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Current Employment |
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My current employer is The Abreon Group
-- a company based in Pittsburgh, PA. They are a national Information Technology company
that covers many aspects of the IT business, including education; software installation;
hardware configuration, installation, and support; project management; and much, much more.
I work for the Pittsburgh branch of Abreon and am based with a client in Philadelphia (don't ask... it's a long story... read the Location page if you really wanna know). I was sent to Philadelphia in January of 1997 as part of a five-week assignment. I was promised it wouldn't even go THAT long. Now I live here..... you figure it out. I currently hold the title of Information Services Training Manager at the client site where I work. Formerly I was the Senior Analyst in the help desk. My expertise is primarily with the Microsoft Office products. I teach classes in Windows, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Project, Visio, and anything else I get asked to learn. I manage the IS training program, write and revise documentation, serve as second-level support for the help desk on Office issues, and often get dragged into the help desk to answer phone calls when there isn't enough staff. The picture at the left is my cubicle. Yes, there is a Tigger in the background. I took this picture and a few other for some publicity stuff at work. Hence the whole cheesy pose and the "looking like I'm working thing". I am a Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor in Office 97, Office 2000, and Office XP. I'll probably start working on getting certified in Office 2003 soon, since Office 2007 is already out. I am also a Microsoft Certified Professional in Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, though nowadays that doesn't mean much. I really like my job and what I do -- which is something I feel that is really important.
I've often been told I could probably be making a lot more money at other places, but I'm
comfortable with what I have achieved so far, and I'm a firm believer in "slow and steady
wins the race." |
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Past Jobs and Employers |
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| McDonald's DT/Counter/Grill/You Name It |
Who hasn't worked at a McD's in their lifetime? I had always said I wasn't going to
be one of them, but when I needed a job during high school, and McD's came to town -- well
some things just had to be done. I am an "original crew member" of the North East store.
McD's was the job I had whenever I came home from college on a break. I actually have
lots of fond memories of working at McD's. I was on the night crew, and the people that
I worked with on closes became my summer friends. |
| The Disney Store Cast Member |
Working for Disney was a dream come true. I am a "founding cast member" of the Erie
store. I was one of 30 people selected from nearly 300 applicants to work at the new
store.
Unfortunately, I was only able to work there for about 4 months. As much as I loved
it, it didn't pay well, and there weren't a lot of hours. When a better job came along
that was full-time, I regretfully had to go. |
| WXTA Country 98 Tech Support/DJ |
Don't laugh -- I know it says "country" in the title. The people were really cool at
WXTA. I did my college internship for broadcast communications at WXTA and then worked
for WXTA on and off for the next few years. Most of the time I was a staff
helper/gopher/tech support goon. Quite frankly, I was the only person there that knew
anything about computers.
I finally had my chance to be a DJ there in Spring of '94. I worked the weekend
overnight shift -- the graveyard shift was more like it. It was certainly an interesting
job, and I wouldn't mind doing it again. |
| Lutheran Memorial Camp Counselor |
My two summers at LMC were two of the best I've ever had. The story of how I ended
up there in the first place is rather long, amusing, and filled with some interesting ironies.
If you'd like, you can read the complete story.
You can also check out the Pictures - Camp page to see some of
my LMC adventures. |
| Blue Cross of Western PA Secretary |
BCWP was going to be my stepping stone to the big time in the corporate world. I
landed a job there by coming in as a temp. I was the "numbers guy" for the Erie Member
Services call center. I was the director's secretary, and she exploited my computer skills as
best she could.
As much as I loved the job, I got really stupid and did some things on the network that I shouldn't. Needless to say, I got caught, and I was fired. My supervisor hated to let me go, but corporate policy had to be followed. I understood that and it was an important lesson I learned the hard way. Of course... that's not to say I don't still mess around to this day... :-) |
| Jobs I Hated: |
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