Journal harley_frog's Journal: Service, pride and knowledge
Recently, someone commented that I was "the dumbest system administrator" he had known. Well, that may be true and I take no offense in that statement. Or, it may be simply just a bad set of circumstances. See, I was not a Computer Science or Electronic Engineering major in college; I majored in English and received my Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences. I am a librarian by profession. It just so happens that I have a passion for computers, too. I have never, and will never, make claims at being the best at anything (best qualified out of a small, select group, maybe).
As a librarian, I have to take into consideration the needs of the users and balance that with the resources I have available to me. Resources like knowledge and skill grow with time, while others, like money, either remain the same or shrink. And working for a small university, money more often than not shrinks. One thing I am good at is forecasting possible problems and identifying solutions. Again, not the best, but good within reason. Example, I knew that putting out printers for the public to use without some sort of management system was just begging for headaches that Excedrin would not touch. I also knew that the cost of free printing would drain the coffers dry faster than Dracula after a thrity-day fast. Well, I got half my wish; we have a networked print management system in place and chaos has been mostly avoided. However, the powers that be (i.e., someone with more titles in front of his name than I have) decided not to charge users for printing. Talk about clueless pointy hairs.
With shrinking budgets and limited staff ("I am an IT of one" should be my t-shirt), finding inexpensive and/or creative solutions to problems becomes an asset. Couple this with a natural tendency to be cheap, err, frugal and a curiosity about the latest technology, and you have me: your friendly neighborhood geek. Despite the low budget, pitiful salary, isolation from the major technology meccas, and an overall lack of respect (professional or otherwise) from users, I still love my job.
Am I crazy? That goes without question, but no more crazy than writing a program and giving it away to people free of charge. After all, not everyone is out to screw others (though we may in turn get screwed). I see every obstacle as a challenge; every error a lesson learned. Not very hubristic for a sysadmin to say, but than again, we are all humbled in the presence of our superiors. I know that I stil have much to learn and the moment I stop will be a split second before I die. I also know that in order to fulfill my life's mission, I need to pass on what I have learned to others so that they may benefit as well.
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Service, pride and knowledge
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