David Carroll

Elizabethtown, KY (USA)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------Career Summary------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I began my career in I.T. in July 2016 as an inexperienced and previously untrained I.T. Associate at Severns Valley Baptist Church. Shortly after (about two weeks after), I became the only I.T. staff member, and Google became my best friend. There's been a lot to learn and I'm enjoying every minute of it, even with the challenges that come up. I love my job, my coworkers, my church, and my God, and continue to serve at SVBC to this day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Certifications--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A+ (from ECTC)..................................................May 2017 CMNO................................................................June 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------Background Story----------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Straight out of high school I attempted college and failed miserably - I didn't want to do the work, and I chose to not do the work, so I soon ran out of the money I needed to keep purchasing "F"s from Elizabethtown Community & Technical College (ECTC). Since I was stilling living with my parents at the time and school wasn't panning out, I started looking for work. Unfortunately, my poor work ethic was exhibited in my job history as well. Hopping from one job to the next, over the next few years I worked in numerous industries, working as: Ambassador, or Trainer......................................Amazon CAP Team Associate, or Truck Unloader.....Wal-Mart Children's Ministry Intern................................................. ........................................Redeemer Fellowship Church Customer Service Representative....Sykes, for AT&T Parking Attendant*.............................Brantley Security Production Associate.......................Orbis Corporation Sanitation Associate..........................Barton's Distillery Selector.........................................Gordon Food Service Service Champion............................................Taco Bell Shipping Associate.......................................PolyAir, Inc. Usher*....................................................Brantley Security Warehouse Associate........................................Amazon Warehouse Associate.....................................Rue La La *Fundraising Volunteer Worker (worked many events, as opposed to having a 1-time gig) ------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- At Amazon I found a place that I could start developing as a worker and begin to really know what it means to work hard and honor my commitments to my employers (like showing up on time). After averaging employment lengths of about three months, I stayed at Amazon for a full year and a half until I married my best friend, Lynea. After we got married, we decided I would go back to school to get a higher-paying job while she took care of the finances for us, so I left Amazon to pursue an education again. ---------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life, like it always seems to do, threw us a curve ball, and the money that had been saved up for school quickly dissolved as we went through our savings to cover several unforeseen medical and automotive expenses. We agreed that I should go back to work to build our savings back up, but I knew that I wanted to do something that I could turn into - or at least use to lead to - a career. With my father's advice, I looked toward the computer industry and started searching job openings for entry-level tech work. ------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I scanned the job boards, I remembered that I had really enjoyed the positive environment when I worked at a church before, but since small-town Bardstown's largest churches did not have any paid tech positions, I reached out to Severns Valley's Young Adult Pastor, who also just so happened to be the church's I.T. Director. I asked him if I might be able to work under him as an intern, even if unpaid, so that I could at least get some experience in the field and better my chances of getting hired somewhere. He talked it over with his boss, and before long I had an interview. ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The interview went well, and I was hired on to replace the current intern, who would be leaving soon for college. Ironically, he wasn't the only one leaving. On the same day that the intern was to leave (two weeks after my start date), the I.T. Director also left. Rather than going to college, though, my new boss was joining a church planting agency elsewhere (and this was with the church's blessing - no hard feelings at all, which was very nice to see). So the old intern went to college, the old boss went to plant a church, and I was left to answer directly to my boss's boss. No pressure. ----- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Google quickly became my new best friend, and I struggled with the newfound autonomy for a long while. No one was telling me what to do or where to be - my job was simple: if there's a problem, fix it; if you can't fix it, find someone who can. At first I misapplied the freedom. I wasn't being closely supervised like I had been at all my other jobs, so I would spend time reading books or articles, watching YouTube videos, and plenty of other non-essential activities. I was convicted in my heart about this, though, so I started Googling "how to be proactive in your I.T. job" and related subjects, eventually getting a better idea of what I should be doing when I'm not putting out fires. Now I do much more than just installing software and troubleshooting printers; now I'm examining the network regularly, researching security practices, seeking out learning opportunities, researching pricing on equipment, listening for new technologies being developed, networking with other I.T. professionals, and thinking through how to improve our current infrastructure. -------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know I still have much to learn, but I'm excited every day to see what new challenges await.