Over the past decade, I have gathered an immeasurable amount of experience in desktop support. I have a high rate of success in troubleshooting and fixing a wide range of problems in Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and with hardware components. Perhaps I can best illustrate this in Haiku:

Hello, Steve speaking.
A smoking power supply?
Fear not! On my way!

... or perhaps not. Although my poetic skills are, to be frank, dismal, my work experience and interests make me a valuable asset to any potential employer.  download my resume

Diagnosing and repairing hardware and software problems for every platform has been my forte throughout my professional career. Perhaps more importantly, though, I am empathetic, disarming, reassuring and friendly without being patronizing. My work in a small computer shop, a major retail chain, and an educational institution have all prepared me for quite a diverse clientele. No matter who it is in need of my assistance -- whether a vice provost, surgical resident or executive aide, it's simply a frustrated, stressed human asking for help. If I can successfully convey to the client that the situation will be favorably resolved no matter what, the client's confidence improves. Therefore, his willingness to help me troubleshoot increases, an accurate diagnosis can be more quickly reached, overall productivity improves, and the client won't hesitate to contact me again for assistance in the future. My years of experience make practicing the obvious but often neglected bit of common sense, a natural reflex: treat others the way you hope to be treated, and everyone wins. Since September 2002, I have worked at the Information Technology Faculty / Staff HelpDesk at East Tennessee State University. The environment there has required me to provide technical support for several types of communications -- fax machines, analog and digital telephone systems, Cisco VoIP and IP Contact Center, Resicom long-distance PINs, PEAP authentication for Wi-Fi, Cisco VPN, and Blackberry Enterprise Server clients. I support many information services, both proprietary and industry-recognized -- Microsoft Exchange, FrontPage webs, FTP, ASP / MS SQL, Gmail rebranded as Goldmail, and many administrative services developed in-house. Likewise, I support many standard software packages -- Windows 2000, XP and Vista; OS X; MS Office; Adobe Acrobat; and Photoshop, to name a few; as well as non-standard software, such as Firefox, GIMP, FileZilla, and Audacity. Unfortunately, ETSU's adoption of Linux and OSS is limited to only a couple of departments. However, I have run Mandrake, Gentoo, OpenSUSE, Debian, and other distributions on various home computers, as well as having administered several Linux servers. I currently use Ubuntu Studio, and administer a dedicated server running Debian (which is hosting this website). I'm as comfortable troubleshooting and assisting with Linux as I am with Windows clients -- moreso, in fact, because Linux (not counting Wine) is not susceptible to the same malware threats plaguing Windows computers. The Mac community participants on campus typically only ask for help in cases of hardware failure or problems with Entourage. Although my Mac troubleshooting experience is not as robust as that of Windows or Linux, I do have a rather high batting average. Although my forte is in support, I also write code from time to time. I package simplified Windows installers using NSIS for various applications, such as the Cisco VPN client. My installers allow for a single-file download, automatic extraction, and start-to-finish installation without asking any questions capable of confusing the lowest common denominator. A similar installer for Symantec AntiVirus additionally queries and records user and computer information to a SQL database to enforce license compliance. I wrote the ETSU Dropbox service at http://www.etsu.edu/oit/helpdesk/dropbox/ , as well as the interactive campus map at http://www.etsu.edu/maps/ . I've coded a few web apps for Information Technology internal use, for example, for User Services to record asset data for installed equipment in the field. The Assets Registration app uses some clever XMLHTTPRequests (AJAX, or Web 2.0 for the non-propellerheads) to populate common fields automatically as a purchase order number is entered, and prevents accidental duplication of serial numbers and MAC addresses. I also write scripts for the DroneBL Project (http://dronebl.org/). I write and co-write how-to documentation as can be found at http://www.etsu.edu/oit/helpdesk/ and http://www.etsu.edu/oit/wireless/ . I occasionally contribute to HowtoForge and UbuntuForums.org, and have occasionally offered advice on EFnet in #javascript and on Freenode in #ubuntu. I have a very well-rounded knowledge of Information Technology, with experience in telecommunications and networking, and with great strength in desktop support. Please feel free to download my resume for consideration. Of course, by no means do either this article nor my CV provide an exhaustive list of my abilities. I would be anxious to speak with you and arrange a face-to-face interview. Your patience and time is much appreciated, and I hope you will consider me for a position in your company.