounds right up my alley (with proper training, of course).

Im in a sh## dead end job now...  This seems like a viable and exciting option going forward.  Any thoughts, guys?

Owen Brand
Opry99er

---

From: Chris and Veronica Schneider <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:32:41 -0500

I work in the same type of IT field.  I have been doing it for 25 years.

Coding as a job can be very frustrating, especially when you just can't
figure out what the hell is wrong with a module and you wake up in the
middle of the night and realize you put a semicolon in the wrong place.  Of
course then you can't sleep until you go back and fix it.  Not fun..

I manage networks, Windows Server systems and Citrix Systems.  Love my job
and it pays very well.  I have multiple certifications.

As far as education goes, some companies require it for you to get in the
door, other's only require certifications.  Down here in Houston, it's the
later.  

Out of all the places I have worked, Houston probably has the best job
market for IT fields in any sort of IT area you want to get in.

Chris

From:  Owen Brand <[email-masked]>
Reply-To:  <[email-masked]>
Date:  Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:22:02 -0600
To:  <[email-masked]>
Subject:  [TI994A] OT: Desktop sys admin/network engineer

My uncle is a systems administrator for a contract IT company based here in
Denver.  He makes very good money and is good at what he does.  Primarily he
deals with server based networks, setting up and maintaining hardware, and
troubleshooting (but not writing or developing) software.
He has nudged me in the direction of obtaining a starting associates degree
in this field and pursuing further education once I am working in the field.

Do any of you guys work in a field such as his?  Is the work rewarding?
I love computers, always have...  Im probably not the guy to write and
develop software, but troubleshooting and maintaining networks just sounds
right up my alley (with proper training, of course).

Im in a sh## dead end job now...  This seems like a viable and exciting
option going forward.  Any thoughts, guys?

Owen Brand
Opry99er

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:07:41 -0000

I was bitten by the computer bug in a Physical Chemistry lab in 1963 and
never let it go.  Though I have a PhD in Biochemistry and worked most of
my career as an Analytical Chemist, I worked computer programming and
computer systems into most of my activities and spent most of the latter
part of my career in systems support and programming of one variety or
another.  I am certainly enjoying myself in retirement messing around
with the 4A.  I've completed my second edition of the TI Forth
Instruction Manual and I'm nearly ready to release a file-based
block-I/O version of TI Forth I've decided to call fbForth.  I want to
eventually hoist fbForth into cartridge space, but that will likely be a
bit farther down the road.  Rambling on...
...lee
--- In [email-masked], Chris and Veronica Schneider  wrote:
> From:  Owen Brand owen.brand@...
> Reply-To:  [email-masked]
> To:  [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:57:46 -0700

Owen;

I have worked all of my life as either a programmer, systems administrator and software support engineer. I currently work as a software support engineer supporting an email, calendar and IM product. The really nice thing about this position and my previous position is that I work from home. I couldn't ask for a better working environment. :-) The work is both mentally and monetarily rewarding.

Regards,
Michael

> Im in a sh## dead end job now... This seems like a viable and exciting option going forward. Any thoughts, guys?

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

---

From: "Ksarul" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:34:08 -0400

Owen, I do electronics/computer support work (started with special purpose
teletypes and cryptographic equipment and moved on from there).  It is
definitely rewarding (I do network security administration now), and the
certifications are usually the trick that gets your foot in the door.  Note
that you would also need to look at Security+ if you want to try to get a
job that touches the Federal government (even as a contractor).  A+ is a
mostly generic entry ticket-but it often does get you in the door, and that
makes it worth the time/effort/money.

Jim

From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]] On Behalf Of
[email-masked]
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 3:58 AM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: [TI994A] OT: Desktop sys admin/network engineer

Owen;

I have worked all of my life as either a programmer, systems administrator
and software support engineer. I currently work as a software support
engineer supporting an email, calendar and IM product. The really nice thing
about this position and my previous position is that I work from home. I
couldn't ask for a better working environment. :-) The work is both mentally
and monetarily rewarding.

Regards,

Michael

  

Owen Brand
Opry99er

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a
replacement.

---

From: Gregory McGill <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:45:45 -0700

Owen,

I started in the 80's developing software thinking I'd make the next game
craze and be rich but soon learned it was thankless work with little to no
return so migrated to system repair and network engineering.

Got a job while in high school repairing PC's for a little computer shop.

While attending college and learning un-useful things like COBOL I taught
myself Info-share (Novell Netware's first incarnation) on the job at an
escrow company that needed a network engineer/sys admin but had no idea
what that was at the time (1987) and instead paid me $5 an hour as a
graveyard-shift "data entry operator" while I did that level of work.
 Taught myself netware and pc software there then supported it.

