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Visionary Pursuits
If you were to ask me what my biggest strength is, I would probably answer, "My communication skills". In the blossoming Information Age, it isn't possible for one person to know everything about everything. In fact, one person probably can't even know everything about one topic. What is important for an IT worker today is the ability to communicate effectively, both for the gathering and the dissemination of knowledge.
Gathering knowledge is a task that an IT specialist must always be doing. Today's certification is tomorrow's waste paper. A well-qualified person must continually upgrade his skills and knowledge base. This is something I strive to do: attending certification classes, taking a host of courses online, and reading thousands of pages of technical manuals. There is a lot of information out there that one must sort through in order to find solutions. Again, no one person can know everything, and really shouldn't need to. The best workers I have seen (and had work for me) were the ones who didn't necessarily know everything, but knew where to find the information. That's a skill I continue to develop in myself, too.
Past experience has shown that I am an incredibly quick learner. In every position I have had I have ended up with more responsibility than was originally planned, because I proved that I could handle it. For example, my current job at Volano was originally supposed to be purely a helpdesk position: responding to e-mails with templates and answering the phone. But since I have been here I have been given many other projects in sales, writing webpages, demonstrating the software, testing builds, etc. In my last job at Whitman College I was promoted to "Technical Assistant" my senior year because I filled a gap between the staff and the student workers. Generally the staff was too busy putting out fires and dealing with major issues to take care of anything that wasn't an emergency, and the students were only trained enough to supervise the labs. My supervisor discovered that she could give me those obscure problems that were hard to track down, and I would take the time to carefully document and research them until I found a solution. I really enjoyed the problem-solving challenges.The dissemination of knowledge is the other important communication-oriented task an IT professional must undertake. In the positions in which I've worked, this has always been crucial. Most of the time I have had to deal with non-technical people, and in that capacity I have learned to be patient and to communicate in a real way that non-technically oriented people can understand. End users are always the final consideration for any computer system. Will they be able to use a certain technology? Will someone be able to train them? Too often they are told the quick answer instead of the correct answer. The network administrator just tells them to move, fixes the problem, and leaves. Then two days later they make the same mistake. While someone like a network administrator cannot spend all their time training users, a balance can be achieved, even if it just means talking someone through a procedure and telling them what to click instead of doing it for them. Small considerations like that help the user to feel empowered and able to learn. The other side of disseminating knowledge is communicating with other technical people. I have done this by writing countless pages of technical documentation, as well as managing my own team of employees. Care must be taken to be thorough so that mistakes aren't made. I am a believer in meticulous documentation so that the next person to hold the position isn't left with a puzzling mess.
People. It's all about people. If no one can figure out how to use the technology, or it's too difficult and time-consuming to figure out, you might as well throw the boxes into the garbage and go back to pen and paper. That's where I come in. Yes, I'm trained and experienced in network administration, helpdesk, and tech support, but in the end, it all goes back to enabling and empowering the end user.
My Strengths: · Excellent interpersonal skills; friendly and outgoing, while maintaining a professional focus · Extremely quick learner · Ability to follow a project through to completion · Trustworthy, discreet, able to handle large amounts of responsibility · Problem Solver Industries I've worked in: · Legal · Financial (mortgage, credit reporting) · Education · Internet Operating Systems: · Expert in all Windows platforms (Windows 3.1, 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000) · Familiar with Solaris, FreeBSD, Linux, MacOS Experienced in: · Network Administration · Helpdesk · Tech Support (Level 1, 2, and 3) · Hardware/Software installs and upgrades · Network installation · HTML/webmastering · Technical writing and documentation Availability: · Living in Seattle, but looking to relocate immediately. Move would take 4-7 days. · Currently working under an at-will contract, so I don't need to give advanced notice. · Looking for anything paying at least $15/hour or $30,000/year.
Current Address 3721 N. Monroe . Tacoma, WA 98407 (253) 988-8802 Rick@volano.com OBJECTIVE A full-time job in a computer related field. EDUCATION Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington--Bachelor of Arts, 2000 Major: English CERTIFICA- MCP (x6)-Earned November, 2000 for Windows NT Workstation and NT Server, December for Enterprise, TIONS TCP/IP, Networking Essentials, and January 2001 for Proxy Server. MCSE NT 4.0-Earned January, 2001. (currently pursuing Windows 2000 upgrade to certification) SPECIAL I am proficient in all Windows operating systems including Windows 2000/NT, Windows 9X, SKILLS Windows 3.1, and Windows 3.11. I also have experience with Unix and Mac OS. I have a strong working knowledge of networking topologies and protocols, especially TCP/IP and related technologies. Thorough knowledge of WINS, DHCP, and DNS, as well as their interaction. I have performed Ethernet 10/100BaseT installations including making cables, installing NICs, and assigning IPs and subnet masks. I can install and upgrade hardware and software, run a helpdesk, and troubleshoot problems. I also manage teams of people well. CURRENT JOB Volano LLC, (develops and sells Java based web chat software), Seattle, Washington Tech Support-since January, 2001 I provide all tech support for this company, both on the phone and by e-mail. Work with website owners to add chat functionality to their site. Answer questions patiently, diagnose problems in html coding, website setup, and applet setup on a variety of servers. Test new versions of the software. Test connections through firewalls, address IP issues, etc. Requires knowledge of Windows NT/2000, FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, and MacOS. Provide sales and administrative assistance when my boss is out of the office. Great American Financial, (Mortgage Broker), Tacoma, Washington Network Admin, Tech Support, CTO-since 1994 (evenings and weekends: 2nd job) Maintain existing Novell 5.0 network Coordinate and implement upgrade to Windows 2000 server Install hardware and software, upgrades Troubleshooting and user support as Chief Technology Officer, I'm responsible for the entire computer infrastructure including long-term planning, purchasing, installation, and maintenance of all hardware/software RELATED Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington EXPERIENCE Consultant-tier 1 through tier 3 support, 1996-2000 Diagnosed and repaired hardware and software problems both in the computer labs, and at various other sites around the campus. Provided technical support on the phone and in person for professors and students. Performed hardware and software upgrades in the labs on a regular basis. Provided 2nd level support for various network problems and was responsible for seeing them through to resolution using all means available. Have a working knowledge of DOS, Windows, Windows '95, Mac OS, and UNIX. Installation and troubleshooting of more than 500 Ethernet cards. Visionary Pursuits, (a computer consulting firm); Tacoma, Washington President of the Company, Summer 1995 to present Started this company to meet the needs of businesses and homes in my area. Current Primary Task: Host, design, and maintain websites. Provide phone, "in-house", and on-site technical support. Maintain a Novell Netware 5.0 LAN. Migrate a Novell LAN to Windows 2000. Perform software and hardware installations and maintenance. Do purchasing for businesses and persons. Supervise part time employees. Ogden Murphy Wallace, P.L.L.C., Seattle, Washington Assistant to the Chief Network Administrator, Summer 1997 Responsible for upgrades, installation, and troubleshooting of all computers in an approximately 200 computer network. Provide phone and in person technical support for all staff. During the Network Admin's 2 week vacation, I served as the Network Administrator. Also responsible for creating new documentation for the network, testing security, and researching implementing new solutions for existing problems. REFERENCES Available upon request.