Jim's 
Talents
All my life, I have been curious about how things work. I
was named after a friend of my Dad's who was in the Navy. This friend, Jim
Lethbridge, was a knob twister. I couldn't have been more aptly named!
As a boy, I was always taking things apart to see what made them tick and I
considered myself an inventor. I was fascinated by electronics and loved
music. By the age of ten I was playing guitar and piano and had the signs
of developing perfect pitch. I built the visible
V-8 engine model with my Dad which gave me an understanding of how an
internal combustion engine works.
I am mechanically inclined. I seem to have an intrinsic understanding of physics. I can observe
how something operates from machines to weather patterns and I'm usually able to figure out how
they work. If I am
unable to figure out how something works by simply observing it, I will ask questions or
do research in order to figure out how it works. To this day, if I get
curious about something, I am not
fully satisfied until I have at least a general understanding of how it works.
I developed a keen ear for music. I am always listening to music and
picking it apart. I rarely am able to hear a piece of music as a
whole. I usually listen to one instrument at a time. I was a musician at heart and
became very interested in rock and roll music with the arrival of the Beatles in
the U.S.A. (Now I'm dating myself!) I started playing guitar in rock and roll
bands when I was in junior high school. I continued playing in garage bands as a
young adult but never made any money at it - until later. Frustrated with dead-end jobs,
I began searching for a career that I could enjoy and derive some satisfaction
from. Making a decent income was secondary!
I analyzed my talents and decided to pursue a career as a
piano tuner/technician. I studied, practiced and became
a part-time piano technician in Eureka, California
to supplement my regular income. Then, when I moved to Sacramento,
California, I finally met the right people and was able
to work as a professional musician. That is something that I had always wanted to
do so I did less and less piano work as my career as an entertainer/musician
took off.
I played music professionally for almost 12 years. Toward the end of my music career, I had my first introduction to computers with
digital rhythm programmers (drum machines) and midi sequencers. I spent hours,
days, weeks and months programming sequenced material for the band that I was
working with at the time. I found that I was one of the few people who had the patience
and temperament to do programming.
In 1989 I bought my first computer (an 8088 laptop with no hard drive!) so that
I could track my expenses for tax purposes while I traveled with the band.
After working as an entertainer/musician for almost 12 years,
I began my job at Sacramento International Airport.
There I learned a lot about aircraft, firefighting, rescue and emergency medical
services. While working at the airport, I was also exposed
to more computers which were used for daily tasks in the offices of our
operations at the airport.
Once again, I found something that I felt a need to understand - computers!
I decided to go to Heald Institute of
Technology and earned a two-year AAS degree in electronics technology. I also took two computer
networking courses and got my A+
and CNA
certificates. I began rebuilding, upgrading and building new computers
on my own. My co-workers and supervisors found me to be a valuable resource
for computer questions and some even employed me to upgrade or build some computers
for them. I helped modify and improve some of the Excel
spreadsheets used at the airport
to track the fuels accounting. My interest in music was gradually being
replaced by my interest in computers.
I designed and built a small network in my home with a Novell
server
and began experimenting with web page design. I used my home network on
a daily basis and was constantly experimenting with it - tweaking it so that it
hummed along
dependably. This was practice for my next career change.
I tried to find work in the computer IT industry as an entry-level technician in the Sacramento area but was
discouraged by the lack of opportunity. I found that the available jobs
paid less than I was currently making at the airport and they often did not
offer any benefits. I did some volunteer work on my days off to gain some
experience but I found I needed paid experience. Encouraged by my new wife, I made the big decision to
move. I gave up my 9-year career with Sacramento County Department of
Airports, sold my house and moved to the Seattle area.
After I was settled in my new home in Renton,
Washington, I started working in the IT industry. I started out with
some contracting jobs as a computer tech and then got a permanent
Network/Systems Specialist position with AT&T
Fixed Wireless which I held for a year and a half. I expanded my home
network to include a router, a 100 Mbps Ethernet switch, a KVM switch and a Windows 2000 Advanced Server running
IIS which is
now hosting this web site.
Then AT&T decided to scrap
the Fixed Wireless Project Angel that I was involved with. So once
again, I am looking for a new, full time Network/Systems Specialist or
Customer/Desktop Support position in the computer
IT industry. I am posting a copy of my Resume
in case you know of an employer looking for a person with my qualifications.