First, what were they thinking, hiring me?
Really, I’m a Cisco network engineer, with loads of Microsoft experience. Cisco wired, wireless, voice, security, you name it, I’ve done it. Microsoft NT, 2000, 2003, 2008, IIS, SQL, AD, yep, yep.

The new job:
HP.
Juniper.
Linux.

I haven’t felt lost in IT in a long time. I will say, I LOVE to learn new things, so I think I can become a very effective team member in short order.

Next, what a cool company!
From the Company Concierge, workout center, free drinks, masseuse appointments, to my own four walls and the “fun room”; everywhere I look I see things that make me laugh at my experience while working at Honda. I’m working with a strong team of individuals, who know what they are doing, and care about the future of the company. In fact, after working at Honda for 4 years, I’m not quite certain what to do: listen to the silence that comes with having a private office, or listen to PacketPushers, some other podcast, or even music * gasp* since I can do so without incurring the rath of those around me.

Finally, what I’m learning.
Luckily, I learn well under pressure. I’ll continue to post here about the things that I’m learning through these new challenges. Maybe I can help another Cisco or Microsoft engineer break free in the process.

For example, no matter what, DO NOT press CTRL+ALT+DEL while at a Linux machine to lock the station. This is not Windows.