3 answers
ARIANNA
Student
Bow, Washington
2
Questions
Asked
649 views
Computer Technician- Advance Computer System Administrator Questions..
Thank you for agreeing to this informational interview. I am a Job Corps student at Cascades, and I am reaching out to you because I believe I would enjoy working in Information Technology more specifically Advanced Computer System Administrator, and I would appreciate your perspective on the practical aspects of working in this area.
Here are the six questions I have for you.
1. _What is the best thing about the Job?_______________________________________________
2. _What does your typical day look like?________________________________________________
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with?_________________________
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job?_______________________________
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation?_____
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years?__________________________________________
Thank you in advance for your time.
Sincerely,
__Arianna S.___
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3 answers
Sajal Debnath
Staff Consulting Architect
5
Answers
Bellevue, Washington
Updated
Sajal’s Answer
Hello,
Though it's been 17 years since my administration days, still I feel I may be able to answer a few things.
1. _What is the best thing about the Job?
Ans: Opportunity to enter the IT field. Learn about a variety of things (mainly infrastructure). The platform to move into any other specialized areas.
2. _What does your typical day look like?
Ans: Perform routine tasks. Troubleshoot (both failures and performance). Monitor. Automate tasks.
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with?
Ans: Depends on the environment. But generally, servers, operating systems (server level, Linux/Unix/Windows), scripting languages (shell, python). Automation tools, backup tools, etc. (you will learn in the job).
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job?
Ans: I started a fresher, so, had to learn a lot of things in a short period of time. Would be easier if you are in a team. High-pressure situations (when things break). Possible long hours (troubleshooting and solving complex problems). You can not leave if your critical server is down. I spent many sleepless nights and long shifts (but I was a single person responsible for a whole site). Would be easier if you have a team.
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation?
Ans: I came from a different stream (electronics & communication). Was not a developer. So this is the easiest way to IT. This is the starting point, the beginning. This provides an understanding of the base layers. You build a strong foundation with this. Upon which you built your future carrier.
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years?
Ans: You will move into other roles. I currently am a Cloud Architect. But before being an Architect, I did technical support, engineering work, pre-sales, R&D, and customer success. So, the possibilities are all there. Depends on what you want to do or want to become. As mentioned, this is the begining.
Hope this helps.
Though it's been 17 years since my administration days, still I feel I may be able to answer a few things.
1. _What is the best thing about the Job?
Ans: Opportunity to enter the IT field. Learn about a variety of things (mainly infrastructure). The platform to move into any other specialized areas.
2. _What does your typical day look like?
Ans: Perform routine tasks. Troubleshoot (both failures and performance). Monitor. Automate tasks.
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with?
Ans: Depends on the environment. But generally, servers, operating systems (server level, Linux/Unix/Windows), scripting languages (shell, python). Automation tools, backup tools, etc. (you will learn in the job).
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job?
Ans: I started a fresher, so, had to learn a lot of things in a short period of time. Would be easier if you are in a team. High-pressure situations (when things break). Possible long hours (troubleshooting and solving complex problems). You can not leave if your critical server is down. I spent many sleepless nights and long shifts (but I was a single person responsible for a whole site). Would be easier if you have a team.
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation?
Ans: I came from a different stream (electronics & communication). Was not a developer. So this is the easiest way to IT. This is the starting point, the beginning. This provides an understanding of the base layers. You build a strong foundation with this. Upon which you built your future carrier.
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years?
Ans: You will move into other roles. I currently am a Cloud Architect. But before being an Architect, I did technical support, engineering work, pre-sales, R&D, and customer success. So, the possibilities are all there. Depends on what you want to do or want to become. As mentioned, this is the begining.
Hope this helps.
Morries Merchant
Sr. Systems Engineer
3
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Morries’s Answer
1. _What is the best thing about the Job?
A. I believe the best part about the job is that it will allow you to build a foundation in information technology that you can used to go into a more specialized field. Going through the process will help you to decide what you like and not like about specific aspects for information technology.
2. _What does your typical day look like?
A. The first thing that I do is look at emails from the time I signed off the day before to ensure that no important emails are missed. If there are any, I will address them immediately and work my way forward. Once I’m all caught up, I look at our support ticketing systems to see if there are any issues that I can assist with. I also will resume working on any projects that I’m currently working on.
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with?
A. It depends on the type of work you are doing. If it’s supporting users as a desktop support technician, always make sure you have a set of go to tools that can help resolve common issues. Always remember that you are there to help and that if a user is frustrated, they are not upset with you. Keep a level head and do what you can to help them. Do a lot of reading and research so that you are prepared to help and don’t be afraid you ask your peers for advice. The insight they can provide is invaluable.
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job?
