Yuma County Water Users' Association
Yuma, AZ USA
“You don’t have to live in a high tech town...the technology at home is just as good. Where you do it doesn’t matter, it’s just the doing it that matters.”
Software Engineer, System Administrator
I perform all software engineering, system administration, desktop support, & SCADA HMI development.
My day begins with checking email which has reports from the servers on the network. This shows me what Backups failed, system health, server status, and general health of the network. After I am satisfied that things are humming along, I start up the IDE needed for the project I am currently programming and get to work. There are also moments I take to read up on technology news, latest hacking threats, and a game of Freecell or two.
Critical thinking skills are a must. There are many disciplines needed to do what I do. Beyond knowing how to program in VB, Java, Python, and Shell, I need to know how to do database administration, networking, Linux and Windows Server administration, and desktop support. Knowledge of accounting was a big plus when the front office billing and payment software was created. Recently, a project was being developed where I had to learn and understand hydrology and how to measure water flow.
Here's the first step for high school students
Software is moving too quickly to sit on the sidelines and watch. Go out there and take classes, learn new ways to solve problems. There are wonderful online video courses you can use to expand your learning and never be ashamed to ask questions. Times and technology change fast, so be sure to follow the cheese! If you are not familiar with the cheese analogy then be sure to read "Who Moved My Cheese" by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
"You should just give up and settle for less."
I knew what I wanted to do with my life and I was not going to let anyone tell me to give up. The easy route is the route I avoid.
When I stepped down from my role as Vice President and Director, it hurt. I felt like I had finally made it, but the managerial tasks were taking me away from what I really loved to do. Leaving was a blessing in disguise.
Software programming is challenging. There are a lot of languages that you have to know and it's always changing and updating. Every time I have to learn a new language, it takes a lot of time and research.
My dad died when I was 7 and I was raised primarily by my mother. When I was young, she pushed me to just get a job, any job, so I didn't get a lot of support for my interests.
