I’ve recently returned from Toronto, Ontario where I was on a training course provided by Interactive Intelligence. Interactive Intelligence provides Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions for businesses of all sizes. This particular course was titled Interaction Center VoIP Professional Bootcamp. A bootcamp it was.

The course ran from 8:30 am until 10 pm and consisted of a one hour lunch break and an hour and a half dinner break. Most days we skipped the dinner break so we could finish up around 8:30 and go for dinner without having to worry about getting back to class.

I’ve been on a few training courses since I graduated from school, a few years back, but this was definitely the most challenging to date. Not only was there a lot to soak in, but I had almost zero experience with VoIP technology to boot. The only experience I did have were basic administrative skills that I picked up at my new job from my co-workers. I did have the benefit of two co-workers who already had passed the course and still had last year’s course material available so I could pre-read it before taking the class.

Because Interactive Intelligence’s systems are very diverse in what they support (i.e. VoIP, TDM, PRI, SIP etc) I had to pay close attention to the other classmates when they were having informal discussions so I could learn a bit more about telecommunication systems in general. Of all the technologies I’ve experienced and worked with over the past few years, telecommunication systems were not one of them.

My lack of knowledge may have helped me in the sense that I could focus solely on the solution I was being trained on without getting all mixed up with other technologies. It definitely made it much more difficult to understand some things but I managed to muddle through it.

Our exam on the last day was pretty intense (to say the least). It began with a written test that had 42 questions. The second part was to install the system from scratch with the specs provided on a sheet of paper. For the third, and final, part we had to leave the room while the instructor went and broke three things on our system. It was quite stressful but in the end I passed with very good marks.

The whole trip was very much a rewarding. I added another certification to my portfolio, I learned a ridiculous amount and it was fun. I would like to thank Chris, our instructior, for creating a great atmosphere for learning and Microsoft Bob for providing comic relief. It was a pleasure meeting the rest of the class too and it was a great bunch of people to have around during such an intense experience. I have a funny feeling Derek is still crying (from laughing so hard) over the whole Audio Activated Hacker incident.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s article where I talked about transitioning from eDirectory to Active Directory, today’s artcile is about adjusting to the new style of organization I work for.

As you probably know already, I recently left my position with a government organization to re-join the ranks of the private sector. In a previous article title “I need a new challenge” I talked about why I was unhappy in my former position. You can consider this as a follow-up to that artcile as well.

Transitioning to a new employer is not always easy or fun but if done right can be a very rewarding experience. This happens to be the case with me with the added benefit of fun being part of it too. My new job is with a private company based in New York but I work in the Canadian office which also happens to be the support center for this organization.

Some of the problems I had with my old position were the red tape, lack of montivation, and un-willingness of management to move forward (on almost everything). Other factors included lack of comminucation, disfunctional teams and so much segragation of duties that no one knew what anyone else was doing.

My new job has been much different. My new manager is very helpful, knowledgeable, and hard working. Which is a complete change from past management. I’ve already been registered for a training course in Toronto that costs more than all the training I received with government over the entire five years I was there.

The biggest improvement is that I now feel like I’m part of a team. I must point out that my team size went from nine in my old job to only three (that I work with directly with but it’s essentially bigger because of other groups we work with very closely) where I am now. Regardless of the size it’s nice to finally be able to ask questions without being shut down. I’m also able to make decisions and not have to worry all the time that I’m doing things the wrong way. My peers and superiors appear to appreciate my knowledge and education enough to trust me to do things right. This is a HUGE plus over my last job where I was always second guessed and nothing was ever done right because certain people looked down on me because of my “Help Desk” position.

Finally, one of the things that impresses me the most about my new job is the passion that everyone has about their work. When things break we not only fix them but we spend the time to understand what caused it and how to prevent similar problems in the future. In my last job we just fixed things and didn’t spend the required time to learn why it broke in the first place. This shows that my new co-workers have much more pride in their work than my last ones did.

Not everything is a peachy as it sounds. There’s always the worry about the economy and what will happen to the company but this is an acceptable risk to take when the rest is so much of an improvement over the last.

I love the videos on NoHardware.com. They make me laugh so I thought I would share the latest one with you. Enjoy

For those of you who know me, you know that I am not one to put up with bullshit or red tape for very long. You would also know that I am the kind of person who is always testing out new things and that I have a constant thirst for knowledge.

For the past four years I have been working as Help Desk Analyst for various government departments. So you ask what I am getting at? Well the above are some of the main factors to why I need to leave my current job. It’s sort of a Catch 22, I guess. It’s a very stable position with a pension and great medical benefits but I just can’t take it anymore.

