Hi Steemit! I'm an Systems Administrator.

I'd like to use the steemit platform to blog about my adventures in IT, but I felt I should introduce myself first. Allow me to self-indulge.

I've been working in the Information Technology field for about 20 years. Before that, (around age 10-13) my father and I were building PC's on the kitchen table. He had an interest in Tech and owned a small business building PCs and repairing laser printers. I probably started to garner interest in computers around the time of the 286 and 386 processors. We'd build out the computer, install MS-DOS from our 5.25"floppy disks on to our 30 Megabyte hard drive, and 4 megabytes of RAM and learn.

Together we watched Moore's Law in action month by month, year by year, and were awestruck. We kept up with the trends, the new brands, the new tech, you name it. He had countless subscriptions to tech magazines. BYTE, PC World, PC Magazine, Computer Shopper, etc. I have the fondest memories from those years of my life. My Dad and I shared a common interest and we challenged each other on a daily basis. However, it wasn't all wine and roses.

I was an awkward teenager. Yeah, I know what you're thinking... "We all were awkward teenagers Matt! Ur so dumb. " Yes I understand. We all were awkward. I get it, but I'm trying to create some drama here! So, allow me to elaborate on my awkwardness. I was tall, too skinny, with no muscles, and found it hard to relate to people my own age. I didn't talk to people besides my brother, sisters and a few close friends. Oh, and if you didn't zero in on this one: Girls didn't know that I existed. My theory is that the light that reflected from my body was unable to stimulate their optic nerves well enough to form an image of me inside their brains. AND as I mentioned earlier, I built computers with my dad on the damn kitchen table! For you youngsters, thinking, "Building computers? That's so cool" No. This was the early 1990's. It was still not considered hip to be a computer nerd. Is it now? I dunno, maybe I'm delusional, but I think it's gotten better. I'll say that. Anyway, back in the 90's, Geeks and nerds had yet to hit our level of acceptance into main stream society.

In my later teens, I helped my dad work the family business. He got laid off years before and started a business to make ends meet. We struggled for a good bit. My mother taught elementary school. We were a family of six, on a teacher's salary. My dad scrambled and worked long hours to try and make his business work. The business was first centered around large satellite dish and burglar alarm installations. This was the 80s, so I'm not talking about the small 18" Ku band Direct TV dishes, but the "8' - 12' foot monsters. So, as early as 5 years old, I was with my dad on satellite dish and burglar alarm installs. I didn't do much, and I remember being extremely bored at times, but I like to think that some knowledge was absorbed, patience for sure.

Later, as the dish market dried up, (Thanks Direct TV, and Dish Network, oh and signal encrpytion our main source of income was repairing laser printers, particularly Hewlett Packard LaserJet printers. I can still tear down and reassemble an HP LaserJet 4 like a soldier would an assault rifle. (That's right, I'm bragging) The ladies would have been swooning if they only would have gotten the chance to see me in action. I just asked my wife: "Baby, on a sexiness scale of 1 to 10, how sexy would it be to watch me completely take apart and reassemble a Laser Printer in a reasonably fast amount of time?" She put some thought into it, and then said very quietly, "Three" There you have it.

My dad taught me many important lessons, he was handy and I soaked it all up. I learned carpentry, plumbing, automotive maintenance and so much more. If he was working on a project, whether it be under a car, patching the roof, digging up the sewer to replace a faulty section of pipe, sweating copper joints, soldering electronics, installing a new electrical circuit, building a computer, or working on a printer, I was right by his side. He would take the time to explain the whys and hows of every project. To broaden the scope a little, what I learned was the troubleshooting process, persistence, and that you can do anything if you take the time to know it.

We also built computers for homes and small offices. We installed a few small networks at some local businesses. Even though, this wasn't really our main source of income, computers, and networking were my always favorite jobs I knew that this is what I wanted to do for a living. Towards my even layer teens and early twenties my dad's health be gain to fail. Complications caused by diabetes were taking their toll. First, the majority of his eyesight, he almost lost his entire right foot, and eventually his kidneys stopped working. My dad died at 57 years old and wouldn't live to see my 24th birthday. Those last few years were rough. He could no longer drive or see well enough to work on things. I was in college and trying to keep a business afloat. The burden of the business fell on my shoulders and I couldn't carry it any longer. Not too longer after my dad's death, I closed down our business. Still to this day, I think it was a wise decision. I wasn't ready, however, I'd be lying if a said I never thought about how life might have been if I just trudged along and forced this business to work.

After the business closure, I went to work for a local IT company. I was originally hired to service laser printers and known are the office as "The Printer Guru" I hated that name. I can understand why they called me that, but I stilled hated it. I didn't want to be just "The Printer Guy". I wanted to work on computers and networks and learn more about servers and things. It took me a while to prove to them that I could work on other things besides printers. One day, when the printer business was slow, I just started working on computers sitting on the tech bench and fixing them. Slowly my boss started assigning me PC repair jobs, and small networking installations. I would volunteer for everything even though everyone there knew I had no experience. My boss would say, "Matt, have you ever even installed Windows Server 2003, much less addressed a Group Policy issue?" I'd say, " No, but I can learn." He respected that, and started giving me and more advanced jobs as time progressed. They knew that I was a quick study, and that I could figure it out, even if it took a bit more time than someone else. My days of troubleshooting problems with computers, familiarity with the command line, and just knowing older operating systems in general, gave me an edge as well. When you grow up watching personal computers progress in steps , from DOS, to Windows 3.11, Windows 95, 98, XP, you gain a unique perspective on how things work underneath it all. After all, you've watched the technology progress slowly and in layers, one new innovation on top of the other.

I don't profess to know it all. What I do know is that I don't know. And that's OK. Also, if I don't know, I ask someone who does. I'm not afraid to not know. You know what else I know? There's always someone who knows more than I do. I like to try and siphon their knowledge by asking questions, and watching. I ask a lot of questions

Presently, I'm an IT Director/Systems Administrator for a business with over 500 users. I love my job immensely. I have the power to make, influence, and direct many different large projects. Currently, I'm in a position that I've could have only dreamed of a few years ago. I have a beautiful wife and three wonderful daughters that greet me at the door every day after a long days work. There's not much more a guy could hope for in the world. So that's a little bit about myself. I know, I'm lucky!

If you read this far, congratulations ! Thank you. You're quite the trooper. Expect to see less boring and not as narcissistic content from me in the future!