This weeks blog post is not quite as techy as last weeks one on Cyber Security tips sadly, this is more about me.... I've been asked multiple times since forming Pebble IT what brought me into IT, how have I lasted 20 years and what created that spark. I'm usually quite a private person - but I feel this is now something I want to share, especially as my own children want to understand more about why I've done the same type of job for so long without getting bored and still love it every day.
Why IT, Dad? and where it begun...
When I told my daughter I was starting my own IT company, which she is nothing but supportive of, she asked me why I chose IT and why didn't I pick something else - a great question for a 13 year old to ask.
It all started with a birthday present when I was 10 from my grandparents, June and Ronald, they went to the local computer shop in Cheshunt high street and brought me an i486 with a dot matrix printer, running Windows 3.1. This thing was huge, took 2 people to carry, it was cream coloured, the CRT monitor took up the whole table, the printer made the loudest noise you've ever heard from a printer and it was nothing other than pure perfection. I loved it. I had no idea what it could do at the time, but I couldn't wait to learn. Primary school wasn't the best time for me growing up, so having this as a focus was just what I needed. I owe my grandparents a lot for getting me this, it was my spark.
I soon learnt you can upgrade the memory, Windows 95 was then released and it needed a larger hard drive, it was non-stop. Weekend trips with my Dad to the Tottenham computer fair behind the Tottenham Hotspur stadium was a weekend must.. it felt like the possibities are endless - and they really are. My dad later brought an Acorn computer, again more upgrades - more time spent at weekends working on something I truly loved doing.
Then we stuck a modem in the thing and connected to something called the world wide web and all of a sudden it became limitless.
I loved it.
How did you progress from a 486 to starting your own IT business?
My first IT job was as a junior IT administrator straight from college, I was spotted fixing some local printer issues and the IT manager, Adam, asked if I wanted to work with him in the IT department. This gave me a real base for my IT skills and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity. I later joined a local IT provider to get a larger experience of IT skills and I was the lead tech for a key contract in London - this was such a great experience with a good bunch of guys to reinforce why I do IT.
My daughter Summer was born around this time and I wanted something closer to home and away from London due to the travelling, so I joined a local lighting company as their Senior Systems administrator which quickly turned into IT manager - then Head of Group IT a few years later. I spent 10 years there looking after a yearly IT budget of ~£250,000, I made lots of savings throughout the business including implementing a new ERP system during this time, which came in on time and under budget (yep, I know...it can happen) which I am really proud of. I had a great team working for me and we did some really good projects in that time together.
Getting good IT support for your business should not be difficult, it just needs the right people to work with and understand your problems. Something I've always wanted to do is share my IT skills with others, I enjoy working with people to develop relationships and provide solutions. So I decided this year was the right time to start my own Managed IT support business.
Who am I you ask?
My name is Jason Patey, I am 38 years old. I have a 13 year old daughter and a 15 month year old son. I grew up in Cheshunt, then moved to Ware. My education at school wasn't that much to write home about, only excelling in ICT where I got my best grade and spent most of my time at lunchtimes or after school. I attended Hertford regional college in Turnford where I received a computer diploma. Fast forward a couple of years I became a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), then I found myself really interested in IT networks and how computers communicate, so I completed my Cisco CCNA certification, a huge achievement at the time for me. I picked up various other certifications and experience along the way.
To this day I love IT as much as when I got my first computer and I feel lucky to have found an industry I fit into.
And that's me and how I got to writing this blog...
If you would like a friendly chat on how we can help you with your IT requirements, or want to ask me about how loud dot matrix printers were - please reach out at hello@PebbleIT.co.uk or message me on LinkedIn.
(Ironically called the Panasonic Quiet... thank god there wasn't a loud version)
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