My parents can’t understand why [update Sept 4,2008 - Mom says that her and Dad have a good grasp on my reasoning for moving on from this position - thanks Mom ] I would want to leave such a job and go for something in the private sector that doesn’t offer the same amount of stability or benefits. I can tell you why, it’s because I’m getting burnt out. A person can only take so much of the same thing (some can handle this more that others). I’m getting tired of the repetitive questions and petty (I really do mean petty) “issues” that people seem to think are important. It would be safe to say that 99% of these petty requests have no bearing on the grand scheme of things and no effect on the end result. It’s tough for me to sit here and respect a place that places so much emphasis on issues that don’t mean anything and don’t advance towards the improvement of the organization.

I feel that I need a job where I can take pride in what I do. I don’t have to be saving baby bunny rabbits or anything crazy like that but it would be nice to have some sort of gratification out of it. In my current position there are no methods in place to reward productivity or encourage hard work. The only thing that can happen is you can be scolded if you do not perform to expectations but there’s nothing that can really be done so no one worries about being fired. What kind of place is that to work? I’ve heard people wonder why no one wants to work any overtime but they can’t figure out why. Sure, we get paid for it but there’s nothing to make us feel that it will be rewarded in any other way than monetary. Management doesn’t even tell us whether or not they appreciate the work we do over and above our daily duties.

There are other factors that come in to play here as well. One is that there is no accountability, FOR ANYTHING. It really doesn’t matter what you do there’s almost nothing that can be done about it. Human Resources has warnings and written warnings that can be used but in all my time here I have never known of anyone using them.

Another one of the reasons for me wanting to get it is the issue of stagnation. I feel that in the past few years (mostly the past two) that there’s really been no change in the technology that we use. This is where my thirst for learning is just about killing me. Since the technology is pretty much at a standstill, I have learned a few ways to help keep my mind at ease but it’s no longer enough. There were a few times when it looked like some new projects were going to come through but they have almost all been squashed at the last minute.

There are more issues why I feel the need to part ways with this position but I don’t think I will mention them as I’ve already been scolded for pointing them out. Once I leave I may consider talking about them in greater detail but for now I’m sure I’ve bored you enough already.

Cheers!
~TheNerd

I’ve been plugging away at my business plan over the past few days and have made some decent progress. I’ve been trying to write it as professionally as possible so it’s taking a some extra time to make sure I have all the wording all nice and pretty.

The worst part about the whole thing is the market research.  It’s hard enough to find decent numbers for places like Toronto and Vancouver never mind Halifax or maybe even a smaller town where I grew up. I guess it might not be that the numbers are hard to find, it might just be hard to find for a non-numbers person such as myself. Regardless it will come eventually.

Aside from that I am working with someone (sort of) on a new project that hopes to be launched into beta  sometime in the not too distant future. I don’t want to say much about it right now because I am not sure what exactly my involvement in this project will be and the details aren’t all worked out as to what the final product is actually going to look like.

I am also working on an eComStation related website project that, as soon as some bugs are worked out, will be launched. I hope that will happen within the next week or two before I return to my regular day job but I am not 100% sure yet.

~TheNerd

I wanted to throw out some advice that I wish someone would have given me what I first entered the IT universe.

If you happen to be one of those people who loves new and exciting things, you might just want to stay away from the big corporations and government organizations. On the other hand, if you are a person who values are most towards having a stable job with many benefits, then you might want to go for one of those places.

It is my experience in the corporate world that has shown me that most corporations like to create a homogeneous and stable environment that does not promote the use of cutting edge technologies but rather promotes the use of technologies that have been proven over time. While this is a good thing for the organization it might not be what all technicians are looking for.

If you want to play with new technologies and have a chance to live on the cutting edge you might want to op in to a job at a smaller, private company. If you really want to live on the edge you might want to even look for a job at a Web 2.0 start up. Then you would really have the chance to play with new stuff.

Anyway I though I would share that with you .

~TheNerd

I haven’t given up on my business dream yet. I’ve put my business plan on hold for a few days while I read a book called The E Myth by Michael Gerber. This book was recommended to me by Mike Muise and is apparently one of the “must reads” for anyone interested in starting a small business. Thus far I have managed to read up to chapter 3 and I must say it’s quite engaging.

I will probably need to buy a book on business plans (Business Plans for Dummies maybe?) as I’ve got about as much as I can done and now need some “help”. A business plan is quite involved and I would prefer to do it right the first time around so that if I do ever decide to proceed on my quest that I will be well prepared and have something to show the financial institutions and/or investors when the time comes.

