IT and Model Trains

I have a Minor in Music and BA in Telecommunications from the University of Kentucky. I made the 1999 Who's Who in Information Technology. So I guess I have all three areas as well.

Scott Smith

I took some IT-related classes a few years ago, probably the least-interesting thing I've ever studied.  It made no sense to me, like a foreign language.  More power to you guys who do it!

Worked for IBM for 32 years  Mainframe technician, systems management specialist, Field manager, IT specialist ( Integration), Data center design yada yad yada.  Worked for a brokerage house as IT specialist for 8 years also  Now I get paid to play with trains MTA motormn

I'm currently a IT Systems Analyst for a large utility Company in N.C. I'm also Network +
certified and I'm working to earn my B.S. in Advanced Networking with a C.C.N.A

I also play the drums and be doing so since the 5th grade. 

Have worked in IT [seems like] forever. Doing IT project management for the most part now, but still the in-house "Geek Squad" when something bizarre happens. Used to play keyboards and bass (haven't picked up a bass in close to 40 years) and refreshing my keyboard skills again to recover from computer damage to the hands. Networking expertise helped resolve some DCS data issues.

I'be been an IT Network Tech for 14 years at Bellevue Hospital, involved with MiS, troubleshooting and repair and presently in Network Cabling. I love music but never picked up an instrument but with all of my hobbies and skills combined I'd probably would get attacked if I ventured towards instruments at this time because of my focus on O Gauge railroading.

 

I'm a software engineer.  Played violin and piano through high school and music still is an important part of my life.  If I wasn't doing computer programming as a career, I bet I'd be doing a lot more computer stuff during my free time as a hobby.  I may not be into trains.  But because I sit in front of the computer all week, the only thing I do during my freetime on the computer is browse the web.  Trains provide a physical, tactile thing to enjoy that is a great contrast to everything I do during the week programming.

10 years cobol, 11 years db2 on all platforms, and 5 years z/os administrator.  6 more years till i retire.  at 1 time there was 11 people in my unit.  now there's 2.  i do all z/os installs/upgrades.  the other does automation and storage.  3 younger people in the unit work on zlinux. can barely log on to z if you can get the phone out of their hands.  we're on a 3 year plan to get rid of the old dinasaur.  being basically the only one left i have to tell myself only 3 more years or i'd be running like a more intelligent person.  i wish i could play music but no talent.  i like trains simple and conventional.  i wish my microwave still had a knob and hair bands were still the thing.  looking forward to a simpler time.  i guess that's why trains interest me.  jeff

I turned on my Macbook today.  

IT as well.  Programmer, Network Architect, Server specialist both Windows and AIX.  I now manage a team that delivers a high volume transaction website for a major IT company.   

Started as an applications programmer in a business environment, using COBOL under VAX VMS.  Went to software distribution and UNIX technical support (DEC Ultrix, SunOS, AIX and Irix).

 

About that time, something interesting called Windows NT was still in its experimental stages.  I installed it on a DEC Alpha machine, and began spreading the word that it looked like it might be something promising.  I set up the first Windows domain in the state, and management sat up and took notice.  We became early adopters of Windows, and even worked with IBM in implementing Windows 2000 in a large-scale secure environment.

 

Became a Domain Administrator, System Administrator, System Programmer and System Analyst, by intervals.

 

When Apple went to the Unix-based OSX, I began to investigate the possibilities in it, and integrated OSX systems into a platform-independent environment.  Likewise with Linux (Red Hat at that time, later Ubuntu).

 

As part of our New Technologies group, I delved into the then-emerging field of digital animation, and ended up teaching Digital Modeling, Rendering and Animation at An Eastern University(tm).

 

Retired in 2010.  I have a mixed-platform (mostly Linux) network at home, and still do some digital artwork now and then.  And I play the clarinet, but not nearly as often as I should.

 

One of my colleagues once said to me that it was interesting how many IT people also have some kind of musical background.  I've found this to be frequently true.

 

Two years ago I moved into a Communications/IT technician position.
Been in training ever since.
Net+
Sec+
MCITP Server Admin
CCENT
And various other radio, satellite, and application specific systems.

Training and certifications are like a soap opera. It never ends!

Another IT guy here.  Started in the career as a lowly pc tech, worked my way up to IT Manager in just a few years after that.  Currently an Assistant Computer Systems Administrator at my current gig.  Have had many hats, including Systems & Network engineering,  WAN/LAN & database administration, website design & management, storage (SAN & NAS), virtualization (VMware & Hyper-V) backup & recovery, media conversions, and project management.

Just got through with a major 3 month virtualization project at the main office a month ago, and will have another one coming up in a few months at our satellite office.

No rest for the wicked!

Was in the field for 35 years, starting as an OS 360 assembler language programmer and ending as a senior executive at a fortune 100 company. 

