Finding What's Next.

Over the course of the past few days i've begun to accept the reality that I am done with college. That I am going to have to find myself a job and give up a little bit of my freedom in order to sustain myself. Of course, its a scary proposition, one that I am sure almost every college student experiences. I've never been one to accept large changes in my personal life. In technology, i'm totally open to change, moving forward and trying new things at a continuous pace. But things like moving and having close friends leave, I believe, have always hit me a little harder than others. This is a major milestone in my life and I need to accept it, I don't have a choice. Soon I will be moving out of my apartment in Rochester and my friends will be leaving to pursue their own goals. I am thankful for social applications like Twitter and Facebook to keep me in contact with my old friends, but I have to begin this new chapter in my life.

Right now the uncertainty of my future is getting to me. Looking at my iCal and seeing vast swaths of nothingness other than personal events. Right now i'm trying to appreciate the downtime, i've been going almost non-stop for the past five years at school, but now i've got nothing.

I've been interviewing for a large number of jobs lately, from structured wiring installer, to simple help desk positions, to network engineering positions at large financial firms. It's been a wild ride and I feel that I am honing my communications skills quite nicely thanks to it. Figuring out what works and what doesn't. Evaluating different companies and finding a place where I would feel at home.

Over the course of college I feel that I have changed immensely. During middle school and high school I was always the quiet one, the loaner, the nerd who spent time on his laptop instead of talking with his friends. It was common for my teachers to say that I "hid behind my laptop". I was never the one to be out on the soccer field, I was the one in the networking closet reconfiguring switches and configuring lab workstations.

RIT has been a life changing experience for me, as I believe that college should be. I've had so many opportunities to learn, to communicate, to build myself a solid base to start my career. Many complain that RIT is grey, dull, and boring, but I don't think I would trade my experiences at RIT for anything else. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would in a second. Sure the weather sucked and the campus can be dreary at times. Sure the people can be a little freaky (a disproportionate amount of RIT bandwidth is consistently used for World of Warcraft). But when you go out and socialize, go out and make an effort to meet others, it's not bad. Life doesn't just throw friends in your lap, you need to go out and work to find them. This was a reality that I had a hard time grasping, but I think I've finally got it.

The professors in my department were very influential and challenged me to think "outside the box". The labs in my department were spacious and always stocked with great gear to play with. Lab assignments were always hands-on, requiring us to go out and find information from a multitude of different sources, not just notes from the professor. We were expected to go above and beyond to get our work done well, we weren't allowed to just coast by. With my graduation I think I am going to miss the ability to go in and play with hardware the most. The fact I had a fully stocked cage full of equipment was a geeks dream. The ability to go in, check out a couple of routers, build a topology, and test it was really great. I don't think many of my classmates took advantage of the labs as much as they could of.

As I move forward I try to think back. I try to remember my best accomplishments as I push forward to meet new goals that I am still working to define. But I strive for structure. When I was in school I had assignments to complete, group meetings to attend, and an overall sense of purpose. Lately, without school, that structure has been reduced to finding a job. I've been pushing myself to work on little pet projects in order to keep myself sane. Like participating in Rochester Barcamp and building up my personal server farm.

Next week I will be back in Rochester for the career fair. I would really like to have a solid position pinned down soon, something that I will really love. This uncertainty is really getting the better of me at this point.

Back to applying for jobs.

-Jamie

Have you ever.... ?

Have you ever had a job interview where you felt like you were having a conversation with a group of friends? One where you weren't nervous?  One where you felt that you would be really happy working with the people you were interviewing with?  I had one at Google and I'm really excited about it.

I recently interviewed at one of Google's largest competitors for a Network Operations position and the only thing I could think about during the interview was "Don't Talk About Google. Don't Talk About Google".  When the hiring manager asked which of their products I used, I came up with a blank stare: "Uuh… Movies and Weather?".  This was possibly a worst case scenario for me.  Long story short, I didn't get an offer, but I don't think I wanted that position anyways.  Interviewing at Google was a totally different experience.  I felt comfortable, I felt at home.  Of course, the fact that Google's products shape almost every experience in my daily life didn't hurt.  Think about it, how does Google affect you?  How many searches do you run in a day?  How many times do you obsessively check your Gmail?  How often to you load up Google Maps to grab directions to food or the nearest pharmacy?  These tools have become essential for my daily life, I rely on them, and they are a pleasure to use.  I don't know what I would do without them.

