I was looking for a new job and a Teacher friend mentioned there was a rubbish job going helping in his school office which would keep me going for a few months until I found something decent. His words (dialled down a bit), not mine.

It turned out I was such a rubbish Office Worker I think I got the role of photocopying to get me out of the office. The Office Manager found a room for me to do the copying at the other end of the school. This was possibly so she didn’t have to listen to me whining about having to file documents. Filing in those days wasn’t computerised, it was the down on your hands and knees putting folders in cabinets type of filing.

At this stage I wasn’t the official Photocopy Technician. I was just the guy who did the photocopying. So after six months in the job I was told I could stay for another year or apply for the job proper. I decided to apply for the job proper as my wife and I wanted to buy a house. It took several days for the school to get back to me after my interview. I found out years later the reason for the delay was they had offered my job to someone else. Thankfully the other person passed and I became the Photocopy Technician.

At this time I started to study with the Open University. I had left school when I was sixteen and to be honest was a bit of a berk in my early teens. It turned out I actually really enjoyed learning and my OU studies helped me discover computing. Within a few years I became the guy with a server in his roofspace and diskless terminal in his living room. To make more money I was advertising in the local paper and fixing folk’s computers during the evenings.

Several years into photocopying my school was looking for a new IT Technician. I showed an interest but was told there was no point in applying as I didn’t have the qualifications. The school employed a new graduate for the job which turned out to be a bit of a disaster. A very nice individual who unfortunately had no real experience of working with hardware. The school asked me to work alongside the new IT Technician to help provide some support.

The school decided not to renew the new IT Technician’s contract and having just received my diploma from the OU I was able to to apply for the job this time around. The person who offered me the IT Technician job told me years later they reckoned I was the right guy doing the wrong job at the time.

The transition to IT Network Manager came several years later. The penny dropped with me that IT support in schools is all about helping people. You may be able to run Moodle from a Raspberry Pi over wifi on an antenna made from a Pringle’s can but this will probably not be a priority. What teacher’s want to know is that all their computers are working and all their students can get logged in.

Here are some closing thoughts on issues I think were important in me becoming a Network Manager. Sometimes you want to be a Manager but don’t have anyone to manage. I discovered some of the things below justified me having a management role when I was still only managing myself. Managing others came later on.

• Training Staff
  
  I delivered Clait classes to teaching and support staff over several years.

  
  

• Inset Training
  
  I provided IT training on various topics.

  
  

• Policies
  
  I helped write various IT policies.

  
  

• Bett
  
  I persuaded the school to send me to Bett and returned with some good ideas.

  
  

• Solutions
  
  I helped create the school website with the Head of Art. I created a web based digital signage solution and room booking solution.

  
  

• Infrastructure
  
  I was trusted to organise and manage the installation of new computer suites and all associated.

  
  

• Third Parties
  
  I was friendly but firm with Third Party suppliers and systems. I supported the companies providing our managed services but fought with them too when required.

  
  

• Extra Curricular
  
  I helped run a computer club.

  
  

  I helped run a radio club which didn't end well. The students tied one of our antenna to a teachers's car bumper.