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Prehistoric IT

My experiences with IT began with my first job – Programmer Analyst at Allegheny Power.  Although this was not in the day of Charles Babbage, it was pre-Google, pre-Microsoft, pre-PC (for the most part), and pre-1980 (I’m not giving any more hints).  It was a time when punch cards were still the prominent method of programming, and after a few months on the job, we acquired a brand new TSO, which allowed multiple programmers to work on the machine… but only if you were next in line.  A few years passed and we were then up to speed, writing interactive code on PCs and developing programs to streamline the business activities.  Compared to modern technology, we moved at a much slower pace.  There was no e-mail, chat clients were not yet used, and VOIP technology had not even been imagined.  It was a time when the lack of communication wasn’t even evident.  But I’m not that old – I just started young.

IT’s an Evolution, baby.

I’ve been a chameleon of sorts, morphing from the Programmer Analyst to DBA, to Project Manager, and then on to a series of other management positions, resting comfortably at Hudson IT-Pittsburgh as a Practice Manager.  My career has been a blend of sales, marketing, and information technology, although I view myself as an IT professional.  Early in my career, it was feasible to move from job to job without the fear of learning an obsolete technology and inevitably regressing professionally.  Because of this ability, I was able to gain a considerable amount of IT knowledge and experience, allowing myself to become well rounded in the field.  A career should be viewed as an investment, making the best decision when the fork in the road approaches, and capitalizing on this decision allows one to reach goals that are otherwise unfathomable.

When I was 25, I set goals for myself that spanned the next 20 years of my life.  Now that those mountains are in the rear view, I have begun my second set.  I was told that if I wring these goals from my mind onto paper I would have a much higher rate of success… so I obliged.  And it worked.

ERP Technology

I feel that a continuing education is an IT professional’s highway to success, and learning as much as possible only increases the speed limit.  Currently, I’m on the Manufacturing Expressway.  Our IT practice is focused on the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation in factories, plants, and mills.  The US has fallen behind in the global manufacturing race, and to catch up, will need to find a way to increase production and streamline processes.  These systems must be affordable, easily adaptable, and technically efficient.  Too many ERP systems are carelessly implemented, leaving the business unstable and taking an unnecessary amount of time to increase production (if at all), creating a dilemma for everyone involved.  With modern technology, we are able to structure the system to fit the company like a glove, addressing all of the problems and necessities of the plant floor and streamlining the business processes to maximize profits.  With Hudson’s resources, we find the available talent and place them faster than ever, and it brings me great delight to see the 20- and 30-somethings choosing the same road that I chose… only we no longer have to wait in line to program the mainframe.

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