Ulink Internet Services I have been working for Ulink since late 2000 (about 3.5 years now). We are basically a big little company. What I mean by this is that we have a large customer base with nationwide service, but we do things that many large companies do not. For example, our techs actually answer the phones as opposed to having an on hold system. Plus our techs are very knowledgeable in their respective fields. Ulink is a good company to work for in that it is like a big family. We all get along very well except for the times where some of us have a different opinion on something. I play many different roles in the company. I repair computers that are brought in due to a failed piece of hardware or their computer is suffering from some other problem. Occasionally I leave the office to perform maintenance on business networks in the area. I am a certified DSL installer and I install SDSL circuits from time to time. I also Design websites and e-commerce stores. One of the other nice things about working for Ulink is there is usually time to get your learn on. Currently I am studying for some Microsoft certifications, although these days the certifications are not as much of a leveraging tool as they used to be. Not too long ago, someone who was a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) could easily find a job that paid 100,000 per year. Unfortunately, those days are gone. The Past, The Future I spent most of my college years studying Architecture because I enjoyed the process of planning out a house from step one onward. But something happened halfway through my college career and I lost my passion for it. So I turned my focus to computers which I already knew quite a bit about. Some of the first classes I had to take were a bit too easy as they covered things I had learned a long time ago. I spent about seven years managing a local Pizzeria. It was a good place to work for, for the most part. Every once in a while you would get a customer who could not be pleased no matter what you did for them. Screw-ups happen every once in awhile, it's the nature of the beast. I always went out of my way to make sure the customers left happy even if there was some sort of problem. But there would always be that one customer who seemed to thrive off of making others’ lives miserable, even if there was no reason for it. And when you throw alcohol into the mix, you can end up with a volatile situation. I was pretty fortunate though, the restaurant has never been robbed, and I think I only received one threat the entire time I was there. That is pretty impressive considering how many times I had to deal with drunks. Employees typically work there until they finish with school, because the owner is very flexible in working around school and sports. Because of this, we usually have a very low turnover rate. The owner is one of those guys that you really like or really hate, there is no in between. If you treated him with respect you would receive the same in return, no matter what you did. I still help out there from time to time when the owner is in a jam, and he considers me a part of his "extended family" which means I can eat like a king whenever I want. For some reason, I have this desire to be a Railroad Engineer that just will not seem to die. From time to time I try to get on with Union Pacific, but I do not put too much effort into it because Ulink treats me pretty well. Plus it's hard to get into a position that will eventually lead up to an engineer. UP has a policy that says you can only apply for one of those positions once every six months and usually they only hire four or five out of 100 people in their hiring sessions. But the pay is very good and the benefits are outstanding. The only drawback to the life of a railroad employee is that you literally have no life. You are constantly gone working odd hours and you usually have to miss important events like birthdays and such. They say railroad employees have one of the highest divorce rates (along with lawyers and doctors), which why it is probably a good thing that I am not married. The internet business is slowly starting to fizzle and I will probably make a stronger effort to get on with the Railroad in five or so years. My chances should be better then, because it seems like they try to avoid hiring anyone that is young (under 30). Projects I mentioned previously that one of the things I do for Ulink is design websites. I have tried to keep everything I have ever done for them together but some of it has slipped through the cracks. But it is not that big of a loss because most of that stuff is pretty old, and quite frankly god-awful. Below are some of the websites I have designed for Ulink and various clients. I will update this as I take on new projects. Websites - These are various websites I have designed for Ulink in the past. Flash Movies - Some of these files may take a bit of time to download on dialup.

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