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RN: Please tell
us a little about yourself.
SOPER:
I've been in the technology field for
twenty years, which is ironic because the first
time I ever used a computer, I didn't enjoy the
experience at all. That was in 1969-70, when "using
a computer" meant writing programs in BASIC,
transferring them to paper tape, and sending them
to a remote time-sharing system over a horribly
slow phone line for execution with a teletype
machine providing the readout. My academic background's
in history and English, so I've always been interested
in the history of computers and in clear, accurate,
and interesting writing. Because I don't have
a classically "techy" background, I've
always been conscious of the importance of bridging
the gap between the technology elite and the rest
of us. When I write, my goal is to reduce this
gap.
RN: How did you
first get involved in writing technical books?
SOPER:
Although my first book wasn't published
until late 2000, I'd been involved in technical
writing for over a decade prior to that time.
I wrote a monthly column for a local business
magazine, a number of articles on WordPerfect
(still my favorite word processor), the first
major article on Digital Research's DR-DOS at
the beginning of a long collaboration with Sandhills
Publishing (publisher of SmartComputing and newsstand
computing guides). This was my apprenticeship
as a writer: making deadlines, performing research,
developing new ways to look at existing topics
and exploring new insights. By the time I wrote
my first book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to High-Speed
Internet Connections, in late 2000, I'd already
written over 140 articles and had contributed
to several books.
RN: Outside
of working with ReviewNet, what do you feel is
your biggest professional accomplishment?
SOPER:
I'm proudest of the fact that I've worked with
Scott Mueller, the dean of computer hardware authors,
since 1999. I've contributed to every edition
of Upgrading and Repairing PCs from the 11th edition
to the present 15th Anniversary Edition and on
related titles as a contributor and co-author.
Scott's original edition was instrumental to my
early success, and I'm very happy to be able to
return the favor. I'm also very proud of my association
with TechTV. TechTV is making cable TV viewers
very technology-savvy, and my two books for TechTV
(TechTV's Upgrading Your PC, original edition
and Second Edition) contribute to that outreach.
RN:
Tell us about your latest
book.
SOPER:
I'm wrapping up work now on The Absolute Beginner's
Guide to A+ Certification. Look for it in January
2004 from Que Publishing (www.quepublishing.com).
It covers the November 2003 revisions to the A+
Certification exams. Although it's part of an
entry-level series, it's designed to be a serious
study tool, with complete coverage of all A+ objectives
with lots of photos and screen shots, a top-notch
A+ test simulation engine and lots of hands-on
labs on the bundled CD. A lot of A+ Certification
hardware books provide decent coverage of hardware,
but miserably incomplete operating systems coverage.
This book provides excellent coverage of both
parts of the exam. Other recent books include
TechTV's Upgrading Your PC, Second Edition and
PC Help Desk in a Book.
RN:
How do you keep up with
changing technologies and the latest trends in
the IT industry?
SOPER:
I read a lot - books, magazine articles, and catalogs.
Because I cover desktop, Internet, and hardware
topics, I find the latest catalogs from major
mail-order vendors very useful in tracking hot
topics. I also discuss the field with my sons
(one's studying computer science, one's a graphic
artist and webmaster, and one's interested in
overclocking/modding) to keep up-to-date.
RN:
Please share your thoughts
with us on the role that ReviewNet evaluations
play in hiring IT professionals.
SOPER:
Because I've worked in the A+ Certification field
as an author, I've been interested for some time
in the process of determining who really "knows
their stuff" in a given field, and who's
faking it. ReviewNet evaluations enable employers
to measure candidate skills and compare those
skills to a well-defined body of knowledge. ReviewNet
enables both technical and non-technical staff
to find high-quality employees.
RN:
How did you design your
ReviewNet test to help eliminate IT hiring mistakes?
SOPER:
The ReviewNet test I created is designed to measure
both IT knowledge and troubleshooting skills because
both are important in today's IT environment.
A candidate who knows hardware, software and networking
but can't apply that knowledge to solve real-world
problems isn't going to be a good hire.
Learn
more about Mr. Soper on his website: http://www.selectsystems.com
Click
here to check out Mr. Soper's latest book,
PC Help Desk in a Book.
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