This week’s interview is with Gary White.
Jessica Barton: What is your job title?
Gary White: Network administrator.
JB: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself - your education, interests, past work experiences.
GW: I wear two hats. One part of my job is the network - keeping communications between Santa Barbara and our remote sites working and reliable. The other part of my job is keeping the staff here in Santa Barbara up and running with their computers and printers etc. working properly.
JB: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself - your education, interests, past work experiences.
GW: I grew up in a small town in Ohio and went to college at DeVry University. I majored in Network Communications Management and then in 2007 I moved out to California and worked in San Francisco for a for-profit gift giving company. In 2008 I came to LCOGT and I’ve been here ever since!
JB: What led you to the career/job you are doing now?
GW: I was a kid who took everything apart and I’m the kind of person who likes to solve problems. I’ve always wanted to do something like this and I’ve always been interested in computers. My dad taught high school computer courses and really fostered my interest.
JB: What is a typical day at work like?
GW: My days are all different, but they all end at the same place. I spend my day putting out fires, anything from problems with the network, to someone who needs help to get a printer working. It’s all about keeping LCOGT moving. I also travel to our sites to help with deployments, and I get the communications networks there up and running.
JB: What advice would you offer people wanting to go into the type of work you do?
GW: Get out there and start getting some experience. Hands-on experience will teach you a lot, and also help you figure out if this kind of work is right for you. My first certificate was a COMTIA A+ certificate. It’s a semester long basic computer course and gets you started. If you like that course, then you’re in the right place.
JB: What do you like best about working in this field?
GW: I like that it’s different every day. I use the same set of skills and lots of trouble shooting, but the problems are constantly changing
JB: Thanks Gary!
See previous interviews:
- Dave Mullins: Electronic technologist
- Stuart Lowe: Astronomy web developer
- Maida Smith: Finance and administrative director
- Abiy Tekola: Research astronomer
- Mike Falarski: Vice-president in charge of operations
- Martin Dominik: Astronomer
- Ben Burleson: Computer Engineer
- Avi Shporer: Post-doctoral fellow
- John Hygelund: Mechanical Engineer
- Yiannis Tsapras: Research Astronomer
- Matt Dubberley: Mechanical Engineer
- Rachel Haynes: Optical Engineer
- Federica Bianco: Post-doctoral fellow
- Edward Gomez: Education Director