Re: [BLUG] When is the next meeting?

Hi Alan,

We did indeed have a meeting this month, sorry you missed it.  The messages regarding it were a short flurry of activity under the subject "April Meeting 04-08-2008".  It was a very informal get-together at Yogi's, last Tuesday.

We'll have another meeting next month (most likely on the second Tuesday of May), this one more formal and with a presentation.  I believe Bob Piercy is going to give us a demonstration of some music software.

Cooley

Dave Cooley dcooley@kiva.net

Alan Polis wrote:

Hi, about a month ago, I sent an email asking when the next meeting would be.
I do not recall seeing any messages about a meeting this month.  Was there
a  meeting this month?

Alan Polis
3518 E. Covenanter Drive
Bloomington, IN 47401

 
 _______________________________________________ BLUG mailing list BLUG@linuxfan.com http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug   

[BLUG] When is the next meeting?

Hi, about a month ago, I sent an email asking when the next meeting would be.
I do not recall seeing any messages about a meeting this month.  Was there
a  meeting this month?

Alan Polis
3518 E. Covenanter Drive
Bloomington, IN 47401

Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

Enthusiasm and attitude count for a lot.

I once worked with a dentist. He had moved to the state (California) and
missed the licensing test that year. He needed a job, and we needed a
hardware monkey for our QA lab. He'd periodically whip out one of the
mouth mirrors when he needed to check a chipset or something. He was
enthusiastic about the work, and wanted to learn. He liked it enough
that he stayed on after he was licensed in the state.

With regards to where to find jobs, the jobs at IU UITS are located at:

http://www.indiana.edu/~uitshr/uitshrjobs.html

Check out the "Hourly Opportunities".

Cheers,
Steven Black

On Tue, Apr 08, 2008 at 11:31:09AM -0400, dcooley@kiva.net wrote:
> Don't be too worried, "entry-level" is just that. I'd go for a tech support
> position somewhere, personally.
>
> For instance, in my first job at the IU UITS (then UCS) support center, I had
> only two qualifications:
> - amateur geek
> - pizza delivery (and other restaurants) experience (read: customer service)
>
> Their thought was "we can train you on the technical matters much more quickly
> than we can train you to give good customer service".
>
> Sure, I had an aptitude, I'd been using computers for many years (since the
> eighties), and I just look like a big nerd, but I think what they really wanted
> was somebody who would smile and nod at people.
>
> If you have customer service experience (restaurant, retail, etc), play that up
> on your resume. If you have teaching experience, some organizations will find
> that far more appealing.
>
> Don't be afraid to say (in your interview) "I just really dig working on
> computers". The HR droid might think that sounds dumb, but an IT person
> interviewing you might see that the two of you have some things in common.
>
> Don't be afraid of what you don't know. Nobody expects the entry-level support
> guy to know how to expertly manage a clustered database server; they want you to
> reset people's passwords, reinstall their OS, replace a dead video card, stuff
> like that. Probably, all stuff you do at your own house.
>
> After you show that you can do that (read: get an entry-level job on your resume)
> then you'll be taken as an "IT person" and your next job will be easier to come
> by (and pay better).
>
>
> On Tue Apr 8 10:18 , Ben Shewmaker <benshewmaker@yahoo.com> sent:
>
> >Thanks to everyone for your information to my question, it was really helpful!
> >
> >It seems from most of the replies, that I might try to find some sort of entry
> level job to gain some experience, knowledge, and exposure to the field. So now
> I am curious how I would go about finding these types of positions. I have no
> experience working with computers, so what sorts of jobs would I be considered
> for and where can I go to find them?
> >
> >Thanks again,
> >
> >Ben
> >
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> BLUG mailing list
> BLUG@linuxfan.com
> http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug
_______________________________________________
BLUG mailing list
BLUG@linuxfan.com
http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug

Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

I can tell you that D. Cooley is right on the money with what he said.
In Feb, I interviewed - and narrowly missed - getting an IT job at IU.
When the guy called back to let me know they hired someone else, I
suspected that they hired someone with an A+ Certification and/or more
experience. His response was that those sorts of things aren't as
important - he said "I can teach you the skill set". He was impressed
with my willingness to solicit input from the people I serve. He said
he'd call me if another job came open.

Plug alert: I'm still looking for computer and/or teaching jobs (I have
a high school teaching license) in Bloomington. If you have any hot
tips - email me.

