Module 8

With the ever increasing population of computer technology, it is almost impossible to find an educational establishment that does not use them in one fashion or another. Computers are becoming more important within education as a learning tool for students and educators alike.
As an IT Manager, computers serve a very useful and meaningful purpose in my career, as well as in my day to day life. As my career began about six years ago, I was but an employee, not unlike any other, who was simply doing his best to perform his responsibilities to the best of his ability. I had always had a passion for computers and networks, and desired to work in the field, but with little to no education in the field, the positions I applied for never amounted to much. After a few years of working at my present company, another employee who was primarily responsible for the IT, was let go. The day after he was let go, I was asked to step in and fulfill the void that was now there. I promptly accepted the position, and hit the ground running. It soon became apparent to me that I was truly struggling with the day to day operations that I was confronted with, and knew that I would need to gain a better understanding of the new responsibilities in order to be successful. I decided to go back to school and work towards a degree in the computer science field. I felt this would not only help me with the current challenges I faced at work, but also ensure that I would have a solid foundation for the future, and keep me in the field that I had come to enjoy so much.
As I began my education, I took classes that would prepare me for the A+ exam. These classes were entry level and taught me the fundamentals of hardware and software of the modern computer. Even though I had thought these classes were not necessary for me, I truly learned many different concepts that I might not have ever learned otherwise, and they also gave me a better understanding of troubleshooting concepts that I had been lacking up to that point. After certifying in A+, I moved on to more in-depth classes pertaining to Microsoft, the client and server relationships in Windows XP, and Server 2003. These classes taught me concepts such as implementing and deploying Active Directory policies, DHCP, DNS, FTP, TCP/IP Web Servers, file sharing, TCP/IP and much, much more. These were enjoyable classes as they really dug into the advanced management of the Microsoft operation systems.
As my education continued, I took classes to suit networking and security requirements. These classes, although difficult at times, gave me the knowledge and understanding to tackle and implement networks and security across my environment. The toughest part for me to grasp were the concepts behind symmetric-key and asymmetric-key cryptography, as there are a multitude of different algorithms, hashes involved in encrypting data, and remembering them all and how they function was a real challenge for me. In some of my more recent classes, I have been challenged with programing in C++, Visual Basic, HTML, Java and Java Script. At one point, I felt that it would be a good idea to take an in-depth course on Java, since it seems there is an ever increasing demand for Java developers. However, as one of my professors told me, there is just too much to learn and it would be best to stick with one side of the field. I completely agreed with his assessment, and quickly moved on from that thought in my mind. Even though programming is not my core course of study, I do use and continue to study HTML and Java scripting, as I develop the company's intranet site for the employees.
Up to this point, I would have to say that my favorite class has been studying the open source community, and more specifically, Linux. The class actually had to do with a kernal that I had never used before called Fedora. Although different from Ubuntu, which is the kernel I am used to using, many of the concepts and commands used in Fedora were a great benefit to me. I still refer back often to the notes and key concepts I learned from that class. Mysql, Apache, SAMBA, and SSH are all open source technologies that I have been fortunate enough to study. They have served me well since the core software my employer uses was developed and runs in these environments.
A higher education institution, such as Weber State University, is a great way to gain an education in computer science, but I have come to learn that, at least for me, even with all the education in the world, it's tough to actually implement without the day to day interaction with the terms and concepts that are taught. In this modern age where information that seems to be everywhere, it's hard to discount the opportunities to enhance one's education with books and resources across the web. I have completely taught myself many things that I use today, such as SQL, and continue to do so in other areas that I know will only benefit me down the road. I often tell my coworkers that without my decision to go back to school, I would not be able to perform the responsibilities my job places on me each day, and I am grateful I made the decision to do so.