“Becoming an engineer is like becoming a doctor, there is no limit to your education because there’s constantly new software programs and new hardware components that can benefit you. Education never stops, you are constantly learning new things.” These were the inspiring words of Samuel Rivera. Who explained the amount of work it takes to become an engineer by using the analogy of a doctor’s educational level. Samuel is currently a system administrator at Hackensack University Medical Center located in 30 Prospect Ave, Hackensack, New Jersey. I had the pleasure to meet Samuel through my friend’s girlfriend’s dad, and I was given the opportunity to go to his house in order to write this interview report. A message that he always tried to get across is to always keep learning, learning about new technology and innovation in your field because that guarantees that you will still keep your job.
Samuel got interested in computers since he was young, everything that involved with computers from its operating system to programing and dealing with hardware. Interestingly, he originally didn’t go to college to study about computers instead, he went for Pre-Med. After he got out and worked at a hospital dealing with radiology which consisted of ultrasounds and x-rays, he noticed that the machine they used was like a computer but it was just on wheels. Whenever there was something wrong with the computer, they always sent the computer technician to come and fix it. This is where he caught a strong interest and he started asking questions about the programs they use and components as well. Realizing that he wasn’t happy with radiology he decided to go back to school to learn about computer hardware and software.
His first job was working for a company, an accounting firm in downtown Manhattan where he started working as a System admin. However, he was told that he needed more training and experience since he just came out of school. So, the company started him as a help desk administrator which he worked for three years. His first job consisted of him making sure no one in the company had issues with their computers. As well as providing service to customers which he says was the biggest struggle. As Samuel told me, “It’s not about fixing the computer, it’s about dealing with the person that becomes a struggle.” There were some people who are nice to him while others were impatient and wanted him to be done within minutes. He ended up doing 3 years as help desk administration and then worked his way up as system admin.
Samuel describes his day-to-day job as “solving problems” and issues other people may have. There are times where people call him to give help them dealing with certain software. Sometimes people call him asking for a server to be build and this is where the computer hardware comes into play. “Everyday is a different challenge, some problems require more time while others are done quick” This is how Samuel described his everyday routine. He also must set alerts on the computers to prevent certain problems such as stopping the CPU from overheating, running out of memory or RAM. This is where he must take the computer and examine why these problems may occur. In addition, he is realizing that it’s no longer hardware intensive because a company may just buy a server from a different company such as Google and Microsoft. Therefore, the company only focuses on the software such as the operating system in order to save money. After being heavily involved with computers from help desk administrator, computer hardware and software, all the way up to Network administrator, he realized that the higher you climb the ladder, the less technical it becomes.
After interviewing Samuel, I realized that writing is heavily involved, he documents everything he does at the end of the day. Sometimes he is documenting the solution to the problem he just solved, writing a documentation of instructions so that others who are experiencing the same problem know what to do. He also writes emails to other people when a system update is required to keep the flow of the company or emailing a person that the problem they were experiencing was resolved. Which shows that even writing for an engineer is important and useful in their field because it’s something they are constantly doing to make sure that others can use these documentations as well.
Reading is also a big part of engineering because it’s involved when you are reading other people’s documentations to help you solve a problem you may be facing. When installing software, you need to read the notes provided to decide which operating system is recommended. Also, reading other people’s emails about the issues they are having is something he deals with a lot and it’s how he is notified about the things he must be doing around his job. Reading up about new software or technology is something he does in his free time to see if his company can benefit from it, or to keep up with the current trends. Other times he was reading other people’s documentation and ended up updating it because some information was missing.
One of the many important things he advised me to do was to be more open to others, I need to be able to become a people person so that others can notice the work I am doing which can help me move up the ladder overtime. Second, he told me that I need to have a strong interest about computers and how they operate because learning never stops. I also should also start learning about different operating systems in order to expand my knowledge when applying to work for different companies since every company uses a different software. Most importantly I should get an internship in order to get a feel about the work environment and getting to know the basics of my future career.
The biggest take away from this interview is understanding the value of my education in the field I hope to pursue. Keeping up with new technology and programs is important when applying to work for companies. Others will learn faster and have more experience which is why learning more is very important. After learning all of this it made me realize how serious I need to be to pursue this career because it’s not easy, nothing in life is easy but we have to want something badly in order to go chase it. Samuel Rivera helped me become more aware and really understand the obstacles I need to be ready to face and for that I am very thankful.
