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I started my professional journey at an Internet Service Provider as a technical support representative in the days of dail-up. For an introvert like I was in high school, constantly being on the phone helping people figure out how to setup a PC to use a modem to connect to the internet was the PERFECT job. I had a lot of knowledge on Comm ports and AT commands as I had been using a modem since I was in elementary school. If you remember Delphi, Compuserve, and lets say.. Prodigy dial-up services... I even ran a Bulletin Board System! Why dial-out and find files, when one can have a BBS and people give YOU files to host. Anyway at the ISP, learned more than I ever wanted to know about Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines and IP v4. The ISP started off as a software developer that published through many distributors such as Interplay. Therefore, I also got calls for software-related issues. "Why does this disk that I received in the mail not work?" Or "How do I install this shareware?" But becasue we provided ISP services to the local area, I also went to peoples houses and businesses to set them up on dial-up or ISDN connections. Windows, Mac, even the (back then) eccentric Linux user would need assistance with their PPP connections.
Originally, I was going to school for Computer Science, but the professional world pulled me away. Back then,
to teach structured programming, Pascal was the language of choice. I had already pretty much learned Basic and
a few of those variants, like GW-basic. Mostly all the same, but minor differences. While working at the ISP,
we would also host websites for customers. I learned some HTML and even a little PERL. I made some good graphs
to display historical connection utilization using PERL and PERL plug-ins. I was getting used to Javascript, C and even a bit of C++,
but honestly, I like functional design and not object-oriented programming. C++ and Java just ... didn't feel right.
I said I didn't finish my CS degree, but I did end up finishing an Associates in Applied Science in Broadcast Communication
Electronics! I learned a lot about electronics and radio frequency transmitters used in TV, Radio, and even some RADAR.
Even in the Electronics portion, we had to code some z80 processors using assembly language. It was fun, really and the
electronics knowledge could be applied to A LOT of things as I will find out later.
Somehow, I ended up joining the Navy. I was one of those 99-guys. Ya kno... somehow scored the highest score on the ASVAB. I could be anything or do anything! But they offered me ET, ST, or FC. I chose ET (Electronics Technician). I was trained in more electronics, and I was going to be a radio maintainer. I was stationed on a ship in Japan (yay 7th Fleet!) that had a lot of electronics, and I learned a lot about radar, sonar, and communications. I also learned a lot about leadership and teamwork. After Japan, I went to Virginia Beach, Va. at a shore station at Dam Neck. That was fun. For my next sea duty, I was assigned to a Patrol Coastal Crew. Crew Charlie became my brothers! We permanently hulled on the USS Tempest (PC-2) and went to Bahrain. After there, I went to a few other commands and ended up in a shore command as the Leading Departmental Petty Officer of the Electronics Maintennace Department responsible for the Atlantic Fleet and Eastern Seaboard. I helped junior Sailors learn how to use the Cisco IOS command line. It was really fun and the guys there were great. I learned a lot about leadership and teamwork.
After my time in the Navy, I started working in Maritime Seismic Survey with a system called PCable offered by a company called NCS Subsea.
For a number of years, we got a towed array of hydrophones and a towed array of air guns. The air guns would shoot compressed air into
the water and the hydrophones would listen for the sound waves that bounced off the ocean floor. We would then use that data to create
a 3D map of the ocean floor. It was really cool and I learned a lot about acoustics and signal processing. Reminded me of my time at Dam
Neck.
After NCS Subsea and a short time with Ocean Floor Geophysics, I ended up working with Unique Group. I was their Senior Survey Electronics
Maintenance Technician. I assisted in the maintenance and repair of marine survey electronics. I also trained the junior technicians and
helped them learn how to use the equipment. It was a great job and I learned more about marine electronics and survey operations. It was fun
and exposed me more to Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) that I maintained and operated. I also learned a lot about the software that ran
the survey systems and how to troubleshoot and fix issues.
And to catch up after Unique Group, I began working with Global Geophysical Services (GGS) as the Technical Support Manager. I was
responsible for the design, installation, maintenance, and repair of the marine survey electronics. This sent me back to Bahrain.
Unfortunately, due to the conflict over in that area of the world, after almost two years of working with them, I was let go. I understand
the reasons, but it was still a hard pill to swallow. So, now I am looking for a new opportunity to use my skills and experience in a new
environment. I am open to new challenges and opportunities. I am also looking to continue my education and learn new skills. I am
back in school to finish my Bachelors of Science in Business Management through University of Phoenix.
I am excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead.
I used to build LAMP* stacks and radio oscillators for fun.
*LAMP = Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP.
I have a lot of experience with Linux and Windows servers. I have also built a few custom PCs for friends and family. I
enjoy learning new things and taking on new challenges. I am always looking for ways to improve my skills and
knowledge. I am a quick learner and a hard worker. I am also a team player and enjoy working with others to achieve
a common goal.