Foglight NMS is a very accessible network management system; has email alerts and everything, though the dashboards allow you to view things either graphically or textually depending on your preferences. -----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Sean Murphy Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 4:48 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist Vincent. I am not a Network Admin. Rather I support companies who use network gear from cisco. The Routers and switches are accessible. I understand the Voice and Security products are accessible. But I have not actually used them, so I am not 100% sure how accessible. It is different between someone telling you and you actually using it. The data centre products can be used on the CLI level. The GUI environment I believe is not accessible. In relation to learning about networking. There is a organisation in Australia which services the world called CAVI. They can help anyone with learning about the basics of computers, networking and I believe Linux. Other then that, the books are a good resources and doing searches on the net plus lab work is where I suggest people start. I assume this list also would be good to share this knowledge and questions on networking. To help everyone. The challenges I see for a vision impaired person is the NOC (network operation centre) software that alerts you of alarm conditions. If the software permits SMS, email or some other form The challenges I am aware of for a network admin person is as follows: 1. Learning networking. It is a challenge for someone who cannot see diagrams to learn networking. All concepts are based upon diagrams. If you are willing to do more work to understand how the different protocols works and develop a life cycle of the protocol. Then you will eventually be more knowledgeable then your sighted co-workers. It takes more work, but can be done. I only know of 2 people who are blind and have their CCIE in the world. One is in the USA and one is in Europea. It would be good to know if there are others. 2. It depends on the company on how they set up their environment. Some companies use VNC for their employee's access to their routers. Everyone launches from a centralised Telnet server. while other companies make their employee's log into a server via their telnet (console) app and launch from there. It depends on the control level the company want to introduce. Different workarounds are required depending on their methodology of security. If you have to access GUI apps that control network devices and they use remote desktop apps like VNC. then you have to see what they are willing to do. 3. In my role, it is very challenging since everyone wants to use software that controls their pc. This permits them to see what you are doing and gives them a level of comfort in relation to security. These programs are not accessible at all. If the customer is willing not to use these programs, then I am in luck. Otherwise I have to get assistance to work the issue. I just wished there was an SSH program that could be run on both ends. On the customer end and my end. Then I could work the issue without any assistance. If you wish to learn more about my idea, then let me know. It would help out a lot of admin people who have to share desktops with co-workers when working on an issue. 4. If you work in a NOC or GOC (network operation centre) or (ground operation centre) has their challenges. Depending on the tool they use to alert the operators of network conditions, depends on how successful you would be in the role. If the program they use does not have any email, SMS, or some other method of telling you about an alert. Then it is going to be very hard for you to address these issues. Normally they have a big screen which either has a sound alert plus visual clues of some kind. Networking is possible and has the same challenges as other computer roles. Sean On 17/11/2013, at 11:33 PM, Vincent van Itallie <vincent@vanitallie.net> wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1
Hi Sean,
I am verry intrested in your networking spesialism and how you are going trough the exams. Do you have a job as a networking administrator? And how is cisco's software these days when it comes to accessibility. I am sure you can do almost everything still from te command line when it comes to managing some kind of router. Butt how is this when for example deploying new vpn certificats or software version for users from a cisco vpn gateway.
As you might understand by my writing, I am totaly not a cisco expert, butt I might want to know more about it and I am very intrested in the perspective of a blind networking administrator in 2013.
Thanks,
Vincent.
On 11/17/2013 7:34 AM, Sean Murphy wrote:
I wish to give you all a completely different spin on the show.
1. If you can, volunteer at a local college, non-profit organisation, etc in their admin department. This gives you experience and also demonstrates you can do the job.
2. See if the employer is willing to take you on for 3 to 6 months without pay to prove you can do the job. If it doesn't work out, then at least you have gained some experiences and exposure into the field.
3. If you have not already done so, join a user group that focuses on admin or Admin OS and databases. Even join a computer association. You are building a network. See if any of the people in these professional groups can assist with getting real life experience.
