Meet Rob

My love of computers began on Christmas Day, 1995. My dad purchased our first desktop computer that I unwrapped that day. Along with that, I also received the very first flight simulator of many I would own over the years. That day started what has turned into a lifelong love of computers, learning how they work, how to tweak them to get the best performance for flight simulation, or whatever other game I may be playing as sim racing also grew on me over the years. I loved learning more and more about them and pushing the limits of what I could do with what I bought at the store.

 

I also really enjoyed helping others with technical issues they were experiencing and teaching them new tips and tricks about their various devices. My friend Bruce just wanted to learn how to use a computer. I enjoyed doing all of that for others. 

 

Eventually, the day came when the computer I could purchase in the store was not getting the job done for me nor meeting the performance I wanted for the latest and greatest flight simulators. So in the early summer of 2020, my first custom gaming PC was built.

 

As early 2021 rolled around, I was beginning to feel burnt out on my transportation career. I had a lot of fun, and still do in some ways, but I was ready for something different. It was a conversation with a friend, who reminded me how good I was with technology and helping others with it, that set me down the path to working in IT as a career. 

 

In April 2021, I enrolled at CompTIA Tech Career Academy and quickly began classes in early May. By the end of August, I was CompTIA A+ certified and graduated from the academy in early September 2021.​

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As I scrolled LinkedIn, countless jobs were posted. Countless posts appeared of workers saying how overworked and stressed they were because of a shortage of workers. Countless posts appeared from managers saying they couldn't get workers. I thought, surely, this would be the easiest job I'd ever get.

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I could not have been more wrong.

 

Instead, I very quickly learned that in the IT world, there are a lot of gatekeepers who don't like newbies. Sure, there were contract jobs I could land - and, while they absolutely do provide valuable experience, being unemployed every 3-6 months wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

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I'd go through interviews for permanent jobs and hear something like "well, you have certifications, but you don't have any experience." My personal favorite, and the interview solely responsible for Tech This, LLC even forming, was a hiring manager who, during the interview, said to me "you've only been a bus driver, you don't have any people skills." At this point, I had been a school bus driver for over 13 years - and I was absolutely offended by that statement.

Matthew, I'm not sure what exactly you think school bus drivers do, but the last I checked: the children we deal with every single day, the teachers, the administrators, the community members - are all people. People that a bus driver interacts with every single day.

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So that day, I said 'eff this', I'm going to do tech my own way. Tech This, LLC was formed that very day with the Indiana Secretary of State. I hope someone reading this finds inspiration in knowing that everything you see this business as today was literally started with nothing more than a $20 set of screwdrivers from Amazon in early 2023.

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Through it all, I've worked (sometimes) multiple jobs to make ends meet all while building this business, but I've done it and if building a business is your dream, you can to. I'd love to network with you if that's the path you are also on.

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Here's just some highlights from professional technical work I have performed outside of Tech This, LLC:

• IBM as a Systems Support Representative

• Microsoft 365 as a Support Ambassador

• The UPS Store as a Technical Support Agent

• Lenovo as a Warranty Technician

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Inside of Tech This, LLC, we are well over 300 service tickets now, many 5-star Google reviews (ironically many indicating that I might have some people skills after all) and on a journey to be better every day. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me and I'm so thankful for all of you that have ever been a part of it - be that a customer, mentor, vendor, friend, supporter. Seriously, thank you. All of you.