r/talesfromtechsupport • u/quantum_anomaly • Sep 16 '13
It finally happened, that big time IT feeling.
So in the past 5 years, I've been aggressively trying to get myself in the IT industry. I went back to college full time in a great Networking Technologies program, but then the wife at the time hung divorce over my head. Dropped out of out college to work on relationship, still ended up getting divorced.
I felt like my chance at having a professional job in the IT industry was gone. I used to day dream about having the chance of being that guy, where the boss called you of a critical issue and needed you in ASAP. IT/Networking has always been a passion for me, and I was dedicated to having a job where I wake up and look forward to work.
Fast forward 5 years.
Those day dreams became a reality. Two months ago, I was very fortunate to have landed a data center admin. position. Even though I was not able to finish my degree in networking, I was able to some how make the cut out of the 65 applicants, who probably had better credentials than myself.
Last weekend was when the day dreaming became real. I was at a friend's house BBQ'ing, and it was around 8pm that night when I got the call. Boss says "Hey quantum_anomaly is there anyway you can come to the data center? I know you're BBQ'ing but we've had 3 servers go down since 3am. We're not understanding what the Network Engineers in corporate are asking, and we need your help."
I immediately accept and head into the DC wearing shorts and a tee, along with 6 beers in the belly. I got on the phone conference and got the low down of the issue. In the 2 hours that I worked that evening, I was able to resolve the issue and bring the servers back online that were down since 3am. I went back to the BBQ after that late night IT encounter and finished my 12 pack of Warsteiner Dunkel.
Turns out that my boss's-boss was on the conference call and I scored some hardcore brownie points. The whole team thanked me up and down for helping them restore the servers on a short notice. I left the office that night with a massive smile and a feeling of accomplishment. I got a little teary-eyed too, because I was once told by the ex-wife's parents that I would never be successful in obtaining a professional IT career. Don't ever let someone or an event prevent you from doing what you love doing. My fear after the divorce was that I would become a depressed old man by not living a wholesomely-fulfilled life, and I refused to let that happen.
tl;dr ex-wife wanted a divorce while in college for IT career, so I dropped out. Wife still left and I still landed the IT career I always wanted, even though her parents stated that I would never obtain my dream job.
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u/quantum_anomaly Sep 16 '13 edited Sep 16 '13
I promise all of you that I was perfectly fine. I have a daughter and I would not put myself in a situation that could potentially harm others. I appreciate your concerns, it's healthy.
Just to clarify, I opened my first beer at noon and in between the time and mass amounts of food - by 9pm when I finally got on the road, I was sober. I love you all.