4. The blogging ideas are good because you are getting your name out there. Even if you build a blog to assist other disable people in learning about admin work. I am not sure if there is such a beast out there. In this area, work on your strengths. I assume since you have done a English degree, communication is a strength. So create blogs that help your fellow vision impaired person. I have been kicking around for a while doing stuff on networking to help blind people to understand it. If you want to work on this with us, let me know. This goes for anyone on this list.
5 Join accessibility groups on different technologies to share your passion and learn.
The biggest question is do you want to specialise or be a generic I.T person. Today it seems generalist are preferred but far harder to be good in.
I have been lucky and specialising in networking. Working towards CCNP. Eventually CCIE if I can get through the exams.
Having general programming skills is good. I wouldn't be to concern about being a expert in this area, if you are not planning to become a developer. Understanding database admin is another area you will need as a sys admin.
ensure any course you do covers computer theory. Everything else like domain controllers, configuring AD, etc are covered in certs.
Finally, I understand the labour laws in the USA have recently changed for companies who have federal contracts. They have to have up to 7% disable employee's employed. I do not know much more then that. Any info on this would be good to know about. I am not covered by the law due to be in Australia. But useful to try and improve things here.
Sean
On 03/11/2013, at 4:56 AM, Katherine Moss <Katherine.Moss@gordon.edu> wrote:
You better believe that I'm going for certs. I'll start with CompTIA and then slowly move up the chain. My goals are CompTIA first, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate next, and then CCNA/P after that. I will also have a certificate from Bunker Hill Community college soon, so I'm wicked excited about that. And if you want to see what I can do and what I've done, take a look at my YouTube channel, which is http://youtube.com/user/thechromebuster. (Chromebuster, or variants thereof, is what I'm known as on the Internet.) I also am hosting my own site, or I will be soon, (it's up now, but since I'm switching frameworks, and the layout is rather confusing for people, I don't have much up there at this time)I'm deeply involved in the testing of ideas for making open source projects that need work more accessible, and I'm currently rebuilding my web site (a place where I write a technical/personal blog,have message boards, host my projects that I do for fun for folks to freely download and enjoy, and so on), to use the leading CMS for ASP.net called DNN, so that'll be fun. The best part about that is that the DNN community needs accessibility 101, so I'm providing that, and I'm in direct contact with a gentleman working there from the Netherlands. I keep Twitter very active; if you'd like, follow http://twitter.com/chromebuster19, or for web site and tech updates almost exclusively, follow http://twitter.com/accesscop24. And then not to mention, my complicated network setup at home; I plan eventually to have two domain controllers, a web server with a couple backup units load balanced through various friends and contacts willing to freely lend me their equipment, a TeamSpeak Server, a VPN, and a web reverse proxy (provided through the new functionality in Windows server 2012 R2 for web-based control panels that I don't want the world to be able to get ahold of using ADFS as the auth mechanism), and my friend is going to provide the PKI infrastructure for the accesscop.org domain through a domain trust. (thanks to me, she has her own domain as well.) Yeah I know, a bit crazy for a home environment, but who cares. It should be fun, and it will give me something to do. And don't worry, I know that's a lot, but you can be assured that some of my servers will play more than one role. My point in telling you all of this, because this isn't something that I'm doing for a place where I currently work, how the heck is that going to assist employers in hiring me? Or will it make a difference at all?
-----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Vincent van Itallie Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2013 12:23 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] FW: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
For the record: I don't mean vmware workstation or such. I mean more the produkts used in enterprise / corporate enviroments. @Katherine: I highley recomment you to get your self some sysadmin certs. Which is offcourse up to your interests.
Vincent.
On 11/2/2013 3:01 PM, Katherine Moss wrote:
I'm wondering too, since I have a slight issue with the menus in VMware Workstation, but otherwise, things are fine. It's just that the menubar titles aren't actually read. Kind of odd, but you know how things work.
