Realizing the potential of technology
I’ve long loved the webcomic xkcd. This one drifted through my inbox and thought it worthy of all the sysadmins I know.
As far as my own sysadmin skills, I do hate running cables and (shudder) crimping connectors. As I only have one thumb, these evolutions are rather uncomfortable, and sometimes painful.
Anyway, sysadmin types out there, you have my respect and admiration! Keep that uptime high!
I just updated my LinkedIn profile language to “maximizing the potential of technology”. I’m trying to capture my belief in the positive potential of technology while acknowledging the risks and downsides. My career focus will be technology focused, as a good chunk of my life has been. I’ve enjoyed the past few years of IT being my center focus and am eager to keep that going. A fun aside with this: IT is not that narrow a focus! Data, AI, networking, web development…all of these are so much more are encompassed by the umbrella of “IT”.
As I’ve been building a career plan, my research keeps driving home the importance of networking. Not in terms of information systems, but human connectivity. Now, this is not a new notion to me. And during my years in Real Estate, I saw so many times that it was connections that cemented business success. The main challenge in this: genuineness. Most people aren’t fans of being hit up only when someone wants something from them. “Hey, I don’t know if you remember, but we worked together 10 years ago. Can you help me get a job?” I know it’s wearying.
I’m taking this as a reminder to maintain connection with people I care about. For 2025, I’m making it a point to reach out to those my contacts and start with simply saying “hi”. Folks shouldn’t be in there unless I care about them, right? Now, I have hundreds of people in my contact list. Everyone I’d worked on a project with, was part of team with, all that sort of stuff ended up in my contact list. So, for the first step of this project, I’m going through and cleaning things up. If we worked together on a project 10 years ago, and we haven’t talked since, I’m just going to delete the contact. And I’ve been so bad at managing my contact list that there were people who’d died years ago in there. Yeah, this is a critical first step!
I deeply value my friends, and want you all to be more than potential sources of revenue. Being deliberate about maintaining these connections is but a first step. Yet this is an area that I really want to grow. It feeds my soul.
I got this email last night:
Well, that’s…amazing? I started my account in 2004, hmm? Ah, the great conflicting thoughts I have! It both feels brand new and like LinkedIn has always existed.
Anyway, it’s interesting to think about the evolution of the platform. Launched in 2003, I first heard about it in 2004 when I started at Starbucks, where I was part of a group that talked a lot about careers and their management. So the site made a lot of sense to me.
I use it fairly often but really am not a power user of the platform. I like it better than most social channels and it’s more professionally focused, but political bloviation has made its way there, too.
I enjoy the interactions I’ve had, and maintaining connections with former colleagues. I post fairly often. I mean, I don’t want to be one of the people who ONLY logs in when I’m job hunting. But I know I don’t maximize the platform. I’ve been reading several bloggers’ strategies about powerfully leveraging LinkedIn, and I’m slowly building out my plans to do “better”. I see it as a powerful career management tool, one that I can improve upon.
Are you on LinkedIn? Do you find value in it? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Update in the life of Carl: this Friday will be my last day at my current job. Though tinged with sadness (great people to be missed, though a commute to Bellevue I rejoice in leaving behind), I move forward. After exploring some re-training options, I plan to study Web and Application Development at Edmond Community College. Though still ironing out details, this path excites me. With a gap in my time starting next week, I plan to spend time catching up as many people as I can. Friendship: life’s best present.
Hey Seattle-based chums,
Any of you planning on attending “Network After Work Seattle at Amber“? It’s Wednesday evening right by Pike Place Market.
For me, driving to downtown mid-week/evenings is a bit of a pain. Back when I worked at Starbucks it was easy (it’s only a few minutes north, and, ostensibly, on my way home). Even when I was at Microsoft, heading into downtown was pretty straightforward. Marysville, though…well, with traffic, construction and all the other events in my life make these sorts of things challenging.
So, let me know if any of you are planning on going, or even just thinking of going.