Nearly a decade ago I found myself with an expired MCSE certificate [1], recent training as a Solaris Administrator and a new job as a system administrator at a place where Windows desktops were toys used for word processing and the Real Work was done on Solaris workstations and servers.
And I was the only IT guy. Oh, I had a boss, and a peer, in Oregon. I'd never met either one of them. Pretty soon I re-discovered the wide gulf between a classroom training and a working system.
Bill Bradford's Geeks list, SunHELP were my lifeline. Some really smart people were (are) on those lists. They'd answer the lamest, most newb questions without any problems at all. Got me right over the bump and onto the right track.
The company was later acquired, and things have really changed, but I'm more-or-less still there, ten years later.
So here's to Bill: whose hobby and passion aided me and got me on the track to where I am today.
[1] And no desire to renew the damned thing: certifications like the MCSE are a gold-mine for testing organizations, the vendor, lazy hiring managers, a sink-hole for everyone else.
And I was the only IT guy. Oh, I had a boss, and a peer, in Oregon. I'd never met either one of them. Pretty soon I re-discovered the wide gulf between a classroom training and a working system.
Bill Bradford's Geeks list, SunHELP were my lifeline. Some really smart people were (are) on those lists. They'd answer the lamest, most newb questions without any problems at all. Got me right over the bump and onto the right track.
The company was later acquired, and things have really changed, but I'm more-or-less still there, ten years later.
So here's to Bill: whose hobby and passion aided me and got me on the track to where I am today.
[1] And no desire to renew the damned thing: certifications like the MCSE are a gold-mine for testing organizations, the vendor, lazy hiring managers, a sink-hole for everyone else.
