SH/SC Job Fair: Goons Helping Goons

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > SH/SC Job Fair: Goons Helping Goons

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

I figure I should post here while I go after a job.

My experience:
Just graduated with a BS in Information Systems
~12 years troubleshooting x86 hardware and Windows
~8 years of experience with FreeBSD and OpenBSD
~8 years focused on breaking/protecting computer and network security
~6 years of experience with VMware, OpenVPN, and Wi-Fi
~5 years scripting (bash, csh, and a little python) and programming (C, C++, and C#)
~5 years of randomly helping my friend with installs and upgrades in a datacenter
~2 years experience with Active Directory, especially server migration
too much experience with disaster and data recovery
minimal experience with Cisco, with the resources to change that quickly

What I'm looking for: system, network, or security administrator/engineer ... or bitch work that gets me experience to move up the chain to the aforementioned position
What I'm NOT looking for: help desk, roving on-site tech support, code monkey
Where I live: See below
Where I'm looking: Northern east bay area, anything inside this box: Napa, Fairfield, Walnut Creek, San Pablo
When I can start: Immediately
Requirements: decent pay, 1 week off to attend Defcon
Can be reached via: PM, evilmofo@evilmofo.com

# ¿ May 18, 2011 22:44

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 06:15

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

Were entry level IT jobs said to be plentiful for 2011? I ask since I graduated in May and still lack a job. Most of the ads I see are for senior and manager positions, it makes me wonder if advancement opportunities are rare in IT.

Edit: I realize that my lack of a job is effectively my fault, I am sure I could have gotten a lowly desktop/tech/customer support job by now; I would rather put my 10+ years of knowledge to good use.

EvilMoFo fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Dec 26, 2011

# ¿ Dec 26, 2011 04:52

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

vty posted:

What do you mean by this? Most of us came into IT with years and years of knowledge but without the experience nobody really cares. Or do you mean that you were in college for 10 years working on an IT degree?

You have to understand that most "IT" jobs- you're hired, given a desk, and expected to hit the ground running. An IT manager/whomever won't typically take the chance on letting a guy on day 1 of his first real job touch anything remotely worthwhile; and that's when the call/help desk ladder hopping comes into play.

Also, your location is critical. If you're not in a tech city, you need to move.

Well, I did spend 8 years getting my (BS Business, Information Systems) degree; what I learned there pales in comparison to what I have done on my own however. I encountered some of my graduating class in the last couple semesters, it was frightening how little they knew.

Over a decade using Windows, and troubleshooting hardware, Windows Server since 2003 and recently I have been learning Server Core. I have helped a couple of my friends do work at the colo; helping install, fix, and upgrade production gear. Over the past couple years I have been learning AD at the house, I did AD migration for a doctors office earlier this year. I have used VMWare for the last 5+ years and have been learning Hyper-V recently. I have a decent understanding about networking and debugging issues, I have been running OpenBSD or FreeBSD as a firewall for nearly 10 years; I have very limited experience with configuring my Cisco switches as well. I have attended Defcon for 8 years and have a pretty good grasp of security, this coming year I will be one of the System/Network administrators for my team in the CTF game.

I know I am not an expert, I know that I can not walk into a company and manage/design/secure an entire infrastructure. I just want a simple junior administrator position, something where there is some oversight and I can put my years of learning Windows administration, networking, virtualization, and security to good use; learning more in the process.

I am in the bay area, looking in the northern end of the east bay and expanding as time goes on. Decent amount of tech ~30 minutes away from me, plenty ~60 minutes out, assloads (downtown SF) at the ~90 minute mark.

EvilMoFo fucked around with this message at 13:21 on Dec 27, 2011

# ¿ Dec 27, 2011 13:00

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

mute posted:

By experience, I'm referring to verifiable work experience that I can call someone up and they can tell me you can do what you claim you can.

The next revision of my resume will have "work experience" from helping my friends. Something like "assistant system administrator and datacenter operations consultant" for ~5 years with one and ~2 years with the other should help. Hell, I got my friend the one job; I often go into the colo to help and am randomly called to aid in troubleshooting odd problems.

Abeya Minora posted:

You might be able to fake it until you make it, but the struggle will probably not be worth it.

I try to only apply for jobs that I am qualified to handle, nothing to extreme. Once the number of unidentified acronyms goes above 1 or 2, I close the tab after loading them up in Google; I have encountered a couple where I knew the concept but had never heard of the acronym before.

vty posted:

Knowing how to dcpromo, deploy snapshot, hw2vm things is obviously important, but the analytic troubleshooting you gain over a career is what is your real selling point.

On the topic of troubleshooting, I have broken everything pretty violently over the course of learning. I would not have done the AD migration for that doctors office if it wasn't for my loving up AD migration a couple times and feeling confident that I could troubleshoot/correct errors I encountered. My countless hours of troubleshooting hardware, weird and cryptic windows errors, and generally making computers behave is likely my strongest suit.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2011 23:06

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

What is the rule of thumb when it comes to job postings with typos. Notice the plural nature of that sentence.

The position seems relatively decent, when you process what the gently caress that one word was meant to be, but it does not paint the company in the best light.

edit:

Comradephate posted:

I wonder this as well. I always feel compelled to correct them, because in my sperg-mind it shows that I pay attention to details, but then I realize it will just make me look like a douche.

Yeah, correcting them could totally fail miserably, especially if the person that put the ad up and the person that screens the candidates are one in the same. It gives me little confidence to respond to the job post though.

EvilMoFo fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Jan 20, 2012

# ¿ Jan 19, 2012 23:23

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

sim posted:

You're right. Unless you're applying for a copywriting or editing job, don't correct them, especially one word. On the other hand, if you're applying for a web dev job and you show them how to correct an error on their website, I think that can work in your favor.

My question was not about correcting them, it was if applying is even a viable idea. I mean, if they cannot proofread a job posting, it suggests that the place may not be all that great and that the people there are retarded.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2012 23:18

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 06:15

EvilMoFo: Jan 1, 2006

Considering there is a career forum, have they done anything in this regard? Granted an SA specific job portal is pretty much SH/SC territory alone, but it is worth looking into.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2012 14:55

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > SH/SC Job Fair: Goons Helping Goons