About Me

Early Love for Computers

Ever since I was in middle school, I was interested in computers. At the time, there were only three computer books in our school library. I didn't understand exactly what these books were talking about, but I took those three books out of the library almost every week and read them with fascination. I was amazed by how computers touched everything from appliances to rockets. I thought that if computers were used in so many ways, there must be some way I could work with them when I got older.

My first computer was a Commodore 64, which I hooked up to an old television. I didn't have a storage device, so I just typed in a program, fiddled around with it during the day, turned off the computer and started over again the next day. All that just to get a funny looking ball to bounce around on the screen.

Work Highlights

In 1995 I got my first job with a big company, Electronic Data Systems. I started out as a first-level help desk agent, fielding technical phone calls from other employees to help them do everything from get logged into the network, to using applications like MS Office products and provide information on network status. I realized quickly that there was no documentation for new help desk agents, so I created documentation and eventually ran a training program to get new help desk agents up-to-speed on using our ticketing system and giving them information about how to handle common help desk questions.

After working on the help desk for several years, I had the opportunity to transition to a role where I created reports and provided information to help keep up with the details of how the help desk and other support divisions within the company were performing. In this role I used Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and SQL Server. Eventually, I converted hundreds of manual reports into automated reports using SQL Server Reporting Services.

As a side job, I worked as a trainer for CompUsa, teaching adult learners how to use Microsoft Windows, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access. Teaching in-person courses was a great experience and I enoyed all the new people I was meeting and the challenges of in-person training.

I have held various other positions, all of which required various degrees of using Microsoft Excel and Goolge Sheets. I also found that in most positions I held, there was no documentation on performing the tasks and therefore nothing to help new employees learn their new roles. In most positions, I have created this much needed documentation and many times also delivered the training to new employees.

Adventures and Hobbies

Travel

In 2015 I decided to take some time off from full-time employment to do some traveling around the country. Some of the trips I have taken have included:

• Niagara Falls
• The Smokey Mountains
• Tour of California including:
  • San Diego
  • Los Angeles
  • San Francisco
  • Yosemite National Park
  • The Redwood Forest
  • Mount Shasta
  • South Lake Tahoe
  • Sequoia National Park
  • and more...
• Texas
• St. Louis
• New York City
• Utah National Parks
• Colorado
• The Grand Canyon
• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park

Two of my favorite National Parks are Yosemite and Grand Teton. My travels have taken me to 38 of the 50 U.S. states. I hope to get to the remaining states in the near future.

Employment and Skills

Resume and Timeline

Download a copy of my resume for full details of my employment history or view the timeline below for the highlights: