Hi, my name is Eddie Jackson. I have been an IT Professional for the past
20+ years. I grew up in
Westville, Florida
on a farm where I spent most of my free time learning about
technology and programming on a computer. From student to
professional, I am always planning and maintaining a successful career,
and I expect no less than the very best of myself - academically and
professionally. The many hats I wear: IT Professional,
Builder/Engineer, Cook, Pianist, Philosophy Student, Writer, Poet, Artist, Innovator, Movie Connoisseur.
From an early age, I realized I wasn't like other kids. I had a
certain drive in my education and hobbies that my friends just didn't have.
I started off around the age of 5 where I would take lego blocks, add my
own basic electronics like motors, lights, and gears, and fix the legos
where I wanted them and glue them together. I would build all
kinds of electronic, mechanical devices. For my 7th birthday, I
received an
Erector Set. I spent several years working on the many
projects that came with the kit. I also started building my first
circuits with the
Radioshack Electronics Lab. It never seemed to be enough
though.
I made straight A's in school, dominated the math and science
competitions, and picked up playing piano by ear at 11. Around the same time
(in the 80's),
I received a computer as a gift...and from there...the rest is history!
I would like to welcome you to my site. ΔWhy this site?
This site began as a single page to highlight my resume to prospective employers, but has grown over the years into a well-developed collection of my innovative ideas, professional accomplishments, philosophy and computer education, and IT training. This site has become an overall, notable representation of my character and personality. It contains many of the IT, personal, and professional projects that I have worked on. You will also be able to view training, learning material, and a timeline of my journey through the university. Please feel free to leave me a message or contact me via
email.
My mission is to understand my customers' technical needs, and the internal and external factors affecting them, so that I may effectively design,
create, engineer, implement and maintain superior, innovative technical solutions that exceed business expectations. I am but a technical servant to the IT court of the corporate world.
ΔSkill Strengths My main skillset
strengths are scripting, automation, troubleshooting, creating
documentation, and research and development.
ΔJob title for life Computer Systems Engineer; though I have held many other titles,
such as: Senior Tech, Senior Technical Support Analyst, Desktop Administrator, Senior LAN Analyst, Developer,
Systems Engineer, Software Packaging Engineer, Network Administrator, and Network Engineer.
ΔWhat's so great about my life? I get to experience life with my amazing girlfriend,
Dalia Stoffer. I have an incredible IT career where I work with awesome IT
professionals, and have the opportunity to pioneer and engineer some of the most innovative IT solutions that exist on the planet;
when I say planet, I mean planet, as I have had people contact me from
Canada, Germany, France, England, India, etc. about some of the solutions I have come up
with. And, no matter where I go, people are extremely receptive and share the common ideology that greatness is achieved through hard work and perseverance.
And hey, I'm like everyone else, I've had my share of life's ups and
downs; but generally, life has been good to me.
ΔPhilosophies [status updates] [timeline] [work & labs] [credentials] [items of interest] [contact
me] Always stand tall for what you believe in, never stop questioning, keep an open mind, and learn to rise above it all. If you really want to change the world you live in, learn to develop and share your knowledge; become a doer, not just a mere dreamer.
Philosophy Quotes:
In philosophy an individual is becoming himself. -
Bernard Lonergan
Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don't know. -
Bertrand Russell
The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next. -
Henry Ward Beecher
Who is also aware of the tremendous risk involved in faith - when he nevertheless makes the leap of faith - this [is] subjectivity at its height. - Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855)
ΔSuccess [status updates] [timeline] [work & labs] [credentials] [items of interest] [contact
me] I have always said if you want to be the best, you have to do things
that make you the best. I walk the professional line every day of
my life. My enduring pattern of professional excellence, superior
work ethic, and pristine technical work has made me a success; and I
didn't do it all by myself either---many thanks to all the great
professionals out there who helped me all along the way---you know who
you are (special shout-outs to Kevin Noel, Larry Paulk, and Philip
Johnson).
What makes me so special? Nothing other than persistent dedication.
Success Quotes:
Action is the foundational key to all success. -
Pablo Picasso
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. -
Abraham Lincoln
All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure. -
Mark Twain
There's no abiding success without commitment. -
Tony Robbins
ΔEducation [status updates] [timeline] [work & labs] [credentials] [items of interest] [contact
me] Educating oneself is very much like building castles. You start with a solid foundation, and then brick by brick, you build a fortress. It's not only a personal monument of your own success, but can also be a
sanctuary to those around you.