A. There are two things time management and prioritizing issues. Make sure the most urgent issues are addressed first. Sometimes those types of issues can be time consuming which is when time management comes in. If there is an issue that will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete and the more important issue will take 30 minutes to an hour to complete, it might be in your best interest to address the quicker one if none of your peers are available to assist.
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation?
A. As a kid I was always into electronics and computers. I built my first computer at 14 years old. As I got older when deciding what career path, I wanted to take I knew I wanted to do something I loved but also would allow me to financially take care of myself now and in the future. If you can find the perfect mix between the two, you are moving in the right direction.
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years?
A. The outlook is great, but it is what you make of it. Never stop learning and trying to improve your skillset. There is always a new technology right around the corner and you don’t want to be left behind. Having that type of mindset will allow you to continue to grow and fully reach your career potential.
A. I believe the best part about the job is that it will allow you to build a foundation in information technology that you can used to go into a more specialized field. Going through the process will help you to decide what you like and not like about specific aspects for information technology.
2. _What does your typical day look like?
A. The first thing that I do is look at emails from the time I signed off the day before to ensure that no important emails are missed. If there are any, I will address them immediately and work my way forward. Once I’m all caught up, I look at our support ticketing systems to see if there are any issues that I can assist with. I also will resume working on any projects that I’m currently working on.
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with?
A. It depends on the type of work you are doing. If it’s supporting users as a desktop support technician, always make sure you have a set of go to tools that can help resolve common issues. Always remember that you are there to help and that if a user is frustrated, they are not upset with you. Keep a level head and do what you can to help them. Do a lot of reading and research so that you are prepared to help and don’t be afraid you ask your peers for advice. The insight they can provide is invaluable.
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job?
A. There are two things time management and prioritizing issues. Make sure the most urgent issues are addressed first. Sometimes those types of issues can be time consuming which is when time management comes in. If there is an issue that will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete and the more important issue will take 30 minutes to an hour to complete, it might be in your best interest to address the quicker one if none of your peers are available to assist.
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation?
A. As a kid I was always into electronics and computers. I built my first computer at 14 years old. As I got older when deciding what career path, I wanted to take I knew I wanted to do something I loved but also would allow me to financially take care of myself now and in the future. If you can find the perfect mix between the two, you are moving in the right direction.
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years?
A. The outlook is great, but it is what you make of it. Never stop learning and trying to improve your skillset. There is always a new technology right around the corner and you don’t want to be left behind. Having that type of mindset will allow you to continue to grow and fully reach your career potential.
Thank you for responding.
ARIANNA
Jerry Chyan
Engineering
1
Answer
San Jose, California
Updated
Jerry’s Answer
1. _What is the best thing about the Job? There are different parts of IT - Infrastructure, hardware, software, network, and etc.... As you can see, the best thing about this job is that you can explore different areas within the same organization. Plus, you get to meet and work with different parts of the company.
2. _What does your typical day look like? It depends on the role of your job. If you're a software developer, then you'll be spending most of your time doing development work and/or collaborating with your colleagues. You'll be spending time meeting with your team members or stakeholders to discuss requirements or clarifications.
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with? Again, it all depends on your interest, and different areas within IT would require different sets of tools that you'll need to be familiar with. For example, if you're interested in SaaS (Software as a Service) in CRM, then you'd probably want to consider learning Microsoft Dynamics 365 and/or Salesforce.com.
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job? Every job has its own challenges or difficulties. I would see those challenges as a way to push yourself to another level. Some of the challenges are meeting the project timelines with limited resources, changing requirements, and so on.
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation? I've always been passionate about using technology to solve our day-to-day problems, so this is a perfect industry for me to enjoy while working.
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years? The future outlook of IT industry will still be in high demand as we're moving much faster than ever before on technology-related products and services.
2. _What does your typical day look like? It depends on the role of your job. If you're a software developer, then you'll be spending most of your time doing development work and/or collaborating with your colleagues. You'll be spending time meeting with your team members or stakeholders to discuss requirements or clarifications.
3._What are some tools of the trade I should be familiar with? Again, it all depends on your interest, and different areas within IT would require different sets of tools that you'll need to be familiar with. For example, if you're interested in SaaS (Software as a Service) in CRM, then you'd probably want to consider learning Microsoft Dynamics 365 and/or Salesforce.com.
4. _What are some of the difficulties you face on the job? Every job has its own challenges or difficulties. I would see those challenges as a way to push yourself to another level. Some of the challenges are meeting the project timelines with limited resources, changing requirements, and so on.
5. _Why did you choose this occupation or got you interested in this occupation? I've always been passionate about using technology to solve our day-to-day problems, so this is a perfect industry for me to enjoy while working.
6. _What is the outlook for this job in 10 years? The future outlook of IT industry will still be in high demand as we're moving much faster than ever before on technology-related products and services.