About Me
Hello. I’m Greg. I am an IT Support professional from St. Louis. I’ve been self employed since 1997 in IT Support for SMBs. I have 2 awesome kids and share my life with the best person on the planet.
Recently, however, I’ve seen the future of IT Support and where the profession is heading. While I don’t think the need for outsourcing my kind of work will go away, I do believe the quality of IT Support offered by bigger corps is lowering the bar as to what is required from an IT Supporter. Its this kind of thinking (I can get 3 years of support for $500) that is restricting my ability to grow my business.
As a result, I have started pursuing a teachers certification. I want to teach high school math. That is what this blog is really about. My journey at the age of 38 to become a high school teacher. I chose math because it is closely related to the field I’m currently in, hopefully making the transition a little easier. Since math and computer science are very closely related, I would consider computer science as well.
To me, teaching is the ultimate way to give back to the community. I want to give. I need to give. I believe it is part of me. I am a giver. Teaching would give me that outlet, as well as supply me with the satisfaction of producing something meaningful. Instead of grep boo /etc/passwd (searching for users on a linux server) I could be teaching the next wave of scientists, engineers, teachers. Instead of restarting someones Outlook, I could be molding someone’s mind in computer science.
I know it doesn’t pay what I could be making, but frankly, I don’t care about money. It means a little to me, but not enough to sell my soul. And that is what sales seems like to me. Ripping someone off for the sake of not being chewed out at the next sales meeting. Its like there is a fire or something, either they want the dang widget or they don’t. Impulse buyers are gone. We’re paying $4 a gallon. You’d better be watching that impulse or see your bottom line shrink.
I Came From
We grew up in St. Louis. We being my brother, 7 years +, my parents and me. I went to 2 colleges, then moved to Phoenix, AZ with my wife. We were only a couple then, but I soon realized we were made for each other. After realizing there wasn’t grass, trees, lawns or seasons in the desert, we moved back to St. Louis. It was shortly after that we were married. It was the best decision ever. She has made me a better person.
My family is from a small town in SW Missouri. My dad was a salesperson. My grandpa a mason. They grew up in a small town. I never really grasped the small town thing. I was always enamored with the big city lights and action. St. Louis is no “big city”, but if you grow up with 50 +/- people in your class, you start to see things a little differently.
Hopefully this blog will be my writing ground for my adventures through this teacher certification in the state of Missouri. I have never really kept a blog/journal before. Wish me luck.
