I have been involved with computers and technology since I was born, thanks to an Electic Engineering father who got into computers early on. Ever since then I have loved the whole idea of emerging technology and it seems to have followed me through school. My first memories were playing math blaster plus and montezuma's revenge on the dos platform on an IBM-PC (not sure of the stats as I was so young but it was one of the first with a 5.25 floppy drive and a state of the art 3.5 floppy drive.)
Man were those the good times. I ended up liking Hero's Quest over Kings Quest from Sierra as I was getting into AD&D with my older cousin when we could. Then I got a Nintendo (I never had an Atari or Intellivision because I was right in the era when the market for video games would have crashed had it not been for Nintendo.) and all the kids would come over to check out my new Nintendo and also the computer (which none of their families had.)
So Nintendo and then Super Nintendo held me through most of my younger years until I was suprised by my grandfather who got me a Gateway tower computer for I believe my 10th birthday. So here I am, 10 years old, having my own computer with the new windows 3.1 on it and signing into AOL with a collection of their free 30 day trials and I was having a blast. I started gaming on that computer with Wolfenstein 3D and Mechwarrior 2 (among other titles.) and that was getting me very involved with computers... Especially since they were very buggy all the time and so I had to learn break-fix the hard way. I was able to upgrade to Windows 95 when it came out too.
Now I finally get to high school and we have to take these primitive computer courses, starting off with typing (on a "greenscreen" with the keys all blank so you couldnt look down to see what you were hitting, yuck) and then after passing typing we were able to go into Computer Literacy, which is nothing more than learning the basics of microsoft office on a windows 98 machine.
It was cool in a way as my class was the first ones to be able to use the new computers that came in. The teachers had some networked games, most popular was Duke Nukem 3D, which students were allowed to play over the local network in special adapted "computer" study halls. So whenever I could I was in there fragging my classmates and even the teacher. That was very fun for me.
So now for my first "hack." I already had a computer with Microsoft office that I owned and toyed with before I went to High School, making do not enter signs with my publisher and printer, so I new all the ropes when it came down to the classwork that was being taught in this Computer Literacy Lab class. I would get my lab assignments done, with the extra credit and getting paid lunch money to get the person sitting next to me a completely redone project that looked totally different so I wouldn't get caught, all in under 15-30 minutes for an hour and 45 minute lab schedule. So I had a lot of time on my hands.
I was always trying to look at the directory trees of the network to learn of a way to execute Duke Nukem 3D but it was locked with a password when I would try to run it. Ironically as I was working in MS Word I discovered that I could create a "clickable" object on the page that redirected to a program. Now I had tried many ways before and all without any success but finally this clickable icon that I was able to setup in word actually bypassed the security passwords and "voila!" I was playing Duke Nukem 3D. Looking back it was all to funny and entertaining.
So here I am playing Duke Nukem 3D during class, and the teacher (who already knows that I am the prodigy of the class as my grade is at like 175% due to all the A+'s and extra credit.) comes walking by my computer and witnesses me playing the game. Now this teacher is also a member of the schools Network administration and he asks me how I was able to play the game on the computer. I gladly show him with a gleam of intense fire in my eye for the passion of technology, and I walk him throught the steps I took to get it to work. He politely said that as long as we are in class that I shouldn't play only for the respect of the other students as not to distact them. I was more than willing to comply with the teacher but because of my little discovery the following year the administrators added a higher level of security but also permitted me to become a voluntary junior network admin who had access to the network's passwords, but in return I would also be helping out in the computer classes by helping other students and such. It was totally awesome as I was able to play my games whenever I was finished.
So then came college. I was given a gift from my parents which was $10000 which I spent $4500 on a car and $5500 on a new computer (fancy that.) And boy was I having fun with that monster of a machine. I went off to DeVry University and had loads of fun there too.
Through the course of late High School and into college I started working. First I wanted to get anything that would be entry level but get me into technology. So I started working Warehouse at Circuit City. It was interesting but not what I imagined it to be as I wanted to work comission in the computer department as I knew the technology inside and out. Oh well, so I decide to get a job working the computer labs and pretty much getting paid to sit there and look pretty, oh and also to unjam and refill the printers. BORING!
So I decide to have more fun with my job and go work for a company called Dave & Busters. They are part of the entertainment industry and run video arcades with bars and billiard tables for adults, very upscale gaming and lots of loud music. My position was Captain of Security, but as that looks fancy it was just the title for all the "bouncers" of D&B (although I still have fun with it on my resume, "Yeah I was CAPTAIN of SECURITY," it sounds so upscale) LOL.
So as I am going through DeVry I decide to look for another job that was more focused on my skills. I decide to get a part time job over one summer at BestBuy for their tech bench. The store I decided to apply for was one that was Grand Opening and needed all the help they could get, so I got my foot in the door. Rumor was already going around then for their GeekSquad concept and that they bought the name and business model from the founder and owner of the original GeekSquad. Little did I know about this GeekSquad when I first started working for BestBuy, but that was soon to change.
The word got out that the tech bench was going to turn into a GeekSquad precinct. Job opportunities became available for what is known as their Double Agent position. There was only one DA position for each store, and the duties of that agent were to drive to peoples houses and fix computers on-site. To be allowed to turn in your resume/application you first had to pass the Double Agent Technical Assestment. This test was to prove your level of knowledge to make sure you were generally fit to handle the position.
Many people from my store took the test. But only myself and one of my fellow tech buddies actually passed. I felt strange because other co-workers who said that it was going to be too easy to pass failed miserably, the worst examples being the ones boasting that they used to do the same line of work and that they had degrees in computer science from some college. As I never had any career based experience and had yet to finish DeVry I felt like it was a far shot for me to get accepted. All I can say is that I feel better about my abilities now that I can look back at it.
So as I was saying only my buddy and I passed this test. So we were able to turn in our resume's and look forward to the interview. Well, as I made sure to hand my paperwork to the known hiring manager for the position, I later found out that my buddy had just turned his in that evening to the manager on duty and his paperwork got lost somewhere. So being the only known applicant who passed I was handed the position, handed a GeekSquad Double Agent position! Now how many agents working for BestBuy out there can say that? Hmmmm?
So then I started working as a field agent for BestBuy. It was great at the beginning, I was always one of their top performers in the district and even region, but then it got bad. I will not get into details but it simply involved store management. I tried braving the storm for another year but simply said [****] it and gave my two week notice so that on my two year anniversary I left BestBuy for good. And for all you GeekSquad agents out there: they are totally using you. For the 2 years I worked there I was paid enough hourly to consider myself roughly around a $30,000 salary as a DOULBE AGENT! All the while making the company over $100,000 a year in labor and yet they couldn't give me a decent raise for my efforts.
So anyway, here I am now working with Nerds On Site (.com) as an independant contractor making my own hours, running the business as I see fit, not having management to chastise me, not having to work 40 hours a week, and still getting paid more. To average the amount of work that I need to do to match what I was making as a double agent would be on average 15 hours of work a week instead of 40 hours. Thats more hours of not working than there is working and still getting paid more. [/rant]
Now that I have that out of my system let me say that I love what I am currently doing. Its very stress free and allows for a great work enviroment. So I am happy. I feel like a zoo keeper who loves animals. As a good friend once told me "its best to have your aces in places" which is in refernce to finding the best job suited for you that is both a good job for the skills you know and a job that you enjoy. So, yes, I am definetly happy.
Now as far as how I became part of Kaneva, that is an interesting timeline. For starters back in March of 2002 [INTERMISSION: relaxing my brain from the flood of incoming memories, will continue soon]