Systems Administration

Our everyday life and everything we take for granted depends on many computers of all shapes, sizes, and functions. Whether you want to check your email, go for a drive in that new car of yours, or do something as elementary as turning on the faucet to brush your teeth every morning, there is a computer behind every little thing you do. All of the computers “behind the scenes” must be managed; the servers at your chosen email host (Gmail, Yahoo), the computers that operate the traffic lights and electronic billboards on your way to work, the computers that keep track of the water levels in town. All of these systems are managed by some form of a system administrator: a job that requires a wide knowledge of computers, continuous learning, resourcefulness, social skills, time management, and the ability to work well with the amount of responsibility that is placed on your shoulders.

Considering I am a system administrator for a company that I helped found, perhaps I am a bit biased. That being said, I think systems administration, and IT-sector careers in general, are terribly undervalued and under-appreciated professions. Such attitudes towards the information technology industry likely stem from simple misunderstanding of what it is professionals in this field actually do. For many of us, a standard 9AM – 5PM, Monday through Friday work schedule is nonexistent. Ever since I started working, there have been a countless number of times where I've had to work well through the night in order to ensure no service interruptions during regular business hours. Similarly, there have been days where I did nothing but work some personal projects, while learning/improving my skills in new technologies. Thus it often seems like we're doing nothing, like “just browsing the web”, when we may well be preparing for future work, or attempting to find the solution to a particular issue.

Much of the time, our work goes unnoticed – it isn't magic that keeps a network running reliably and without issue, continuously, for months at a time. The fact that no one noticed a big upgrade or migration is something we often commend ourselves on – that means everything went perfectly. It seems others (“users”, as we often refer to them) only notice the IT team when something does happen to go wrong – something that is usually out of our control (hardware failure). This begins to paint a negative picture for many; people naturally begin to associate us with their problems. Worse, people begin to blame all of their technology-related problems on “those damn IT people” - even when the “problem” either isn't ours, or isn't even a problem but a simple lack of basic computer literacy.

I wrote this post in the hope that at least one person not associated with the IT sector/systems administration will be able to get at least a small glimpse at what it actually consists of. Perhaps you'll spread the word.