I have always admitted that I am a fanboy, if a product works well and the company treats me right, I am a very loyal customer.  May it be Apple, Southwest Airlines, Subaru, or Google, I will always defend my position and tell others about my experiences.  I have been using Google search since I first found it in early 2000.  I have been using Gmail since it came out on April 1st, 2004.  I have been a loyal proponent of Google Voice since I got my first invite.  I don't know what I would do without YouTube, its ability to bring entertainment and opinion into my life are second to none.  These products shape my life.  The fact that I could be part of the organization that shapes such a large portion of my existence seems fitting.  It just seems right.  It just seems like I would be, home. 

Of course, i'm under NDA so I can't talk about the actual interview process but I can say that Google is one of the most amazing places I have ever been, let alone interviewed at.  It was an honor to have the opportunity to talk to their operations team.  The Googlers I met were some of the coolest, smartest, and kindest people I have ever discussed technology with.  During interviews and at lunch, the discussion was intense, a group of people who clearly loved what they were working on and wanted to make sure I shared their passion.  It was an occasion in my life where I wasn't the smartest person sitting at the table and it was humbling and exciting to get a feel for the challenges they experience everyday. 

It was so exciting hanging around the Googleplex for a day.  It was one of the most beautiful and impressive places I have ever been.  A geek amusement park, the nexus of the interwebs.  I know I would be very happy there, the challenges and problems I would experience are unlimited.  I will remember the day forever.  I know that I am one of the few that got the opportunity to interview and I feel honored.  The fact that one of the most influential companies in my daily life is even interested in talking to me is very exciting.  If I was offered an opportunity to come and work on the team I think I would jump up and down like a giddy schoolgirl, it's just that good.

Working in support at Google isn't like your everyday support position at XYZ organization.  This isn't installing Microsoft Word, updating Firefox, and removing malware.  While there may be some instances of that, you are working with some of the most talented engineers on the planet, they know their stuff and how to do their due diligence.  I live for those kinds of challenges, ones where I can build my "bag of tech tricks", improving my overall skill set.  I think I would go crazy working at XYZ organization doing support, it would get boring and repetitive very quickly.  I've been there and i've done that.  I want to walk into work everyday knowing that I will be challenged and learn something.

If any Googlers are reading this post, once again, I just want to say Thank You!  You guys really know how to show true hospitality.  I felt like I was able to show you my best since I wasn't worrying about every little thing.  I hope to meet with all of you again in the future.

Graduation... The Future is Fuzzy.

Hey All,

My name is James "Jamie" Richard.  I am a recent graduate from the Applied Networking and Systems Administration program at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Its been a fun filled five years of learning about networks in-depth and developing my skills in a lab environment.  With graduation its now time for me to find a job, a challenge in this economy.  I have interviewed with a few companies and I will be outlining the ups and downs in the future.

With graduation my schedule has become empty.  I went from having the responsibilities of a typical working college student to being unemployed.  Class and homework is no longer an issue.  I no longer have to make it over to the help desk on campus.  I've become a wonderer, looking for my perfect place in this world.  Interviews are going well, but there is no way to know until the offer is in your hand.  I have a few things percolating and I will give everyone a heads up a little later.

Right now, add me on Twitter (@jaymer) and keep an eye on my status.  Check out my LinkedIn.  I will be posting my resume and personal portfolio up here soon.  I also hope to blog about the personal projects which I am working on to keep myself from going insane.

If your a recruiter or employer who is looking for a solid self-starter who is well versed in networking, computing, troubleshooting, and support please feel free to reach out and say hi!  Use the e-mail me widget in the sidebar.

Thank You!