MY WORLD TOUR….

I began my career by joining the United States Air Force. I was trained to be a Communications-Computer Systems Control Specialist (short version: Tech Controller).  In this position I performed duties identical to civilian telecom companies’ central office technicians but under very demanding conditions.

Despite trying my hardest to stay stateside my first assignment was to the tiny island of Guam out in the middle of the Pacific. Upon hearing that I immediately thought of a small island Marines were deployed to when the natives got restless. As it turned out the island I was thinking of was actually Grenada (in my defense I was very young when that incident happened and was not well versed on islands). Since Guam is a US territory living there was just like living stateside. Basically picture Hawaii on a smaller scale.

The unit I was assigned to was a mobile unit yet we were stuck on a 30 mile long island. Setting up high speed data links over landline, radio, and satellite was challenging enough under normal conditions with the technology available at the time. Just try setting them up after a typhoon nearly destroyed the island you’re living on. Our unit was deployed to restore communications to the base so we pulled our van up beside the communications building and went to work. Once we had the links running recovery work began. Later when power and water were restored (about 5 days after the storm) we shut down our equipment and used our heavy vehicles to clean up debris in the local villages. I received a medal for this but the best thing about it (even typhoon clouds have silver linings) was being able to help others and the tremendous sense of accomplishment.

While overseas I also had the opportunity to participate in a military exercise in Thailand. Not only did I learn about a new culture but I successfully turned up an HF ISB radio link we had been fighting with for days which won me major praise. However had my coworkers not done such an excellent job training me and trusting me I never would’ve done so well.

This exercise would not end without its own drama though. A little over halfway into the exercise a couple Thai Army generals launched a coup attempt. We were trapped in what was shaping up to be a violent takeover of the country. Finally, somebody up the chain convinced the Thai people it would be a really good idea to let all of the US forces leave so we left without harm.

Why This is Important to Me today

This assignment forced me to learn fast….something I still do today. I also learned the importance of hard work (something else I still do today in all of my endeavours. Finally, I learned both how to be in charge (I often had my own shift) AND work as a team.  Too many positions tend to push people into either a leader role or team member role when in reality a person should be good at both..simultaneously.

BACK IN THE STATES

My next assignment was to Falcon AFB, CO. I worked at a satellite control center and established data links used to control satellites. I was involved with projects such as the Hubble Space Telescope launch and the establishment of the GPS system.  We were using what at the time was a cutting edge automated system (equivalent to the DACS systems used by telecoms today) and I later became a trainer on the system.  I soon was training personnel who had been there longer than I had been.  I am not really mentioning that to brag…well maybe just a little.

Why This is Important to Me today
This position taught me how to work under pressure. Having less than 10 minutes to establish a link to a satellite and being reminded how much they cost to replace if lost definitely increases the stress level.

COLLEGE LIFE

After leaving the Air Force I moved to the Kansas City area. I used the GI Bill to go to DeVry Institute and get a degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. I learned primarily how to design microprocessor based control systems. My senior project was a home automation system.  Of course it was on a much smaller scale but it still controlled all of the functions that modern systems do today.

While in school I also worked part time as an Electronics Technician at Dash Computers and developed component level troubleshooting and soldering skills. Even though I worked part time I still outproduced the full time person I replaced.  At one point due to a buyout I lost the part time job but they asked me to come back soon afterward.  I guess they missed me…or maybe it was just my productivity they missed.  Either way it felt good to go back and help.

Why This is Important to Me today
The combination of learning how to design devices at school with learning how to take them apart and fix them at work allowed me to see a problem from all angles. This in turn allows me to come up with better solutions.  My engineering projects at school were completed faster and at work I was able to communicate detailed information to engineers on design problems which lead to better products.

ENTERING THE CORPORATE WORLD

From there I began working at Sprint and later at EMBARQ. I was a Network Engineer responsible for setting up the interoffice transport networks for Las Vegas. I established SONET, ATM, and DWDM networks. Las Vegas was a very high profile and fast growing territory therefore I often got to work with cutting edge equipment which was a lot of fun.  However, the telecom industry had been hit hard by the financial crisis (whatever it may end up being called) in 2008.  Our engineering group took a big hit in that year’s downsizing (an annual event since 2001) and I was finally one of the many caught without a chair when the music stopped.  I am now looking forward to transitioning to designing smaller scale networks and am currently studying for a CCNA certification.

So there it is, my 17 year career on a single page. This page intentionally focuses on the early years of my career to complement the details of my recent work which you can find on my career portfolio.