What is on Your Mind?

Just wondering what other people where doing for there first Unix role.

Mine was working with a ISP helpdesk (Windows support though I helped all the Linux people out whenever I could with support) then that went bust (One.Net if anyone knew of it) then I scored my first UNIX role. Working with and supporting Unix That was great though the company made to many promises and after 3 years I didn't get any certs like they promised so I went out in to the world of contracting and now I'm working on doing the SCSA on my own (With support/teachings from my old Unix Snr Admin)

So whats everyones else's story to where they are in computers? (always interesting to know how people got where they did )

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Also for Neo and Perderabo (I think) sorry about the use of profanity with my last post (In contact Admin/mod section). No offence was meant and well I jump a little to far over the gun with it. My bad

Apology accepted.

As for this thread, I'm not sure which job to mention. I was a fortran programmer long before I ever heard of unix. And even some more recent programmers may have worked on other platfoms first.

But I guess that you asked for the first unix role. I was working on an HP 1000 running RTE 6. I was mostly an assembler programmer with a little fortran. We switched to C on Unix. I liked C, but I wasn't happy about leaving RTE. But I got over it.

Writing client-server glue routines in C on HP-UX for Motorola, in a radio production facility. Gluing together databases and HP test equipment running "Rocky Mountain Basic" (RMB).

HP told me I was the first person, to their knowledge, to use IPC (interprocess communications) APIs for shared memory with RMB. I helped HP debug their SRM APIs (at the time) to get the glue routine prototypes up and running.

I recall how difficult it was to get select() working at the time and how much of the out-of-band communications were not working as documented.

That summer project ruined by golf game ...... and taught me about the evils of stress in the work place, as my distant memory recalls.

On the other hand, the ability to use UNIX and C software to glue together unlike systems across the IP network had me hooked for life! I spent the summer in Stevens book, UNIX Network Programming, and used code fragements from much of his wonderous book.

Neo

PS: This might have been my second UNIX related job, but was my first UNIX programming job. In my first UNIX related project I was working as a global communications systems engineer and had UNIX developers on my team.

Ive been at the same firm after graduating from college. Took the long road to computers, never really was interested in them growing up. Went to school and graduated with a degree in Microbiology and spent some time in a lab helping with a drug study for heart disease. Well...that gig, and probably almost any other lab job (at my level) wasnt going to pay any bills. So I moved on. Moved on that is to another degreee program, MIS, at, or near the height of the internet boom. Was hired about 4 months before I graduated and have been involved in unix systems ever since. I am definitely still learning, but this job has provided me with experience in software testing, design, coding batch routines (primarily in C/Korn/Pl*Sql). Its been challenging espeacially since I did not get formal training, had to figure it out myself in order to create opportunities for myself. I've learned alot, and continue to learn, everyday.

Off topic to this thread, but my latest challenge is to help setup an offshore project (of mine and a colleagues design) in Mumbai, India. It appears that I might be traveling over a period of time. Anyone with travel experience over to India? What was it like? the culture? What should I watch out for?

My first UNIX job is the job I'm in now and have been in for quite a few years now. Supporting and administering a heterogenous network of Windows machines, and HP-UX. I had a few years experience with Linux (which I continue to use at home) before moving into that position. It's kinda limited though - our manager is a little "short-sighted" when it comes to new technologies, and only wants us to use certain proprietry systems, something I'm not particularly fond of (that's as much as I'm saying about that!). So I've really just used this position to gain valuable systems administration experience, which I will put into practice someplace else. Sounds selfish - but it's dog eat dog, I suppose.

Now I've got my LPIC, and work have paid for a few Unix courses, and I've got plenty of experience - so my resume is looking quite nifty! So who knows - I might be sniffing out a fresh Linux admin position sometime in the near future

Computing is my hobby as well as profession. I'm always busy programming (Java, PHP, Perl, shell) or tinkering with my Linux boxes at home.

I have learned a hell of a lot over the years - and continue to do so. A day doesn't go past where I say "Oooh, I didn't know that!" or "That's a far better way of doing that". I don't think I'll ever stop learning either. The thing I love about *nix systems are that you can go as deep into the system as you want - the world's your oyster.

google - India - Hard working honest people from what I've heard. Also, the cuisine is absolutely amazing. I am a BIG fan of indian food (the spicier the better).

Cheers
ZB

India is gigantic and has many peoples and cultures. The diversity is astonishing. There are people who are very rich and beautiful, living very well. There are people that are very poor who burn their own human waste to fuel their night fires.

In other words, it is not possible to sterotype culture in India. It is an entire subcontinent of religions, politics, classes, social systems and diversity from the most elegant to the most desperate.

I have been to India two or three times, mostly New Delhi. My next trip will be to either Bombay (Mumbai) or Goa!

BTW, I'm interested in immediate software development in India. I've not been impressed with doing business on Elance. What's your plan?

Neo

Thanks for the information on India. I am on the fence with this trip, hate flying, but am interested in seeing the culture. A colleague of mine and myself have spent the better part of the past 3 months writing a re-design of a subsystem within a billing system for a major company in the south. The project was a slow mover to start but quickly picked up steam, client is funding the project. Problem is that the project will require 10-12 J2EE developers that we dont have here in the states. My company has off shore facillities in Mumbai and Bangalore. Rather than have them come here, my colleague and I are to go there to get the development started. Gonna be an interesting trip I think. Will post about India when I get there!!