Professional Background

Currently I am an IT contractor. This is a good and bad thing. I enjoy being able to work with different companies and keep a fairly broad range of work under my belt but sometimes it can be a bit difficult in finding the next gig. The IT field is also stressful in trying to keep up with the latest gadgets and technology and press that into a company with strict policies and red tape in place. IT can be a daunting place and we're expected to be miracle workers and try to figure out what an end-user has done wrong or instantly fix a server that has failed on some obscure service causing it to reboot endlessly.

Those of you that hear those radio commercials about making gobs of cash in the IT field should really read into it a bit before taking the plunge. Gone are the days of the Dot com boom where people were paid insane amounts of money for basically doing nothing but hijacking domain names. Now you have to know everything from scripting to proprietary software. If you're working through college thinking you'll come out and find a job as a email administrator, think again. You'll be vying for Level 1 help desk positions along with everyone else while you work your way up the ladder. Some days I wish I could either find a few small companies to handle support contracts or get paid well enough to do art work.

Artwork is nother passion of mine that I would consider I'm an amateur at best. I have done websites, logos, and worked for a handful of bands on a professional level but when I look at a lot of artwork out there, I don't feel I am quite good enough to be paid for my work. Yes I have talent and yes some people think my artwork is stupendous but, until I am getting paid well for it; then I am a nobody in the artworld.

My personal background (for those that are bored and want to read about me)

Against a cold midday January sun, I was born over 30 years ago in a small southwestern Virginia city called Roanoke. I grew up on a 16-acre horse farm well away from the city at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to experience life not crammed into an inner city house or jammed against another neighbor in a metro area. I had plenty of space to romp and that I did quite well. I had a large creek in a back pasture to plough through and a pine covered hill where I would hide and scheme out vast underground fortresses while my mother wailed in distress trying to find me.

My family wasn't real well off so the things that I did have I cherished very much. Our house was nothing more than a small farmhouse with a tin roof. There was a decrepid barn and an ivy covered "garage". All these places were convenient hiding places and great structures for action-figure scenes of grandeur.

Although I had a lot of fun, things weren't always great for me. My parents were often at odds with each other over finances or living conditions and sometimes I feel like my childhood was shortened a bit. I had to grow up to face family challenges even though they weren't expected of me. I became mature for my age when all I needed was just 5 more minutes of Nintendo time.

I found my calling with the Boy Scouts and it was a bit of an escape from home life. I didn't really need or want an escape but the Boy Scouts offered me a lot of things that I truly enjoyed and it gave me some breathing room from home. I excelled quickly through all the ranks and eventually became an Eagle Scout. It is the one thing I am most proud of in my life so far. Yes there are other goals I have accomplished but scouting had become a part of my life and it was good to reach a goal within it.

After High School I often struggled for finding placement in my life. I moved to Richmond, VA and failed miserably on my own and then shuffled around to Kitty Hawk, NC and finally to Winston-Salem, NC where i now reside. All along the way it took a while for me to understand what I wanted in life and I still question these things to a degree but it's more solidified as I get older. I don't think I'll ever be the person that works the same job all his life or is happy with a static normal life. I envy those with stability but in the same breath abhor the constants of their existance.

Life is learning and that's my ultimate goal, to learn as much as possible while still maintaining the illusion of playing along with the normal world.

Copyright © 2007 Scott R. Deel