 

Was in the drum line at Duke, but haven't played since. 

 

IT and music go together because they are both logic-based. 

IT also!! Associates and Bachelor's degrees in Computer and Information Science. Comp TIA certified (A-Plus & Security Plus). Also certified in Project Management. Currently work as a Technical Support Specialist. Also have my own small business repairing computers, laptops & installing SOHO networks. I play Tama Drums and Roland "V" Drums. 3-Rail O Scale model Railroader.

IT too, for a building supply company. Software testing for about 15 years. After dealing with technology issues at work, I really enjoy my vintage, non-electronic, trains!  LOL

Brains good at math are supposed to good at music, so I have read. I somehow missed the music part, but my math skills are excellent. Go figure!

Is this true for you IT folks too?

IT as well.  Database & Application Developer for a large investment firm.

 

Rick

I wrote a program to demonstrate my thesis in both Lisp and PL/I (!) in the late 60s, then spent a career in policy analysis, specializing in Dod and Intelligence computer security and user-computer system interfaces.  I had a lot of amateur music skills which have unfortunately atrophied.

This is a bit scary.  I suck at math but spent my career in IT mostly as a network engineer and manager.  Played drums in both rock and roll and big bands but prefer keyboards.

 

Programming is still a black art to me but I volunteered to put together a SQL database + front end for O Scale West.  I spend most of my time destroying tables and rebuilding them.  A DBA I am not.  But I'm even worse at PHP, much worse.  One of my retiree challenges.

Yes, I have 30 years experience in IT and more specifically, Analytics,  including 13 years at Intel, during the heydays of the 90's and early 2000's (Glad to see a resurgence in theirs and mine fortune!)  And yes, I too am a musician, specializing in Classic American fingerstyle guitar.  I think the guitar goes well with keyboarding, keeping the fingers limber.  I also tend to believe there is a connection between an interest in electric trains, and other technology.  There is probably something to the relationship of analytics to other pursuits like music.  Ever read Godel, Escher and Bach? I liken my fingerstyle compositions to Escher interestingly enough, with a fascination with repeating patterns and complex variations.  Could this be related to getting pleasure at watching trains navigating a myriad of tracks?  I get the most pleasure out of piecing together the puzzle of alternative layouts using a finite set of track and within a defined space... You?

30 years in IT for me as well. Started by coding/designing COBOL on the mainframe. We were a beta site for DB2 so I helped design the largest DB2 database in existence at the time. Then turned to ASP/.Net on the web. Went into management as a team lead then group manager. Lost interest when I had to lay off great people. Left IT and went into the business as a BA/PM.

 

Love music and listen to it all the time. I never had time to learn an instrument.

 

I've been happily in the hobby since the mid 60's as a kid.

Project Manager for a well-known large IT firm. 25 years +. Have been through numerous aquisitions to end up where I am now. Used to know everybody in the old companies. Today, I know a handful. 

Clarinet and piano to high school. 40 Years in IT.

From a de-collator and buster, to  GE/ Honeywell Operator tape only, to IBM Main Frame Operator .. back to school to learn programming   presently a Data Analyst for a small company for the last 20 years.

Run conventional and enjoy listening to music.

Regret not learning how to play blues harp and or a Hammond B3

I just retired in October after 40 years in IT for a financial firm (DTCC) .  I pretty much did it all: mainframe operator, systems programmer, assembler programmer, cobol programmer.

 

After I moved into management (last 10 years as a VP) at various times I had responsibility for datacenters, facilities and IT engineering, server infrastructure, personal computing, mobile computing, help desk, service management, mainframe system programming, web infrastructure, customer registration and business continuity management.

 

You name it, I did it.

 

Really enjoyed the first 37 years, then new management came in.  They brought in all their cronies and the company changed.  I was glad to get out at 59.  

 

No musical talent, can't even hum a tune.  

 

PS  I forgot IT Project Management and IT Financial Management

My current position is as a senior software engineer, and I do some web development and consulting on the side. Past positions included web development and PC LAN/Support. BS/MS in Computer and Electrical Engineering from Univ. Miami and MBA because I wanted to learn more about the "other side of the house". As for music, I took piano and clarinet lessons as a child. I inherited the piano when my parents moved. :-)

 

I am senior software developer for a global data center company. I started off with my TRS80 Model III when I was 14.

 

My plan is to incorporate computer control and management into my layout. I just have not decided which way to go CMRI, CTI, DCC.. etc

 

IT for a fortune 500 in Memphis TN.

Worked in IT since ’63 retired in ’08 (Thankfully).

 

Bye, Bye work a day world.

Bye, Bye traffic grid lock.

Bye, Bye idiot bosses (only some of them were).

Hello train room!

Ive worked in or around IT for about 22 years.