New Edugeek Users - Introduce yourself here :)

[Zipsterr]

Hi All,

 

My name is Craig, and i am the network manager for a couple of schools in the Cheshire area.

 

I'm hoping to get involved with this fantastic forum! I love to help others with their technical problems, but alas i do not know everything so sometimes i need help myself

[witch]

Hello all and welcome

[hallb15]

Welcome @Zipsterr

[mikeprice]

Hi All,

 

My name is Craig, and i am the network manager for a couple of schools in the Cheshire area.

 

I'm hoping to get involved with this fantastic forum! I love to help others with their technical problems, but alas i do not know everything so sometimes i need help myself

 

Hello and welcome - anywhere near Widnes??

[lisabrooke]

Hi team,

 

I'm new in the world of IT, being trained in the job as an IT Service Engineer at a private College.

Subject to a lot of Self-directed learning, I would love some tips on what to study first, or some great beginner courses.... Help!

Assume I know absolutely nothing

 

If any of you know some great free articles/training videos, I'd be keen to know what these are.

 

Cheers!

[elsiegee40]

[claireadams]

Hi to everyone who's just joined

[hallb15]

Hi to all the recent newbies

@lisabrooke Have you tried any of the 'Dummies' books - Don't be put off by the name, they're great for beginners and even for more seasoned professionals who need a reminder now and then:

Computers & Software - For Dummies

 

 

I'd also look at the CompTIA A+ certification. Even if you don't do the exam, the course content is pretty good and covers lots of what you'll need working IT support.

https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/a

 

 

Of course, for any specific issues you need help with you'll always find something on edugeek, or the spiceworks community.

[cherd84]

Hi @lisabrooke - similar situation to yourself and recently passed my A+ exam. Self studied for the exams using a book and the Professor Messer website which has videos covering the entire course content for A+ as well as some other CompTIA & MS courses.

Professor Messer's CompTIA 220-801/802 A+ Training | Professor Messer IT Certification Training Courses

 

If book learning is more your thing, I'd look up some of the books written by Mike Meyers as they come with a disc with some interactive exercises on.

[Hrossey]

Hi i'm Chris and I'm the IT Technician at Stromness Academy, a small secondary school in Orkney (Scotland).

 

We have about 200 clients (Desktop and Laptop) and a limited number of tablets and a Server. Also support various other kit such as SmartBoards, projectors, printers, etc and the phone system.

 

Chris Park

IT Technician

Stromness Academy

[hallb15]

Welcome @Hrossey

I bet its cold up there at the moment...

[elsiegee40]

Welcome to Edugeek @Hrossey . You're in a very beautiful and quite remote bit of the country which I am sure brings its own challenges.

 

Slightly less remote than @ZeroHour's Shetlands home (he's based on the mainland now)

[ZeroHour]

Hi i'm Chris and I'm the IT Technician at Stromness Academy, a small secondary school in Orkney (Scotland).

 

We have about 200 clients (Desktop and Laptop) and a limited number of tablets and a Server. Also support various other kit such as SmartBoards, projectors, printers, etc and the phone system.

 

Chris Park

IT Technician

Stromness Academy

 

Welcome

Did you happen to pick that name based on a certain vessel?

[Sods_Laur]

Hello All --

 

I'm currently data manager at a large secondary school -- for my sins -- having done some time in IT support, networks, and systems dev along the way.

 

I look for schools that present a challenge, go in and help them sort things out, and then move on to a new challenge once they're back on the right track.

 

As I'm a frequent visitor I thought perhaps it's time I joined.

Hi fellow Birmingham data manager! have you joined the data manager forum?

[witch]

[grapefruit]

Helloo. I'm Stewart and I work for an IT support company that supports schools in London. Previously the Network Manager at a couple of schools in Bedfordshire. Fairly new to IT (being only 21) so I'll probably be littering your forum with questions.

[vikpaw]

@grapefruit et al

[Simonprice89]

Hi all,

 

My name is Simon and I am about to start a junior IT Engineer job on Monday and I am quite nervous the place I am going to has been busy and has a lots of jobs outstanding on the help desk, any help or advise would be amazing as like I said my first day is Monday and I am also the only engineer in the school.

 

cheers everyone

[mikeprice]

Welcome!!

 

tips

be honest

don't take teachers too seriously - they are often stressed

do what you can - not what you can't

 

Most important

 

make sure that you know who your boss is and how to refer stuff to them - AND DO IT

make sure that ou know the difference between important and urgent - and how to assign them yourself - do NOT rely on teachers to define the urgency

 

and - in the words of Norma Stanley Fletched

don't let the b:censored:s grind you down

Edited December 6, 2015 by vikpaw

[elsiegee40]

Hi all,

 

My name is Simon and I am about to start a junior IT Engineer job on Monday and I am quite nervous the place I am going to has been busy and has a lots of jobs outstanding on the help desk, any help or advise would be amazing as like I said my first day is Monday and I am also the only engineer in the school.

 

cheers everyone

 

Hello and welcome to edugeek.

 

Congratulations on your new job

 

It is nerve wracking starting any role especially as a department of one. There are many of us on edugeek who have been in this situation

 

My best advice is to be seen. Make a point of having coffee in the staff room at playtime every say for the first couple of weeks and listen to what you're told. You don't need to act on all of it, but you will learn loads about your new network and its users that way.

 

It is easy to hide away; IT people often struggle as communicators. However, schools can be very rewarding as long as you expect the unexpected!

 

Enjoy! And we are always here for you with technical advice and eduhobnobs when things aren't going your way. It is OK to admit that you don't know and need to find out an answer. As a lone tech you can't be an expert in everything; you just need to know where to find the answers.

[vikpaw]

Definitely; be seen, listen, prioritise.

[Simonprice89]

Many thanks to you all i am stressing myself out which i cant seem to help its just me and a network manager by boss has asked me to read up on microsoft virtual labs but i am unsure what to actually do with it also is there anything in particular that i need to look at?

 

any help would be amazing have a great sunday

[elsiegee40]

Many thanks to you all i am stressing myself out which i cant seem to help its just me and a network manager by boss has asked me to read up on microsoft virtual labs but i am unsure what to actually do with it also is there anything in particular that i need to look at?

 

any help would be amazing have a great sunday

 

You are in a junior role... you won't be expected to virtualise the servers on day 1... don't panic! Reading up is just that. If you have a spare moment, get going on google and search these forums... start a thread to ask all the questions you have about it.

 

Today, you will be getting to know people, familiarising yourself with the network and the layout of the school. There are probably some easy wins awaiting your attention in the helpdesk system which can help you relax and get your head round the issues.

 

 

Good luck!

[hallb15]

Welcome @Simonprice89 How is your first day going?

I agree with what's been said above. Don't try and fix everything at once - schools are strange places where the simplest of tasks can take days, and the most complex tasks you can fix in 10 minutes! (sometimes)

[vikpaw]

Welcome @Simonprice89 How is your first day going?

I agree with what's been said above. Don't try and fix everything at once - schools are strange places where the simplest of tasks can take days, and the most complex tasks you can fix in 10 minutes! (sometimes)

...but you still tell them it took days, right?