I'll be missing this month's BLUG meeting at Yogi's, but am going to try
like heck to make the next one. I've never been to one and they sound
pretty awesome.
Matt
_______________________________________________
BLUG mailing list
BLUG@linuxfan.com
http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug

Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

Don't be too worried, "entry-level" is just that. I'd go for a tech support
position somewhere, personally.

For instance, in my first job at the IU UITS (then UCS) support center, I had
only two qualifications:
- amateur geek
- pizza delivery (and other restaurants) experience (read: customer service)

Their thought was "we can train you on the technical matters much more quickly
than we can train you to give good customer service".

Sure, I had an aptitude, I'd been using computers for many years (since the
eighties), and I just look like a big nerd, but I think what they really wanted
was somebody who would smile and nod at people.

If you have customer service experience (restaurant, retail, etc), play that up
on your resume. If you have teaching experience, some organizations will find
that far more appealing.

Don't be afraid to say (in your interview) "I just really dig working on
computers". The HR droid might think that sounds dumb, but an IT person
interviewing you might see that the two of you have some things in common.

Don't be afraid of what you don't know. Nobody expects the entry-level support
guy to know how to expertly manage a clustered database server; they want you to
reset people's passwords, reinstall their OS, replace a dead video card, stuff
like that. Probably, all stuff you do at your own house.

After you show that you can do that (read: get an entry-level job on your resume)
then you'll be taken as an "IT person" and your next job will be easier to come
by (and pay better).

On Tue Apr 8 10:18 , Ben Shewmaker <benshewmaker@yahoo.com> sent:

>Thanks to everyone for your information to my question, it was really helpful!
>
>It seems from most of the replies, that I might try to find some sort of entry
level job to gain some experience, knowledge, and exposure to the field. So now
I am curious how I would go about finding these types of positions. I have no
experience working with computers, so what sorts of jobs would I be considered
for and where can I go to find them?
>
>Thanks again,
>
>Ben
>

_______________________________________________
BLUG mailing list
BLUG@linuxfan.com
http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug

Re: [BLUG] considering a job in computers

Thanks to everyone for your information to my question, it was really helpful!

It seems from most of the replies, that I might try to find some sort of entry level job to gain some experience, knowledge, and exposure to the field.  So now I am curious how I would go about finding these types of positions.  I have no experience working with computers, so what sorts of jobs would I be considered for and where can I go to find them? 

Thanks again,

Ben

---

You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.

Re: [BLUG] April Meeting 04-08-2008

Alright everybody, I reserved a table for 8 or 10 folks at 7:00 Tuesday under the name "B-LUG".

In case you've never been there, Yogi's is at the intersection of 10th Street and Indiana Ave, northwest corner.

They couldn't guarantee that we'd be in on the "patio", so if you can't find us ask them or look around a bit.

Dave Cooley dcooley@kiva.net

Ben Shewmaker wrote:

As long as I can get someone else to cover my shift Tuesday, I plan on being there.

Ben

----- Original Message ----
From: Dave Cooley <dcooley@kiva.net>
To: Bloomington LINUX Users Group <blug@cs.indiana.edu>
Sent: Thursday, April 3, 2008 11:24:48 PM
Subject: Re: [BLUG] April Meeting 04-08-2008

Sweet, so right now we have myself, Jeremy, Walker, Bob, and Mitch.

Looking forward to seeing you folks, as well as anyone else who can
show.  I'm gonna post this at my message board too, we might get one or
two extra folks from there.

I just called Yogi's and they confirmed that it's OK to be under 21 on
the "patio" that early in the evening (I got the impression that they
might stop letting younger folks in after an undisclosed time).

So, it's set then.  I'll wait until Monday afternoon (so that I can get
a better estimate of the headcount), then I'll reserve a table for us
(for Tuesday, at 7).  I'll reserve it under the name "B-LUG", but
honestly the patio isn't that big.  I'm sure you'll have no trouble
finding us.

For reference, if you've never met me before, I'm 6'1" with red hair and
a red beard.

Anyone else coming?

Cooley

Dave Cooley
dcooley@kiva.net



Walker W. Townsend wrote:
> Looking forward to it.
>          Walker
> _______________________________________________
> BLUG mailing list
> BLUG@linuxfan.com
> http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug
_______________________________________________
BLUG mailing list
BLUG@linuxfan.com
http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug

---

You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.

 
 _______________________________________________ BLUG mailing list BLUG@linuxfan.com http://mailman.cs.indiana.edu/mailman/listinfo/blug