Hardware Diagnostics & Repair
Where it all started...
Let's rewind back to the 90's, a time when mice had balls, mechanical keyboards weren't marketed as gaming peripherals, and magnets could wreak havoc on your disk media and monitor. I distinctly remember the first time I saw the guts of a computer. It left me feeling both nervous and excited, and it was the first time I had thought about computer hardware outside of those boring beige Packard Bell cases.
Fast forward a bit into my early teenage years, and I'm lucky enough to get my very own computer. My family didn't have a lot of money, so it wasn't the greatest of computers, but that didn't matter, because it was mine! I'm talking about none other than the beautiful, swirly, colorful iMac Compaq Presario.
It was at this time, that I knew a career and life of technology was in my future!
Not long after getting this magnificent machine, I yearned for more performance! As a teenager with no money, the journey to upgrades proved to be a rather difficult task. Nothing that a combination of time, holidays, mowing lawns, and chores couldn't handle. Eventually, I was able to expand my system memory and install a discrete video card, which really amplified my interest in computer hardware!
Once the Compaq started showing more and more age, I went on to build my own computer and never looked back. I have been an avid hardware enthusiast ever since.
Professional Hardware Experience
My professional hardware experience began with an internship for the State at the Department of Corrections. This position gave me real world break-fix and maintenance experience at the age of 18. My responsibilities included supporting desktops, laptops, printers, and various peripherals.
After completing my extended internship, I landed a position in technical support for Rite Aid Corporation. This role provided me with valuable experience troubleshooting workstations, servers, peripherals, and retail technology. I was part of a team that supported the entire store, which gave me additional experience over technicians that only supported specific hardware.
I continued supporting store hardware as a Level 2 Support Tech at Rite Aid Corporation, until I decided to take a Repair Technician position at another branch office. In this role, I physically repaired all the hardware and technology that I was previously supporting in my prior position. I made circuit-level and component-level repairs to workstations, servers, printers, and various peripherals.
My professional hardware experience continued at the Vista School as a Technology Specialist. In this role, I was able to use my personal and professional experience to support 3 different buildings across the campus. I was responsible for anything technology related, including workstations, printers, tablets, servers, networking hardware, cameras, etc. This was my first autonomous role without a team.
I decided to take on more responsibility with another autonomous role at Temple University. My position expanded from LAN Administrator, Senior Technology Specialist, to IT Manager of University College. In this role, I am responsible for all hardware on the campus. This includes workstations, servers, printers, networking, peripherals, projectors, displays, and other classroom technology. I also studied automation control hardware in this position and installed it within the classrooms. The experience I obtained at Temple has been broad and invaluable for building my career.