I’m learning a lot about business and entrepreneurship and am loving every minute of it.

~TheNerd

I’ve recently started listing items on eBay again and it got me thinking about the changes I’ve seen in the past 10 years.

When I first signed up on eBay, a little over 10 years ago, you didn’t need a credit card and there was no such thing as “Buy it now”. eBay was still full of Beanie Babies and Pez dispensers. At that time your user ID was your email address and it was publicly displayed, there wasn’t much worry of your inbox being harvested for spam.

At one time you could sell firearms, animals, and human body parts. Most of those categories were short lived because eBay soon found out there was lots of liability associated with them. Then there was eBay Motors, a separate place to sell your used cars and parts. There was no such thing as Half.com, Paypal, or Skype. You had to sit around and wait for a cheque or money order to show up in the mail and then hope it didn’t bounce.

When I first signed up, people used to actually take care when they left feedback. Buyers didn’t leave negative feedback on whim just because there was a speck of dirt on the box. Buyers and sellers actually communicated and solved their problems, what a strange concept. I remember when Safe Harbor was put into place, what a relief it was to have a way to solve those extra difficult problems.

So many things have changed over the years, some good and some bad came of it. The one thing I really do miss about eBay is the true sense of community. Now they have communities (forums and such) but you don’t make the personal connections you once did. I’ve made many friends over the years on the site but that happened mostly in the past.

~TheNerd

Thanks to Nodatilu (who commend on a previous post) I’ve decided that I am going to try creating a business plan for my computer shop business idea. I never really thought of using that as a gauge to see how sound this business really is. I must also thank Mike Muise (who happens to be my brother in-law) for his words as well. They got me thinking that my dream of being my own boss might not be a total pipe dream.

I must admit, I’ve already started to fill out a template. It’s probably been seen by just about every financial institution but it was provided free of charge from the BDC on their website so I figured it must be fairly safe to use. If you would like to see what I got myself into click here  to download a copy of the files.

It’s a good thing they also provide an example of a filled out business plan because I really know nothing about what I am doing. I guess it’s good and bad, at very least I will learn some new things about entrepreneurship. Also, there’s a second part, which is a spreadsheet, used to calculate all the financial stuff. I’m sure I’ll need help with that but I’ll tackle that part when I get there.

As of now, I am about 1/4 of the way through the first draft. I’ll try and post some updates as I go along so you can follow my progress.

Cheers for now!
~TheNerd

The more I think of it the more I realize that I was never really meant to work for other people. I believe that my true calling is running my own business. Over the years I’ve dabbled in business off and on but haven’t really had the resources to make a true go of it.

My first business was called Harbourview Electronics and was based out of my parents house. I started it when I was about 16 years old and mainly sold things on eBay. My next venture came when I was about 17 years old. I started a company with a friend, we called On The Verge Technologies, Inc. Nothing much happened with that as we didn’t have much time because we were in high school.

A few years later I bought out a carpet cleaning business from a friend and started running that in my spare time. At that time I had a full time job and didn’t have the energy to work a second job in the off hours. I eventually traded my gear from that business to a car dealer in exchange for a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier (along with my truck). This business actually paid for itself though .

So now I have another small business called Nerfd Technologies. This one, I run out of my apartment in my spare time. I’ve been doing relatively well actually, but it’s just part time and more of a hobby than anything. I sell computer equipment, design and maintain websites, and provide general tech support for home and small business users.

What I really want is to be able to focus all of my energy on my own business. I want to open a computer store (or some other sort of store) and be able to run it full time. I have family members who are in business and have been very successful so I believe I would have some resources there to draw upon for help and advice. The only problem with this idea is that some people don’t think it’s a good idea or that it’s too risky. I’ve always been a risk taker and that is part of the appeal of a new business.

I know I have the experience needed to start a computer business. I’ve been working in the IT industry for 5 years now and I’ve got just about all the experience I need for this type of venture. Anything else I could do through contractors. The biggest part, that worries most people, is the up front financial cost (duh!). I know it would cost at least $20,000 to get me going. This should cover a few months rent as well as the initial stock for the store. I would have to pay myself an hourly wage of some sort but could get away with a small amount (enough to pay personal bills) until the business started making enough money to allow for a bigger payout.

Some days I feel like this is just a vague pipe dream. Will it ever happen? I don’t know but I sure hope that it does. I’ve always wanted something to call my own and have the freedoms that come with an established business. As I mentioned earlier I am intrigued and interested in the risk associated with the whole idea as well. The though of it is invigorating.

~TheNerd