Ended up quitting (and dropping out of school) and getting a job as the
"computer support specialist" at a hard disk servo-writing and certifier
company for a bit more $. My title there should have been IT director but
they didn't understand IT either.  I built networks, cross topology mac and
PC using TOPS and twisted pair strewn around the complex set up PCs for
executives and workers etc..

When I got laid off from there I got a job doing field network engineering
and system admin on turnkey legal systems with Netware 2 and 3.   Got a lot
of experience there thinnet, arcnet, twisted pair arcnet.. Building
servers, troubleshooting and installing networks in strange buildings with
little/no planning

When I got sick of driving 300mi a day I went to work for Packard Bell as a
tech support monkey, which lasted about 90 days until I determined they
needed a support BBS. Wrote a proposal and it was approved and set up a
multi-line majorbbs there for that, and then ended up running that and
their CompuServe forum for 3 years..  Was a lot of fun running a BBS for a
living as I'd done it for a hobby for years.. Even if it was for the worst
computer manufacturer in history.

Got my CNE in Netware 3/4 when I decided to leave Packard Bell and move to
Oregon. Took a week off work and did a crash course to pass the tests.
 Then flew up to Oregon to look for a job.

Landed a job at a computer store in Eugene as a Network Engineer.   Did
networks all over the place including city halls etc.. ended up convincing
our biggest customer, a motor home company, that they needed their own
staff to manage their networks, and recommended myself for the job.

Worked there as Director of Management Info Services for 3+ years..
 Directed and managed their voice and data systems, Netware and Lucent
Definity phone systems.  Installed most of it myself with the help of 1-2
staff and vendors..

Left there to start a consulting business, as I thought I could make more
money with less hassle. That lasted about 9 mo before i was hungry and
accepted an offer to manage an internet provider in Portland.

Worked there for about 2 years, did TCP/IP network design, built red
hat Linux servers, designed dial up internet centers and DSL and managed
their internet business and the Portland office and designed and managed
the tech support staff.

Got laid off in 2001 (once I'd fixed everything and made it work right they
didn't need me anymore!) and was out of "real work" for about 2 years.. did
a lot of consulting and network engineering around town with a lot of
self-networking and word of mouth referrals which kept me housed and fed
and my baby in diapers..  also sold arcade games and such at that time as
well. Tried to make the arcade game business my career but the economy
tanked and took the business with it.

Went back to work "fixing" ATM machines for an armored car co (first line
response was basically clear paper jams anything more complicated
technically you had to call someone else) did that for a year, and then
worked Diebold (the manufacturer of the ATM's)  for another year doing the
same job just for them.. Tried to get them to promote me into a real tech
position, they wouldn't so i went looking for an IT job.

Landed another IT network job doing voice,video,data networks, Mitel phone
systems and sysadmin for a company that brought fiber optics and those
services into resort complexes and buildings.  Worked there for like 2
years and determined they were going out of business soon so I started
looking.

Jumped to where I am today which is a horse racing betting co. Started as a
network engineer/Linux sysadmin half and half and now I'm in charge of IT
infrastructure,  network operations, production admin and strategic
technology.   Been here just over 5 years..

As you can see network engineering has pretty much kept me employed most of
my adult life.  It's hard work sometimes, rewarding other times.. grunt
work for not much pay in the past.. People have finally realized their
networks are important in the last 10 years..

I learned a lot of it myself, falling back on my computer skills I taught
myself on my TI in my teens: figure it out, do it yourself, read the manual
and try things, don't wait around for someone else to make something cuz it
ain't happening etc :)   I credit owning a 99/4a for a lot of my skills and
troubleshooting ability.   If I'd had an apple II I probably wouldn't be
half as successful.

The ONLY formal training I've had was in the early 90s getting my CNE from
Novell, that pretty much got my foot in the door at the next job and then
my skills have kept me employed since. Haven't bothered to get more certs,
they are for people with time :)

You should learn as much as you can, get at least the basic certs you need
to get a job in the field and go get experience. With your passion for tech
i don't see you failing at anything you enjoy and put your mind too.

Greg

On Sun, Jun 9, 2013 at 9:22 PM, Owen Brand <[email-masked]>wrote:

> **
>
>
> My uncle is a systems administrator for a contract IT company based here
> in Denver. He makes very good money and is good at what he does. Primarily
> he deals with server based networks, setting up and maintaining hardware,
> and troubleshooting (but not writing or developing) software.
> He has nudged me in the direction of obtaining a starting associates
> degree in this field and pursuing further education once I am working in
> the field.
>