Welcome to our latest Employee Spotlight feature! This time, we’re thrilled to introduce Jim Smith, Consultant, Network Infrastructure at Sondhi Solutions. Having transitioned from a 19-year career as an electronics technician to a pivotal role in IT support, Jim’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and a never-ending passion for technology.
What inspired you to pursue a career in IT and join our service desk team?
I was an electronics technician for 19 years for the same company, which got bought out in 2018. It was immediately clear that the employees would be purged, so I did a job search and realized there weren’t many openings for electronics, but there were pages and pages of IT jobs. I had always loved computers so decided to go to school and change careers at the ripe old age of 48.
Can you describe a particularly challenging IT issue you’ve successfully resolved recently?
A PC at a property that’s used to monitor security cameras and door access suddenly lost communications to the cameras and door access control system. I had worked on this PC before and knew there was a firewall rule allowing the specific IP address of the PC to access the network where the cameras and doors are set up. I found that the IP address of the PC had changed, which then prevented the firewall rule from being applied. With our senior network engineer Ayo’s help, we added new firewall rules to allow communications between the PC and the cameras and door access control. That ended up being some really nice on the job training.
What’s your favorite part about working on the service desk and assisting our clients?
I really enjoy talking to the people and being able to help them when things aren’t working. I know it’s a frustrating time for them, so being able to solve the technical issues preventing them from working is very satisfying. It’s nice to make a positive difference in someone’s day.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and developments in IT support?
Most of my learning comes from researching new problems that occur throughout the day. I usually learn something new by 10am every morning. For specific training, I use PluralSight or Udemy on my own time at home. There’s always something new to learn in IT, since everything is constantly changing.
Could you share a memorable client success story or experience that made a significant impact on you?
When I was very new to IT and struggling a LOT, Captain Cantrell with the Lawrence PD needed someone to ride with him to get the app on his PC to connect with speed-monitoring signs throughout the community and download the recorded data. I told him I wasn’t sure I had the skills, but he believed in me and off we went. While he drove, I read through the software manual and found that none of the folders existed on his PC that the software needed to function. I manually built the folder structure and got everything working while he shared several interesting stories. That was the day I realized I could actually do this job. He probably doesn’t realize he helped me more than I helped him.
What’s one piece of advice you would offer to clients to help them optimize their IT experience?
It’s extremely helpful if you can provide details about the problem and recreate the issue for us so we can see the exact circumstances that caused the failure. There are usually multiple causes with the same symptoms, and figuring out which one is occurring isn’t always obvious. The more relevant details we have that led to the problem, the more likely we can fix it quickly.
When you’re not busy at the service desk, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I’m currently training for my third half marathon, with 4 planned this year (maybe a full marathon if I can avoid injury). I also enjoy biking, hiking, and kayaking. If I’m inside, I’m probably playing a video game, reading, or watching Hell’s Kitchen with the lovely and talented Mrs. Smith.