The Work Stuff
I always wanted to turn my passion for IT into my work – my wildest dream was to own my own LAN Café, though I also fancied myself in a talk back radio show (yep, I can chat).
Instead, my first job was working with my Dad at a nursing home doing home maintenance for self-care residents. It was far from the world of IT and radio but working with dad taught me a lot and shaped my approach to life in general. He taught me that in life, you are only ever in a race against yourself, especially when it comes to work. His view was that you shouldn’t worry if it looks like other people are ahead of you – just work on how you can do better.
When I finally got my start in IT, it was as a contractor for The Missing Link. I must have been getting something right, because after a while, they gave me a great performance appraisal and soon after a full-time role offer followed.
I started on the service desk, then I was promoted to systems engineer before moving onto the projects team. Now I’m the third longest serving technical resource here and I’m working towards becoming a team leader within the next few years.
Here at The Missing Link, is really the perfect place for me – I love helping people, I love solving their problems…and perhaps because I used to volunteer as a lifeguard, I get a real buzz out of saving the day.
The Tech Stuff
It won’t surprise you to know that I'm a huge geek when it comes to games and tech – together with my fiancé, I’ve sunk an unhealthy amount of time into World of Warcraft.
Being a 12-year-old on the inside, I still get a huge kick from getting new comics and love ComiXology for their huge collection. I also tend to use the Audible and Sticher apps significantly.
When I’m on the road travelling between clients or commuting to work, I tend to soak up as much information as I can from podcasts and audiobooks – they’re amazing for using up an otherwise futile time and learning something new in the process.
The Fun Stuff
If money was no object, I'd love to train and be a part of Historic Medieval Battles (HMB) Combat. Check it out on YouTube...those guys are crazy.
Instead, me and my friends are into mountain biking – it’s pretty much free and a healthy alternative to gaming with some interesting parallels. There’s nothing better than picking a track and riding off into the bush for hours, with no idea of what you’ll find. It’s like exploring a whole new world.
At work, Wednesdays are fun days for me, because I have made it my ‘thing’ to post a slightly different picture of a frog to our company Slack. I’ve been doing it for 12 months now, but if you asked me why, I wouldn't be able to tell you – it’s just one of those funny things I geek out over.
Another source of amusement at work is my name. While my personal friends call me James, at TML I’m only known as Jimmy. It’s an anomaly that can create havoc. Once, when we were out with work friends, my fiancé was asked whether she’d like a drink. When she declined and said James had gone to get her one, my colleague flipped out, thinking someone else was trying to hit on her!
Probably the biggest and most fun distraction in our home life right now (other than our two furry friends) is planning our wedding. My fiancé is my childhood sweetheart – we’ve been together for ten years – so there’s going to be a massive celebration and a highlight for us this year.
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