Name: David W. McCauslin
Title/Employer: Technology Director/Cheboygan Area Schools
Age: 44
Education: Some college
Tenure In IT industry: 21 years
First Tech Job: Marketing rep for an IBM Solution Agent selling AS/400 systems to state and local government.
Current Role: Technology director for a K-12 school district in Michigan. I am responsible for the implementation and maintenance for all computers, networking, digital PBX and telephones, copiers, and the entire tech infrastructure for this seven-building school district that covers 265 square miles. We have a fiber ATM WAN backbone connecting all the buildings.
What's been your best job and why?
I would say this one, because it is such a challenge to keep things running "on a shoestring." We have over 1,000 PCs and 16 servers, with me and one other technician doing the work.
What do you think is the number one non-IT skill IT professionals need today?
Knowing how to relate to people.
What do you credit your career success to?
Ambition and enthusiasm. I have taken it upon myself to try and stay on top of new technologies that apply, as I can.
What are the top three skills a high-level IT manager needs today?
Good problem-solving skills, good troubleshooting abilities, and the ability to deal with people.
What's your favorite IT resource site and why?
Microsoft Newsgroups. These are frequented by people that are dealing with the same issues I am, and we help each other out.
What is the best career advice you've ever received?
From my dad: "Make sure you are prepared to give 110% every day, never compromise your principles, and never turn down a promotion cause when you do, you are done with that employer.
What's the top advice you'd give to a new IT staffer?
If you are not sure of the answer, ask someone! Never guess, and never assume!
What would you advise someone looking to find the type of role you currently have?
Your state has professional education administration web sites. Watch them, as the jobs are always posted there. Education is a wonderful area to work in, especially for someone "from the outside" like myself. I have worked in the real world, so I can bring that experience to the table, and be able to relate with both sides better.
What is the one career decision you would change if you could?
I would have stayed in college and gotten a degree. I had grown up around computers, and my college data processing professor advised me to leave college and start making money immediately. It took several years after that before I got a real job in the tech industry. In today's market, a degree is very important.
If you had the choice to jump into any other job, tech or non-tech, what would it be?
If it were a perfect world, and I could make it all work right, I would sell my house and property in northern Michigan and get a similar job in a warmer climate, preferably in a state that has a decent economy and properly funds their schools.
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