Samson Ciftci Email & Phone Number

There are two kinds of "IT people" - there are those that went to college, got their CS degree, and jumped into their various roles. Then there are those that found their way into any IT role and worked their way up. I'm the latter type and will share a bit of my story for those interested. I originally started out in college, looking for a history teaching degree. I realized a couple years in that despite a passion for education, the pay would never be enough to really support a family. I started working oddjobs and eventually wound up working for a call center which had only one IT staff supporting around seven hundred reps. I knew they had to be overwhelmed so I poked around and promoted myself as someone who knew their way around computer basics. When the role opened up I got a call, got an interview, got the job. On that job I learned your basic assortment of helpdesk work and graduated on to managing software deployments, planning out new hardware specs for the company, managing group policy, and other more advanced things that are a little above what you'd expect out of your standard helpdesk role. I needed room to grow and advance. So I moved over to Charles Schwab and picked up a helpdesk role there. The responsibility was less, but the work was more intense day-to-day. I have nothing but great things to say for the people I worked under there. After putting in a year at the Schwab helpdesk a role opened up in Schwab's ITO team, and that is where we are today! I am spending my time learning the ins and outs of server support, and spending some energy on going back to get certified in various things to become more well-rounded, before deciding how I want to specialize further. The thought currently is to look into becoming specialized for SysAdmin roles.Couldn't have made it this far without my fantastic partner, friends, and colleagues along the way. All of you know who you are - so thank you :)

Listed skills include Technical Support, Problem Solving, Organization Skills, Project Management, and 2 others.

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  Texas State University

  History