Name: Phillip Jones
Blog URL: http://www.p2vme.com
Twitter Handle: @P2Vme
Current Employer: Glasshouse Technologies
How did you get into IT?
A lot of luck and determination got me into IT. I have always had a passion for technology and computers. I dove into the computer classes and Electronics in High School partially due to the great teaching staff which took an interest in me. After High school I attended Dominion Technical College to get started in IT and worked on my MCSE for Windows 2000. I also achieved my Network+ and A+ at that time.
With a little luck I walked into a job placement agency and got my first job as an Open VMS Administrator working on Dec Alphas as a temp. I was quickly picked up and given a senior position in charge of their Active Directory implementation and Novell migration. After that I joined a small telecommunications company for three years and held many hats there including Sr. System Administrator and Sr. Telephony Engineer working with DSL and home phone equipment. I left them to join a Fortune 500 Auto Parts Retailer as an Engineer for five years as part of a top notch team whom I have great respect for. In September of 2011 I joined Glasshouse Technologies as a Sr. Consultant which I am still employed with today.
How did you get into working with VMware and becoming a 2012 vExpert?
Back in 2006 was my first exposure to VMware in an Enterprise environment; I came on board as a secondary under another engineer who had been working with VMware and Linux for many years. I cut my teeth on this environment which had just about everything you could want at the time starting with VMware 2.x. After two years he accepted a promotion onto the Linux team and I took over the VMware environment upgrading it and making architectural changes.
I began to read all the VMware and community blogs and participate on twitter and attend two VMworlds. I began blogging around VMworld last year, mainly about things that I think will help others. I also became a member of the Charlotte VMUG as well and looked at starting one for Southwest Virginia based in Roanoke. That hasn’t taken off yet but isn’t completely off the table. In early 2010 I took the VMware troubleshooting class and achieved my VCP 4 and then upgraded to my VCP 5 this year.
What would you tell someone who wanted to get a job like yours to do?
Work hard, push yourself to your limit and go one step further than that. Don’t stagnate in your day to day job. Get involved with social media as that extends your network, I have found it quite valuable and always ask questions. I always want to know the how and why.