Education Quotes:
A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated. -
Horace Mann
Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. - Anthony J. D'Angelo
Education is all a matter of building bridges. -
Ralph Ellison
Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. -
Gilbert K. Chesterton
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -
Aristotle
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. -
John Dewey
Education is the transmission of civilization. -
Will Durant
Education's
purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. -
Malcolm Forbes
It is always in season for old men to learn. -
Aeschylus
It has been said that 80% of what people learn is visual. -
Allen Klein
Skipped the 5th and 8th grades Won Grand Prize Science Award in High School Science Fair Awarded top student Algebra mathematics certificate Competed in
Wallace College Math/Computer Tri-State Championship (twice) Graduated Holmes County High School with High Honors Nominated and selected Employee of the Month (1 in 5000 employees) Sitting for the 30th computer and networking exam in January 2012 Coding the 3,000th production computer script/application in December 2011 Staying on the President's List for the past 3 years in
Bachelor's program
Obtaining a Bachelor's Degree November 2013 & graduating
summa cum laude
Milestone Quotes:
Direction is more important than speed. We are so busy looking at our speedometers that we forget the milestone.
A milestone passed, new things begun, dreams as shining as the sun, a goal achieved, a victory won! That's Graduation!
My path has not
been determined. I shall have more experiences and pass many more
milestones.
- Agnetha Faltskog
The milesones in the journey are as important as the goal. - Eddie
Jackson
Reaching a milestone is its own reward. - Eddie Jackson
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Edison Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. - Edison To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. - Edison Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something. - Edison I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Edison Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure. - Edison There is far more opportunity than there is ability. - Edison The value of an idea lies in the using of it. - Edison There is no substitute for hard work. - Edison Discontent is the first necessity of progress. - Edison Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. - Edison The best thinking has been done in solitude. - Edison What man's mind can create, man's character can control. - Edison
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Einstein Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Einstein A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. - Einstein A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. - Einstein I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. - Einstein If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Einstein Information is not knowledge. - Einstein Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be. - Einstein Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. - Einstein The only source of knowledge is experience. - Einstein I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. - Einstein If we knew what we were doing it wouldn't be research. - Einstein If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. - Einstein In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. - Einstein It is theory that decides what can be observed. - Einstein Never memorize what you can look up in books. - Einstein
As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. - Gates Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. - Gates Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. - Gates DOS is ugly and interferes with users' experience. - Gates If you can't make it good, at least make it look good. - Gates Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana. - Gates Life is not fair; get used to it. - Gates TV is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. - Gates Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. - Gates Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers
are interested in helping you find yourself. - Gates
Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence. - Leonardo da Vinci Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die. - Leonardo da Vinci A well-spent day brings happy sleep. - Leonardo da Vinci The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." - Leonardo da Vinci Life well spent is long. - Leonardo da Vinci All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions. - Leonardo da Vinci The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art. - Leonardo da Vinci The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding. - Leonardo da Vinci Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes! - Leonardo da Vinci Beyond a doubt truth bears the same relation to falsehood as light to darkness. - Leonardo da Vinci Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art. - Leonardo da Vinci Learning never exhausts the mind. - Leonardo da Vinci
Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. - Beethoven Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears form the eyes of woman. - Beethoven Nothing is more intolerable than to have to admit to yourself your own errors. - Beethoven A great poet is the most precious jewel of a nation. - Beethoven Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. - Beethoven This is the mark of a really admirable man: steadfastness in the face of trouble. - Beethoven Nothing is more intolerable than to have to admit to yourself your own errors. - Beethoven Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes. - Beethoven Recommend virtue to your children; it alone, not money, can make them happy. I
speak from experience. - Beethoven
If you want to be the best, you need to do things that make you the best. - Eddie
No successful person ever followed all the rules. - Eddie
Having the ability to see the future is not all that difficult if you combine the past, the present and hard work. - Eddie
It's the bricks of today that build the castles of tomorrow. - Eddie
There is something important to be said for the slower absorption of knowledge in concentrated studies. - Eddie
You want a real challenge? Try reaching your potential. - Eddie
Mediocrity is like swamp water; it's dark, murky, and filled with
all kinds of problems. - Eddie
It is cheaper for a country to live in the greatest wealth than to wage the smallest war against its brothers and sisters. - Eddie
I saw the potential of greatness there in the code...I just continued developing and watched the future unfold right there before my eyes. - Eddie
Your purpose in life should be making a positive impact on those around you. - Eddie
In one hand I carry fire from the Sun, and in the other hand, lightning from Jupiter; still, I want more. - Eddie
Our greatest minds will reach into the next galaxy and bring back the future. - Eddie
I like success stories; they remind me of my own potential. - Eddie
A man of faith believes in only one truth. A man of science realizes there are many truths to be known. - Eddie
Other than in rare circumstances, anything that you can achieve quickly, can be taken from you quickly. - Eddie
You want the world to change? Better start with yourself first to show people it can be done. - Eddie
Two very important life lessons you can learn: One, you don't need god to
tell you something is wrong with the world. Two, you don't need god to help
you make the world a better a place. If you need a god's input on either one
of these things, you got bigger problems than any religion can help you
with. -Eddie
Be happy because life is amazing. Be happy because we are here, right now to enjoy everything modern life has to offer. Be happy because each of us have the power to change the world as we know it; in the most positive of ways. - Eddie
Everything you do, outside that of which you're required to do, defines
who you are. - Eddie
Once you've been the shepherd, you'll never want
to be the sheep. - Eddie
In your life, be driven towards your
potential; walk to the edge of madness, but not one step more. - Eddie
ΔTimeline [status updates] [timeline] [work & labs] [credentials] [items of interest] [contact
me] 1986-1988 My first computer is a VIC-20 that used cassette tapes for storage. I figure out how to link the tapes through programming, thus overcoming the size limitation of my apps. My monitor is a 13" black and white television that has the Radio Shack tv-to-game/computer sliding converter. I become instantly captivated by computers and technology.
1989-1990 My uncle (Tom Jackson) gives me an Amstrad computer (which has proprietary disks) that has Amstrad BASIC.
A friend at school (Michael McDonald) gives me an
ADAM computer (which has digital tapes), it uses SmartBASIC.
An early mentor, found in the Inside the PC books, was Peter Norton; his
genius was inspirational.
1991-1993 You can find me in the high school computer lab, and hanging out
with my best friend (John Schuhr - computer programming genius).
My computer teacher (Mr. Zorn) is helping me develop my programming skills.
I buy a Tandy 1000 computer (which has my first modem) from a high school friend (Scott Watkins '92).
I start spending longer and longer hours programming all types of software. I build sequential filing and random access databases, inventory apps, recipe databases, simple games, and encryption software. You can find me hanging out in
BBSes,
IRCs and
MUDs.
I start programming in
Microsoft BASIC,
QBASIC and
Turbo BASIC. I also start repairing computers and electronics right down to their electrical components.
1994-1995 I build my second computer from parts. It is a
486DX4100, 8MB RAM, 80MB hard drive (later I upgrade to a whopping 16MB of RAM and 200MB HD
(pic)). I create my own web site called Section One Underground. I use something called
Zip Disks by Iomega, which are 100MB disks, to store all my backups on ('95).
In the Panhandle, I work at the new, local ISP -
Panhandle Online, and I take a lot of contracted programming and computer repair work. I also work at the college library assisting patrons with all their computer needs. I start writing Shell scripts for Internet Service Providers. I also go to people's houses to install ISP software, hookup modems, and assist with other dial-up solutions.
I am using the Lynx browser ('94) to surf the web, however begin using the new, dearly beloved,
Netscape browser ('95).
I work at the Chipola College library assisting patrons with computer questions and problems.
1996-- I work at the Jackson County Library assisting patrons with computer questions and problems.
1997-- I move to Daytona Beach to work at AMI, INC, a motorcycle college, and work there as a Network Administrator for 2 years. I convert the network from a
LANtastic network to a full Microsoft based network, including backup and email system. I also wire the
Cat3 and
Cat5 telecommunications systems and upgrade all computer desktops from
Windows 3.11 to
Windows 95.
I learn about the administration of networks, how to manage servers, build computers for mass deployment, as well as providing computer support for business staff.
