"I work with the systems teams at DreamWorks Animation. Being a SysAdmin for  me, is about conquering my own insecurities. I come from an artist background with no formal education in computer science at all. I always felt unsure  around computers, much less Linux. I became a SysAdmin to build my confidence  and grow. I know have an Ubuntu media server at home and run all three OS.

 

Truly, I believe the difference between a job and a career as a SysAdmin is attitude. I come in curious every day to learn something new. In this field, the change far outpaces anyone who is not voraciously learning. My career goal  is continually raising the challenge and curiosity bar as I progress- being a SysAdmin has been an awesome way to stay curious and challenged!

 

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There once was a shell within Linux

Whose returns were feeling like gimmicks

 

Whether up arrow or tab

It was all becoming drab

 

Every day, every minute

Was just another init

 

Until Red Hat saw the symptom

And changed over to system ... D"

"Almost a billion seconds ago, my mentor taught me that system administration is at its core:

 

Manage the hotel 

Clean rooms, sheets, hot water, roof

Prevent guest murders.

 

Norman taught me a few other things, too, but that analogy that I have recast into haiku has informed my approach ever since."

"To me being a S.A. is being the dependable when there is no doubt a situation could be fixed. There is no such thing as 9-5pm in a S.A. job. It is expected that you handle the highest priority matters with the know how and spending zero money to accomplish said tasks. One might say we walk on water at times, especially if your racks are close to a pump room. Smiling and being cheerful when really you know we're all screwed. Most of all doing the best you can at the job at hand, even if it's the light bulb in the server room.

 

To me working with so many aspecs and variables any other job wouldn't make sense being a career. With the S.A. career path you could start with the intention to work with NASA and end up at a yogurt factory supporting the same systems. To progessively move forward and self educate is what makes this  a career. Always looking to learning new things daily. To think we have careers in a industry that can change in a week is mind blowing. You can call us what every you like but the career will never change just the job at hand."

"To me, being a sysadmin means taking the tedious things people have to do with systems and making nobody have to do them again (at least not regularly). If people don't really remember a problem a few months later that used to plague them every week, I'm doing my job."