New territory

As a guy who has/had dealt with nothing but PC computers my entire life, last June I was introduced to the Mac world. My new job at USD 439 was an all Apple district with nothing but MacBooks. GULP. I thought I was in trouble for sure. I had never worked on an Apple in my life. I had never played with a Mac. EVER. In my interview I was asked if I had any experience with Macs and I was honest and told them I never had. They asked if I would be able to learn them and I told them "Give me 6 months to get basics and a few advanced practices down. The rest will come with time."

To give a little background, I had used Norton Ghost to image computers. Never had I used Deploy Studio. I thought "there is no way I'll ever get away from my pc laptop." Wrong. I worked on both my pc laptop and my new MacBook Pro provided by the school. That was in June. By August, I was only using my MacBook and my pc computer sat in a closet in my room. That's how fast I transitioned.

Little did I know the frustrations that would come soon enough. By the first day of school, I was already feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Charging ports not working, hard disk drives failing, having to repair MacBooks. I thought I would fall apart. Then I met several key people that have helped me pave the path I have created this year.

First off, Jerry Butler. The man is a Mac wonder. He knows his stuff about Macs. Jerry is a great lean-on person to help troubleshoot, break-fix, and self starter. Jerry made countless trips to Sedgwick to help me transition into the school year. Between imaging laptops, getting the server updated, and showing me several insider how-tos, I was up and running soon enough. Jerry was wonderful tech-support and an even bigger emergency contact when I needed him.

Secondly, Rae Niles. When I was hired on at Sedgwick, I knew nothing of her. All I knew was she was an Apple "genius" and that she had really paved the way with Apple products at Sedgwick. Everyone always talked about Rae and how she did things. I knew I had a lot to keep up with and a big void to fill. I finally met Rae for the first time about two weeks into the school year. I talked to her in my office for about 15 minutes. I thought she was really nice and she even gave me a few tips. Later that night, I had a surprise. I received an email from Rae telling me that there would be times I'd feel lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed. She told me to always keep a positive attitude and if I ever needed help, to email or contact her. Needless to say, I saved that email and still read it when I'm feeling frustrated. About a week later, I was at dinner with my family at the local Applebees. I had been frustrated with a printer problem with some MacBook Airs at school. I had bumped into Rae at dinner and explained the problem and during talking, I managed to figure out the solution. Rae left dinner with a simple "job well done troubleshooting and good luck! Contact me if you need anything." and goodbyes were exchanged. When I went to get ready to leave, the bill was delivered to my table and this is what I saw...there was no bill. Just a note of encouragement. Thank you Mrs. Niles!

Lastly, the ESSDACK "NERDS" group. These ladies and gentlemen know their stuff. From monthly meetings where everyone discusses new practices, new ideas, and lots of educational tips are offered up. Everyone has a very positive attitude. They accepted me into the group when I started at Sedgwick. I felt so stupid and behind the curve with Apple and Mac products but through help, encouragement, and answering all my dumb emails about "how do I do this" or "what about this", I have been able to broaden my knowledge and am slowly getting into a groove here at USD 439. 

You never know who you will meet, or when you will need help. I'm glad for all the support I've been given in the past, where I am now, and when I will need it in the future. I just hope someday, I can help someone out just as I have been helped!