Hello,

I just joined the list. Hoping to attend some meetings. The downtown KC library is a beautiful place.

Linux has been good to me. I had worked my way through customer service positions in Sprint in Florida (operator, repair clerk, various kinds of service rep) Got interested in Linux in 1996 and spent a few hundred dollars on books for this free software, learning a lot about computers. Sprint in 96-97 paid for me to take a Unix class (SCO!) and I got a CCNA through self-study with no hands-on.

Partly on the strength of those credentials I got a promotion in 2000 into the ATAC testing trouble tickets here in Kansas. Not a 1-to-1 mapping of skills, but the UNIX and Linux pay off in many ways. This past February I got into PCS translations, and am currently on loan to Physical Layer Provisioning working on dial-ip disconnects.

I consider my interest in Linux the main factor in migrating from customer service to more technical positions. It's nice to read Paul Taylor's notification of a job opening up in Security - though I can't do a normal job bid till February. I'd make the leap in a minute, though, especially if I could get a night shift...maybe something will come up later.

(If one were thinking of that move, would free time be better invested in re-certifying the CCNA which ran out in 2003 or in other lines of study?)

Currently only have a Knoppix live CD and have been doing only some minor playing on a low-end PC. Have installed over the years and fooled with Red Hat, Slackware, FreeBSD, Debian. Getting geared up to try Linux from Scratch but keep getting distracted by home improvement projects (my wife and I live with our 2 cats and 3-legged black Lab in a little 1920's vintage home with numerous opportunities for that)

Sorry to ramble on like this. All of the people I've met through Linux have been really nice, so I hope you'll pardon my verbosity.

I'm looking forward to contributing something to the group, if I can. Despite having played with GNU/Linux since 1997, I can't claim that my skills are world-class, but I'd like to learn more.

Have a nice day,

Michael Bailey