1999-- Realizing the need for certifications, I soon begin self-studies for the
CompTIA A+,
Network+, and
MCP.
I buy all the study material from authors like Todd Lammle, James G. Jumes, and Neil F. Cooper; and then study each book, as well as go through all the labs. When I think I am ready, I will register for the exam with Sylvan Prometric and then take the test. I need a place to study, so I begin looking for a permanent place. I find a book store, Barnes and Noble
(or it finds me), which I fall in love with.
2000-2010-- And, through the years I continue studying at Barnes and Noble, spending up to 30 hours a week in studies when pursuing a new certification, certifications like the CompTIA Security+, Cisco CCNA, multiple Microsoft MCSEs and various others. Many, many cafe mochas and cookies later,
I have put in 10,000+ hours into studies and certifications.
The jobs I have had the opportunity to work at thereafter AMI, INC, have been: 4 years at Ormond Hospital, NASCAR-ISC, Florida Digital Networks, Robert Half International, Stratus Technologies, about 1 year doing side contracts for the private sector and setting up several doctor offices in the Daytona Beach area, 4+ years working for Halifax Health, and I worked a short stint at
The University, in Tech Ops, doing Desktop Admin tasks, and then I did some enterprise packaging
and scripting in the private sector as an IT Guru/Network Administrator.
2010-2013--
I obtain a Bachelor's Degree.
I am working on number 32 computer & network certifications
(individual tests).
Last certification scores
here.
I sit for Windows 7, Server 2008 R2, and Windows 8 tests. Started Master's
program.
2014-2015--
I am working on a master's degree in IT, with a minor in mathematics.
Adding artificial intelligence to software engineering. Studying Server 2012...preparing for the
exam.
more... I really love the technology industry and hope one day to obtain
a PhD in IT; a degree for the Technical Master. You can find me currently working in a new area of the private sector, where I am an
IT Engineer/Computer Systems Engineer. I am responsible for building software packages,
working in task automation, and coming up with creative software solutions for 30,000+ computers, and student software potentially reaching up to 74,000 students. It's the most challenging and diverse job I have ever had---every day is a new adventure in the world of technology and innovation. I find my job extremely fulfilling, because I get to design and implement ingenious technical solutions that no one else in the company can come up with. I post much of my work in the Archives
and WordPress sections of this site. I've even had people call me/email from other countries, around the world, asking me the details of some of my work!
A few personal interests of mine are Philosophy, of which
I have obtained a Bachelor's Degree, composing and playing classical piano, building and engineering all types of things at home, developing cooking skills, and taking over the world with computer scripts.
I am also pursuing a Master's Degree in IT (link here).
And, I spend as much time as I can with my girlfriend
Dalia; the love of my life.
the future... I plan focusing on
taking the latest Microsoft Server exam:
link. I also want to
create a classical piano solo piece this year; classical piano music written by
me. Recently found out that Capella offers multiple PhDs in IT;
I'll have to think about that one:
link.
In 2015, it is my goal to pick up Spanish as a second language, and
study Latin for a year.
on a farm where I spent most of my free time learning about
technology and programming on a computer. From student to
professional, I am always planning and maintaining a successful career,
and I expect no less than the very best of myself - academically and
professionally. The many hats I wear: IT Professional,
Builder/Engineer, Cook, Pianist, Philosophy Student, Writer, Poet, Artist, Innovator, Movie Connoisseur.
. I spent several years working on the many
projects that came with the kit. I also started building my first
circuits with the
Radioshack Electronics Lab
. It never seemed to be enough
though.
I made straight A's in school, dominated the math and science
competitions, and picked up playing piano by ear at 11. Around the same time
(in the 80's),
I received a computer as a gift...and from there...the rest is history!
I would like to welcome you to my site.
that used cassette tapes for storage. I figure out how to link the tapes through programming, thus overcoming the size limitation of my apps. My monitor is a 13" black and white television that has the Radio Shack tv-to-game/computer sliding converter. I become instantly captivated by computers and technology.
computer (which has proprietary disks) that has Amstrad BASIC.
computer (which has digital tapes), it uses SmartBASIC.
An early mentor, found in the Inside the PC books, was Peter Norton; his
genius was inspirational. 
computer (which has my first modem) from a high school friend (Scott Watkins '92).
