Dear Mr. Chin:
After reading your post, I wanted to write a quick note to thank you for
the good  advice  you gave Susan.

I too want to change professions and I'm looking for an inroad. I know that
it will be an uphill climb, however, I have done it before and I know I can
do it again.

I will keep your advise close at hand for reference.

Thank You,

Frank Suszka

John Chin wrote:

> On 9/1/1998 Susan Sutherland wrote:
> >
> >I have a question for all technicians out there, or consultants, or
> >basically anyone who works in, or has experience in, the computer
> >business.
>
> Susan:
>
> Knowledge (i.e. the acquisition, accumulation, organization and
> the cognitive application thereof) is the key factor in the building,
> upgrading and repairing of computers in a consulting business.
> Technical skills and methodology are also important but the
> former commands the consulting fees while the latter (sorry,
> techs), collect high-skilled labor wages.
>
> So, what information do you need? Well, there's conceptual
> knowledge, technical knowledge, hardware specific knowledge,
> articulated experience and business acumen. Most of the simple
> and arcane can be found in books, so a good library is essential.
> However, you should also build your own knowledge base.
>
> I keep a variety of notebooks on various subjects, divided into
> topics. I keep notebooks on motherboard manuals, hard drives,
> adapter cards, documented and undocumented OS commands,
> company contact information, URLs of useful websites, BIOS
> information and error codes, all manner of charts, tables, lists
> and schematics.
>
> As you undertake jobs, try to organize your acquired knowledge
> and put it into your notebook. A hard copy, as well as a digital
> copy for quick reference on your PC, is important.
>
> Also, keep a hard drive with every driver, software fix, etc. you
> come across. When it fills up, burn them onto a CD (I also have
> this desire to scan in the hard copy and written materials as PDF
> files and burn these also into a CD). Putting your knowledge on
> CD makes it accessible while on the go. You can see organization
> is very important. Find a mnemonic system that works for you.
> Since I teach, and do not consult, my organization will be different
> from yours. A free form database or quick-search ability is a must.
>
>         TIP:   Put your Boot diskettes on CD, too. Use
>         SAVEDSKF & LOADDSKF from IBM to save
>         and restore Boot diskette images to a file. Get it at:
>         ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/tools/ldf/
>
> You should store every piece of knowledge and wisdom that seems
> useful to you, in your system. I realize there are truths, near-truths,
> good/bad opinions, odd empiricisms, paradoxes, wildly misleading
> statements and just plain apocryphal notions, but you have to find
> a method to evaluate any unconfirmed information. Learning the
> fundamental concepts with a scientific perspective will improve your
> BS detection ability. Use PCBUILD; it is an extremely valuable
> resource as a knowledge base, a reference, an oracle, straw poll,
> and the nexus of helpful PC enthusiasts.
>
> Remember that this is a service industry. Therefore, confidence
> and decisiveness in handling information and rendering advice is
> highly desirable. You cannot go wrong having your knowledge base
> as a quick reference, and it appears more professional than looking
> in a published book.
>
> Good luck.
>
> John Chin
>
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