I thought the job change from Distance Learning Coordinator to Technology Coordinator would be easy as pie. After all, I was a Tech Coordinator for many years before switching hats. I was mistaken.
In the few weeks that I have been wearing the Technology Coordinator hat, I have found myself wrestling with troubleshooting scenarios that would have come to me with my eyes closed as a tech before. I have to tell you, there have been times that I wonder what I ever did to convince anyone that I actually knew what I was doing.
A prime example comes from something that happened just the other day. We'd been having trouble with system backups ever since our Systems Admin left. I called her up and asked if we could meet over lunch and have her walk me through the process. She said yes, of course, but she then asked if I was having trouble following her step-by-step instructions. I don't know why I had forgotten that she sent me an email telling me that there were said instructions. While we were trying to walk through some things, she had to guide me through "Backup." Now, honestly, that was crazy! I knew the program inside and out. Yet, I could not get my brain to kick into gear. I finally got things going after following her steps...
Today, I ran into a situation where the previous System Admin's name was appearing in certain automatically-generated emails on our network. I opened Exchange (the mail program) and looked the places where I thought an email address and/or user name might be. But, I had already changed those to my own address. I called a local school tech for help. He walked me through the same places I had been already. Now, there were TWO stumped techs. Well, at least I hadn't been an idiot, I guess. Well, sorta...
I started thinking about what I was SEEING in the auto-email: the former Admin's NAME, not address. So, I started poking around the User Accounts and went tab-by-tab until I found it. Her account had the "postmaster" account assigned to it. I changed that to reflect my account, and the problem was solved! I immediately called the local tech, who felt as inept as I had, but we both agreed that it was something so obvious, we didn't see it...
So, little by little, I am dusting off the technology cobwebs and am beginning to feel like the Technology Coordinator that I know I am...
(Know the song/singer of the title?)
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