-----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Vincent van Itallie Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2013 8:59 AM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] FW: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
Hi Ryan,
Interesting and good points made. Which spesific inaccessible version / produkt of VMware are you talking about? I am asking because of my earlyer post this week concerning accessibility of vmware.
Thanks in advance, Vincent.
On 11/2/2013 1:46 AM, Ryan Shugart wrote:
Hi Katherine: I have to agree with what the others on here have said for the most part. I'd keep your resume to one to perhaps one and a half pages. Remember that many times, potential employers don't even read resumes anymore, its all done by computers scanning for key words. As to the whole blindness thing, I have found its best to be honest with the employer before the interview but don't push that fact too hard unless it needs pushing. Just saying "Just so you know, I'm visually impared, so I'll be coming with a cane/dog" is all I'd say before the interview. That puts it out there, then you can see what they do.. I wouldn't send in pictures of projects I've done or anything like that, but do the obvious. Make sure you dress professionally, are there on time, basically show you can blend in as much as possible. If at that point the blindness is a problem with the employer it probably isn't a good fit anyway. Finally on blindness, let me just be blunt. Being a blind systems administrator is not easy. You will have accessibility challenges every day, and depending on what your employer has you doing there are days where you'll be confronted with some pretty steep accessibility challenges. Things are changing out there fast, and access software is struggling to keep up. I'm not saying its not doable, but just warning you to plan on spending as much time figuring out how to do your job as you spend doing your job. The larger the company, and the more 3RD party software they run that you have to work with, the more true this is. I used to administer VMware, but got pulled off of it because there were just too many accessibility challenges. The standard VMware client is barely accessible, it can be used with a screen reader, but it takes forever. There is a commandline interface for VMWare, and I was pretty good with it, but it only managed the basic VSphere environment. VCloud Director, VCenter Heartbeat, etc. No CLI. So I got pulled off VMWare and now manage AD, where the GUI is usable, and everything is doable with Powershell. Which, by the way, if you don't know Powershell, learn it now. Make it your best friend. Know it inside and out. You will absolutely not regret it. Technically, yes, go for helpdesk positions or even internships. That's how I got started was a six month internship doing basic Windows administration. I started out in a tiny company, we only had nine servers when I started. We got bought out a few years ago by a big international company, so now I manage about 60 servers spread out around the world, a big change. Many IT jobs today are contract to hire, which means that they hire you for a few months to a year on contract to see if they like you, then if they do, keep you on. It might not hurt to contact a recruiter and talk with them about the positions available. I personally don't like contract to hire as much as direct hire because people hired through contract often don't get any benefits for a while until after they've been accepted, but all of the hires in the IT department where I work have been through recruiters and contract to hire positions. Also, look into some certs. I know this is very contravercial, but I've had employers tell me to my face that if it came down to two candidates, one with a cert and one without, everything else equal, they go for the cert. Its that paper documentation. Does a cert mean you are better technically? Of course not, but it is documentation that you can perform a basic level of skills. In an entry level career they carry weight, as you progress no one cares. I've also heard that some U.S. federal IT positions require certs even to be considered in the first place. I'd skip over basic A+ and such and go for a MCSA or whatever its called today, or Linux equivalent. You'll probably get an A+ as part of that, then start looking for internships. I hope this helps to get you started, this is what worked for me at least. Ryan
-----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Katherine Moss Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 2:51 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] FW: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
The only problem with including detailed descriptions of everything I've ever done technologically, is that my resume would span more than two pages, and two pages is all that an employer these days will bother to read. And aside from that, how do I know, that just because I can do something, does that mean that I can also do it in a job environment where I have people breathing down my neck? For instance, do I know how to set up an active Directory Environment? Sure I do. Do I know how to set one up in a 1000+ employee corporation? I'm not sure. I've never gotten the chance to try since no one will hire me. Could I set up a sharepoint site, sure, with a little looking things up and maybe fooling around with the SP PowerShell modules. My point is that I can't seem to get folks to look past the fact that most of my knowledge is self-taught and self-obtained, instead of being tauht to me in a college environment. In fact, I didn't know that my passion for administration and technology in general, at least in terms of wanting to work in IT as well, was so strong until 2011, when I met my mentor and friend, who is also the information security officer at Gordon College. He put me on a project during an internship, and from that point onward, I realized that tech was my life, my dream job, and everything else to me, pretty much. But by that time, it was too late to change my major to computer science since I was already a junior.
