Posted by Shane Corellian on Wed, May 26, 2010
Sys Admin Calendar
Matt Simmons, creator of Standalone-Sysadmin.com has created a Sys Admin event calendar. The purpose of this calendar is simply to provide a "one-stop" shop for you to find Sys Admin events in which you may wish to participate.
You may also submit events to be be posted. Don't worry about spam or other noise on the calendar as there are some good ground rules to prevent the calendar from becoming cluttered or just an advertising dumpster.
Also, as I have mentioned in other posts, I strongly suggest that any sys admins out there become a member of the Sys Admin network. It's nice to have a great resource of like minded social outcasts if you love, as I do, all things sys admin.
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Posted by Shawn Anderson on Fri, Mar 12, 2010
The session planner for TechEd 2010 is now live. Which break out sessions will you be attending? I have three suggestions.
- Avoid Tunnel Vision
- Schedule Unscheduled Breaks
- Network
Avoid Tunnel Vision
Ron is one of eight Windows administrators for his company. He oversees 1,250 workstations and 30 servers spread among 5 regional offices. His job is to deploy software patches to all of his systems.
During TechEd he notes several (tons, actually) sessions devoted to SharePoint. Ron knows that his company is already evaluating SharePoint and may be using it soon. Realizing that he will likely be sitting in on change control meetings when Sharepoint comes alive he decides to devote time for one session.
An hour later Ron is has an understanding of some key Sharepoint features and benefits. He understands a little (emphasize little) more about the underpinnings of the application. This is good. Unbeknownst to Ron, his company will be hiring a Sharepoint administrator in the coming months, and Ron will be asked to conduct a portion of the interview since his boss thinks that he knows everything. (He doesn't... but at least now he can fake it with authority).
Unscheduled Breaks
TechEd is nuts. His hotel was advertised as being 4 blocks from the convention center, but it's obvious that this distance was measured by a crow. The hallways are full of people and tables. Cell phones are pasted to peoples ears and he notices that a lady, half standing, half leaning against a wall, is balancing her laptop on one knee while precariously typing her password and establishing a VPN connection to put out a fire back home. Ron counts no fewer than six Windows Administrators doing the same thing, the least experienced of them speaking loudly into his cell as if to emphasize his extreme importance to passersby.
The next session is starting in three minutes but Ron is calm. While the next scheduled conference break is in just over an hour, Ron is taking his unscheduled break now. He won't be hitting the expo hall quite yet. He finds as a quiet a spot as he can and he relaxes. No pounding out emails or texting instructions to the jr. Windows admin he left in charge. Nope. This is Ron's time. He's learned from hard experience that as the convention wanes on, information overload sets in.
While relaxing, his mind starts to wander. Some thoughts of the last session, his hotel, the upcoming party, and the shuttle schedule come into his mind, linger for a minute, and then leave as quietly as they came in. He just relaxes. If the same thought continues to enter his mind, he'll make a mental note. For now, this is his time.
Network
Fifteen minutes later, more refreshed than he would be after taking an hour long scheduled break, he gets up and heads to the expo floor. He wanders between the booths, not watching the booth representatives, but watching fellow attendees as they enter and leave booths. He spots a group of three guys, likely from the same company, in a booth that is selling backup software.
He walks by slowly and notices that the three TechEd attendees leave the booth. Ron now does what many, many admins have a tough time doing. He introduces himself, but not in the conventional way. He simply states something about the booth they just left, saying "do you think that XYZ backup software would work for your company?" A quick reply comes, while everyone is still walking, something like "maybe, but we already have a backup solution for our 80 servers, so we were just looking."
Ron replies, "oh, we backup maybe 25 servers in our company, but we are outgrowing our solution. May I ask the solution that you are using?"
This conversation may last one more sentence, and it may last 40 minutes. It all depends on the value that Ron brings to it.
Don't look now, but Ron is networking, which is much more than trading business cards. Ron will walk away knowing more about backup software than he currently knows, and if the conversation included trading Twitter handles or LinkedIn connections, he now has a source that he can use.
Conclusion
TechEd is over. Ron is heading home. He's met maybe a good two dozen fellow admins. He's covered topics on the newest versions of products he uses, as well as Sharepoint and a few other areas that were of broad interest. He knows more people and they know him.
Ron is ready.
Follow me on Twitter @ShawnAnderson.
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Posted by Shawn Anderson on Fri, Dec 25, 2009
Every year you have an opportunity to see the latest & greatest Windows administrator tools that can help your career.
This begs the question; what's your career worth to you?
Reading blogs and articles may keep you in the loop with what's happening in our industry, but it those alone are not enough. You need exposure, hands on, and networking.
Microsoft TechEd is a good forum to learn what Microsoft and their partners are up to.
You'll join Microsoft's Platinum, Gold, and Certfied Partners as everyone converges for the four day event to pimp their goods, share information, and keep up with where technology is moving.
If you're in a normal IT job then there is a good chance that you're locked into the same products & versions at your work. You may be slow to adapt and that can spell trouble for your IT knowledge.
Remember, it's what you know that keeps you in the green.
If your company won't pony up the cash to pay for you to attend, try telling them that you'll pay the registration, transportation and lodging costs, but ask that they still pay you for your time when you're out there. Let them know that your attendance will benefit them.
Your company will probably be impressed that you're willing to pay the registration and expenses. I've been a contractor to many organizations and while I have always paid my own way to conferences, I've never been denied payment for my time. If I'm batting a thousand in this game then I'm sure that others are too.
Take advantage of early bird registration and plan to attend:
- December 31, 2009 ($1,895)
- February 28, 2010 ($1,995)
- March 1, 2010 ($2,195)
You and your career are both worth it.