Becoming A Network And Computer System Administrator

Abstract

In today’s ever changing market, the Information Technology professional remains in high demand. In practically every career field, businesses are moving toward a paperless system which will require the use of computers, data storage and servers. With this said, the IT professional will need to be familiar with not just the IT portion of their job, but the ins and outs of the professions they work for. From the medical to the musical career, an IT professional can assist in the day to day working of the company to which they are employed.

In this report, we will review my future career of a network and computer system administrator. We will look into how the career is chosen, what its take to become an IT professional, and what the position entails to the business they work with.

Background

1. Early years

I have always been interested in the working of computers since they were mainstreamed into our school system in the early 1990’s. At first, it was the programs and learning to do so many things with the computers. We were able to create active puzzles and mazes in our physics class. It always amazed me this little box could do so many things. I always found it exciting trying new programs on this machine and learning while I was at it.

From middle school to high school, we quickly transitioned from a huge floppy disc to a 3.5” floppy disc to a compact disc. By the time I graduated, the internet was coming out of its infantile stage and becoming accessible to everyone. The rate of expansion of Information Technology was so moving so fast, I knew I wanted to be apart of it.

2. Military Experience in Information Technology

After high school, I joined the military. There I tinkered around with computers off and on. It was not until I was in Korea some four years into my tour did I actually begin working on computers. I began assisting our Officer In-Charge (OIC) of Information Resource Management (IRM). He also doubled as the OIC of the Information Security Office which also kept me in the know of the latest security risks (viruses, worms, and other malicious software.) At first he gave me ideas on how to troubleshoot issues before bringing it to him. Then he allowed me to assist him with some software installs, printer installs, memory and video card changing and small duties.