[0:23] Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

My name’s Adam. I’m currently the IT Manager of an accounting firm. They didn’t have any internal IT until I came on board a couple of years ago, so it’s been a great experience. What I like to tell people is that I’ve always been into computers—since I was around 12, before computers were popular.

[4:29] Tell us a little bit about the marketing-related work that you’ve done.

At one point in my life I moved to Wisconsin, where I’m originally from. I’m now back out in California. But when I moved back, I was brought on as a salesperson to help a startup get off the ground. I also did some IT related work if there were any technical issues that came up. That was with Metis Innovation Group.

[15:00] You’ve been into computers from a young age. But it was different back then, wasn’t it? The downloads weren’t massive, like music, for example, but they took a long time.

TMPGEnc was one of the first programs of its kind where you could convert an audio or video file to any other kind of file. I remember website builders, too. If you were to upload a photo on the Angelfire server and post that link anywhere else, it would say “cannot view this picture.” I always thought that was interesting as well.

[24:05] Are you a geek or a nerd? Or are you both?

I just naturally tend towards “nerd” more than “geek.” “Geek” feels overzealous. “Nerd” is akin to an expert. Overall, the stigma against being in IT has been all but eradicated. You don’t have to be like the “typical” IT person people used to expect. Being able to work from home since COVID and having a more flexible schedule has allowed people in IT to prioritize other areas of their lives.

[32:20] Speaking of COVID, I’m so glad we were already using the cloud by the time that started.

That brings me back to my childhood. Back when I was a kid, Y2K was coming up. I remember getting a CD that was called “Y2K Preparation.” I don’t know what it did. This CD was supposed to prevent everything from crashing. I haven’t thought about that CD in 20 years.

[35:08] I noticed on your resume it seems like you’ve had a chance to experience a lot of new environments.

Your generation had a lot of upward mobility, while mine had to keep bouncing around. Looking back, generally the moves I made have been out of necessity. This meant looking for opportunities that offered more growth and more money. I experienced a lot of growth specifically at National Credit Advisor.

[43:44] What helped you navigate this trajectory—from helpdesk to moving towards leadership?

Probably a variety of factors. I always saw helpdesk as a means to an end. The idea of IT infrastructure excites me. I love digging into background processes. I’ve always been put in positions where I was able to learn more until I became proficient in just about everything.

[49:20] How big is your current team; the team you lead?

The company itself has 250 employees. My team is me plus two guys who work together at a managed service provider company. They handle 99% of the helpdesk requests. I am the main IT point of contact, but if there are redundant tasks that don’t make sense for me to do, I pass it along to them. I have one employee who works on onboarding and offboarding processes in the Philippines.

[53:06] What has your position there entailed?

Establishing policies and procedures, doing preventative work, project management, reducing redundancies, and bringing cohesion to the department that it never had before.

[1:06:03] What’s your advice for someone who’s starting out in IT?

I’ve been fortunate. I’ve landed a lot of jobs through people I knew. The jobs I got that weren’t like that came from me hitting the ground running. My dad always said, “looking for a job is a full-time job.” I suggest paying someone to do your resume for you. The money is well worth it. Then apply relentlessly.