No more “unenjoyment” for this little grey duck! I just received and accepted a job offer, and I will probably start work Wednesday morning. I’ll go into more detail about the gig itself when (and if) I’m sure it’s appropriate to do so, but suffice to say that it’s an in-the-office job managing servers and systems from an administrative and troubleshooting standpoint, and serving as a “first contact” support mechanism for clients. The pay is comfortable, the job will be challenging (in terms of both initial adjustment and long-term activities) and I get to set the standard (and develop the processes) for what amounts to a new kind of job position within the company.

I have some experience with that sort of thing. This time around I know what to look for right from the get-go, however. For instance, I’m already thinking about how I’m going to document… everything. (You think I’m kidding. Hah!)

Maybe my overall stress levels won’t go down very much in the immediate future, but at least it’s a positive kind of stress, the “do I really think I can do this?” kind instead of the “I’m doomed I’m doomed I’m doomed” kind. Three and a half months of “I’m doomed” really took the joy out of life. I want my joy back.

(Hey, maybe in a few weeks I’ll be able to afford more RAM for this webserver. Cool.)

Bye bye, job hunting. Hello, new challenge!

To Whom It May Concern:

Perhaps your company or similar organization requires someone of considerable skill with computer technology. I humbly submit that if your needs are either strongly in the area of workgroup server administration, email administration, end-user desktop support, webserver administration or just plain “anything with a keyboard and mouse attached,” and you’re located in the City of Roses or thereabouts, I’m the guy you’re looking for.

I spent nine solid years learning what it takes to keep servers and workstations running for an office of a couple hundred souls, as well as how to keep those souls in tune with their computers. I also consider myself quite wise to the needs of business, and tend to take the long and wide view of the process of change.

Here I present just a few of many highlights from my previous work engagement as a one-man IT department for most of a decade:

• Planned, tested and implemented company-wide in-house audio streaming system that has seen steady use for several years with very little downtime or maintenance.
• Converted wholesale three entire email systems, one after another as we acquired other companies, to the corporate WAN-based email operation.
• Served as hostmaster for the company’s banner website, rapidly providing an urgently needed solution followed by many years of solid performance and availability.
• Implemented security, process and documentation changes bringing systems up to Sarbanes/Oxley compliance.
• Developed web-based documentation and information dissemination system in cooperation with the General Managers’ staff.
• Successfully rolled out web browser software changes that led to a near-total elimination of adware, spyware and other malicious bits of code from end-user desktops over the course of a mere few months.
• Created numerous small quality-of-life features that, while not taking an inordinate amount of time to develop, scratched the itches of several high-profile groups within the company.
• Provided valuable specialized knowledge (such as in the areas of web development and Linux operating system arcana) to branches outside the local operation as well as to the corporate office itself.

My specific product experience is with a mixture of Novell’s Netware server and GroupWise email products, several flavors of Linux including Debian, RedHat/Fedora and Ubuntu, Symantec’s Corporate Edition anti-virus products, Windows 2000 Server, the Apache webserver platform including MySQL and PHP, and providing Windows desktop support over the usual variety of versions from 95 through XP. When you get right down to it, there’s very little I can’t learn in a reasonably short time, and I have a knack for “making it work” when things are going strange.

If you think I might be a good fit for your organization, or if you just want to find out if I’m really as good as I like to think I am, please take a moment to pen a quick email addressed to “greyduck” at “gmail.com” and I’ll answer any questions or place any call or meet any time you like. (I apologize for the lack of clickable or copy-and-paste-able address, but one can’t be too careful about junk email these days, can one?)

To you, prospective employer, and to all of my readers, I offer thanks for your time and indulgence, and I bid you a good day.