How I got into enterprise IT. Trying to transcribe a bit then using AI to clean it up. It kind of worked. Test Run

 I want to share how I got into Enterprise IT. It all started when I sold my previous business as a memory wholesale distributor in the Portland, Oregon, catering to many computer stores. Unfortunately, my business partner had really bad credit, and we had to close the business, leaving me without a job.

At that point, I was trying to figure out my next move when a buddy called and offered me a position at Nike's help desk in 1999. I was looking to return to school, and he mentioned they were paying $20 an hour to handle Windows 95 questions. I thought that would be the easiest $20 an hour I’d ever make part time. When I got there, I realized the job was indeed simple, so I approached management and told them I had no interest in climbing the help desk ranks. Instead, I aimed to become an enterprise IT server admin.

They gave me three key performance statistics that were crucial to them. I achieved and maintained all three metrics for several months. Eventually, an opportunity arose in the server team, and I was offered the position. Taking this step made some of my help desk colleagues unhappy, but I transitioned into the IT department successfully.

There, I found a brilliant coworker, engaged with him, and learned a lot. I found another knowledgeable coworker and did the same. From that point forward, I was fully immersed in IT. This period also marked my first encounter with VMware Workstation 1.0 and programming with Delphi 5 and Visual Basic.

I'll continue my story later on, about how I became a Windows domain admin for server environments serving over 60,000 people, but that's a tale for another time.