Get to know some of our talented authors featured in our author spotlights. Here you can see interviews, detailed biographies, and book summaries of some of the best in the industry.
OLIVER: I have been an IT professional for 17 years. My experience includes many IT domains, including software and hardware development, systems administration, technical support, technical writing, and managing technical professionals. I have worked for large Silicon Valley companies such as Sun, Silicon Graphics, and E*TRADE, as well as several small start-up firms. My latest venture is the IT consulting firm Tech Mavens (www.tech-mavens.com).
Of all the facets of IT, I enjoy systems administration work the most because of the broad mix of skills involved, and the variety of the projects. I also like being in direct contact with the people who use the systems that I design, build, and support.
OLIVER: I had never taken on this kind of writing project before, so when I was offered the opportunity to write the Solaris questions for ReviewNet, I looked forward to a new experience. The project was more difficult than I had anticipated, especially writing the Advanced questions. Creating test questions that have both a correct answer as well as a partially or mostly correct answer proved to be quite a challenge.
OLIVER: I was very fortunate to be involved with E*TRADE from a very early stage. I began as a senior Solaris administrator, building the E*TRADE web infrastructure, and later became Systems Security Manager, in charge of overseeing the security of all E*TRADE's Solaris systems. It it very exciting and rewarding to see millions of people use the systems that I helped design and build.
OLIVER: Networking with other IT professonals at conferences, SIGs, and professional organizations is important to me for distinguishing between technologies and trends that have real value and those that are fads or solutions in search of a problem. The Internet is also an essential research tool. The wealth of technical articles, discussion forums, FAQs, and product documentation that is available online allows me to research new IT topics almost instantly.
OLIVER: Solaris adminstration is not an easy subject for self-study. Not many people can afford a Sun Enterprise 10000 server for their home office, even from Ebay. For those starting out, the best bet is a college or university program, or technical training school. Internships and apprenticeships can also be avenues into the profession, but they are not as common as in the past. Organizations don't seem as willing to invest in training new administrators. They want people who can be productive immediately.
OLIVER: I have been a geek since childhood. I grew up reading Popular Electronics and Byte magazine, and hanging out at The Byte Shop, one of the first computer stores in the San Francisco Bay area. I wrote my first code at 14 on a Bally game console with a BASIC cartridge. At 19, while a freshman in college, I landed my first paying computer job writing accounting software for a local machine shop. I've been continously employed in the IT industry ever since.
OLIVER: ReviewNet is a very useful tool for evaluating a candidate's technical skills and knowledge. The immense archive of technical knowledge from all the ReviewNet authors is a valuable resource for hiring managers and recruiters who may not have expertise in the needed areas. However, it is important that specific technical knowledge not become the only, or even the most important, criteria for evaluating candidates. Because technology evolves so rapidly, all technical knowledge and skills have relatively short useful lives. As a hiring manager, I do look at technical skills, but qualities such as initiative, judgement, and communication are equally important.
OLIVER: The most common mistake made by both candidates and recruiters alike is over-emphasis of technology buzzwords, acronyms, and product names. "Do you know DNS?" "Yes, I know DNS; he's my brother-in-law in Cleveland." When I interview an IT candidate, I focus on problem-solving ability, and the capability to use technology to get real work done. So I designed my ReviewNet test to emphasize actual problems faced by myself and other Solaris adminstrators. My ReviewNet test can help recruiters evaluate the ability of candidates to solve business and technology problems rather than memorization of buzzwords.
OLIVER: I am a certified airplane fanatic. I have been a licensed private pilot for 12 years, and I own a Grob 115C aerobatic aircraft which I fly out of the Reid-Hillview airport in San Jose, California. I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of flying my airplane to the Wright Brothers National Monument at Kittyhawk, North Carolina. I am currently planning my next major aviation adventure: flying to Alaska.
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