Well, it's different than how I did it. I was working in a reasonably responsible customer service position in the credit department of a fairly large organization when I received notification that there was an opening on the data processing/mainframe helpdesk. I jumped on that immediately
The hiring manager knew I was interested in computers, but cared more about my phone skills - she asked me several questions designed to elicit my ability to give directions and understand people as they operated line printers and 3270 terminals and cash registers and suchlike. Those customer service skills, augmented by a never-completed 2-year programming curriculum from a few years before that, which included some JCL, 360 assembler, COBOL, Fortran RPG III, etc., got me hired. Aside from running a few bits of JCL, I never took advantage of the programming I learned, but later got involved with supporting folks running MS Office products on IBM PS/2s, stringing cat3 cables for 16mbit TokenRing and SNA for Win3.1and Novell 3.11. The rest, as they say, is history. She and a couple of other managers there were among the best I ever had, too. I have thanked each one of them over the years after I left that firm, and I still miss them. Kurt On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 12:58, David Lum <david....@nwea.org> wrote: > "... It's just that one fateful day, I was told, "You're good at fixing > computers; you are now our systems administrator!"." > > And that's different than the rest of us...how? :-) > > Dave > > -----Original Message----- > From: Richard McClary [mailto:richard.mccl...@aspca.org] > Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 9:55 AM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: RE: Windows File Archive > > +1 > > I have no right to call myself "a peer". I am a research biologist by > training. It's just that one fateful day, I was told, "You're good at fixing > computers; you are now our systems administrator!". > > I cannot adequately express how much I have learned from this forum and how > helpful it has been! Ben and ASB have been especially helpful. > > I've been "chided" by them and others on occasion, and I admit I deserved it. > Still, again, some who subscribe to this forum are folks whose organization > have tossed them in over their heads. > > That's one blanket statement. As to another blanket statement, I did not see > the really abusive language until Stu quoted the message. No, such language > is definitely NOT acceptable to me and to countless others! > -- > Richard D. McClary > Jr Infrastructure Architect, Information Technology Group > ASPCA(r) > 1717 S. Philo Rd, Ste 36 > Urbana, IL 61802 > richard.mccl...@aspca.org > P: 217-337-9761 > C: 217-417-1182 > F: 217-337-9761 > www.aspca.org > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ben Scott [mailto:mailvor...@gmail.com] > Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 10:54 AM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: Re: Windows File Archive > > On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 10:37 AM, William Robbins <dangerw...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Knowing others here as well I can safely say >> it's acceptable to them as well. > > Please don't presume to speak for unspecified others in a blanket statement. > > -- Ben > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > > The information contained in this e-mail, and any attachments hereto, is from > The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals?? (ASPCA??) and > is intended only for use by the addressee(s) named herein and may contain > legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not the > intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any > dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the contents of this e-mail, > and any attachments hereto, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this > e-mail in error, please immediately notify me by reply email and permanently > delete the original and any copy of this e-mail and any printout thereof. > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
