The Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas are a wonderful place to live and work. Because of the density of people, tech companies and professional opportunities, I think there is a real opportunity for a community of network and systems administrators to develop.

In hindsight, I see that I’ve now spent over 18 years doing network and systems administration. Along the way, I’ve mostly had no idea what I was doing; I simply had a desire to build things and the will to figure things out. I’ve worked with fantastic people, have accomplished much, and had an insane amount of fun along the way.

This open letter is not trumpeting a grand vision.
This is not a rallying cry.
This is not a call to organize into any sort of formal structure.

I think it would be amazing for like-minded individuals to get together, to share knowledge and experiences, to create inroads to employment for those just starting out, to create opportunities for internship and mentoring, and much more.

Interested?

Update May 2014

After more than a year of talking to people – and I mean a lot of people – I was unable to find a single person who was interested in helping me organize the group. So the only way it was going to happen was if I did all the work of finding a location, finding sponsors, coordinating meetings and speakers, etc.

…and that’s just too much for me to do alone. :^( But definitely reach out to me if you’re interested in starting something. I’m still interested.

ɕ