-----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 4:12 PM To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] FW: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
My totally unsubstantiated opinion is that you want to hit them hard with all the stuff you do in your personal life. It would be kind of corny for someone to attach stuff to a resume about their hobbies but, IMO, it's different if you are blind. Last time I was looking for a job, I attached pictures of the stone terraced garden I had built and pictures of my woodworking projects. I included links to an article that was written about me when I ran a marathon. I included anything like that I could think of. Quite honestly, I wanted to play into the myth of the super blind guy.
Some people think it's better to not mention that you are blind until you get an interview and let them find out when you show up. But I think that results in you going to a lot of interviews for jobs you have no chance at. I came to this conclusion after I showed up for an interview and a the person who was going to interview me said, "But you're blind. Blind people can't use computers." I talked them into going ahead with the interview but it was clear I had absolutely no chance at the job.
That was a big waste of time. Who knows how many other times the person thought it but was smart enough to say nothing. So I started attaching all the stuff about my personal life and hobbies. I even wrote a few lines in the cover letter to the effect of saying that I wouldn't normally add all this stuff about my hobbies on a resume but I feel it's important for you, the employer, to know that I can do stuff.
Hard to say if it worked. I got a job soon after but it could have been a coincidence.
On 11/01/13 13:48, Katherine Moss wrote:
-----Original Message----- From: Katherine Moss Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 2:47 PM Subject: How to sell yourself to employers as a blind, but capable technologist
Hello all, My name is Katherine Moss, and let me tell you. Boy do I wish I had discovered this list years ago. I have been a technologist/administrator for the past ten years dabbling in everything from Windows to most recently Linux. I'm wondering what you guys have done to sell yourself to employers during interviews to get hired at your fulfilling jobs. I desire greatly to become a paid systems administrator and not just have technology as a hobby. I have a degree in English, though I'm planning on getting a certificate in network technologies and administration at Bunker Hill Community College (I am from Massachusetts). As of right now, regardless of the fact that I do have experience, employers are getting tripped up by my lack of official vender certifications, as well as my blindness. I will admit that I'm very open about my blindness, using it as a jumping off point to launch accessibility awareness campaigns rather than brooding over it. I'm wondering if my openness du ring the first interview at a job could be hurting me? I ask this because qualifications can't be the problem since I'm a member of a couple of user groups here in New England, and not many of us have computer science degrees at all. What has been your take on this? Thanks.
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.22 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/
iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJSiLeMAAoJEO/UWEWLQfbjyWEH/j6VVx0g9bzmYzozuO7jTYXa QLMu/5WH+hVUDtHUUepohAt+0fTiMWhKH5GFEYdB2ue13zAyDjICYhpuOGVl27CB kQk0AUNQq4Bp+E/PkouCxSXzl4LD9kZUn967BRKLC9sxPouISOW70QwMNKlXiCfn BsyhOitQ1js5rDuZ+YiqAOoIFBqUYUVT6VbmlFUXs2CG52d04mnOIw2hUOvasF3v i7ZItD4b/0mfkQofhCkW4EhYO9YYwn+66TTs7ZBAXTIa+gkMEhTaosJzD1cvjXCY rWe176YkRpQWG9Cgu1jIQo35T0opsggjDNZUsHO2OT4ZSbRRtOjJJ0h5/6Tp/W0= =c5kR -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
_______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins