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“Techie” Interview Series 2 – Matt Rodela

I have not known Matt Rodela for too long.  I starting following his blog, yfncg.com, some time ago and have been enjoying learning about his business endeavors.  As you will learn in this my second “techie” interview, Matt is an Enterprise Systems Analyst and is in the process of starting his own consulting business.

Bio:

I have 7 years experience in the information technology industry, including 4 years in the US army as a trumpet player and computer technician. I have a degree in Information Systems and several technology certifications including Network+ and MCP.

Along with starting and running my part time computer consulting business, I also keep busy with my “day job” as an Enterprise Systems Analyst for a pharmaceutical company and moonlight as a singer/songwriter at http://www.mattrodela.com. I try to apply the lessons I’ve learned from my military, musical, and corporate experiences to find out-of-the-box and productive ways to achieve
success while juggling multiple creative and business opportunities.

I write about my experiences running a part-time computer consulting business on my blog http://www.yfncg.com.

I grew up in Southern California, but currently live in Maryland with my goldfish Rufus.

Do you mind being called a “techie” friend?

Not at all. I embrace my “techiness” and have earned good money from it to date!

How long have you been interested in technology or computers?

Ever since my parents bought our first family computer back in the
late 80’s! I was so fascinated by how it worked and what it could do.

Do people in your life (friends or relatives) seem to turn to you for computer related problems?

My family mostly. Most of my friends are fairly tech savvy so they
can handle things themselves!

If so, does this bother you?

Not at all. I like feeling useful and its been great practice for my business.

If someone would contact you for assistance, what kind of steps should they take before asking for help?

At least try rebooting the computer. An amazing amount of issues can be fixed by a simple reboot. Also, it doesn’t hurt to put your issue into google and see what comes up, that’s how I do half of MY OWN research anyway! Shhhh, don’t tell anyone!

Where do you see the internet in 10 years?

I see it being very transparent and ubiquitous. It will be everywhere we need it to be and it will be the place where we store all of our applications, data, and information.

Related to the last question, where do you see computers in 10 years?

I think personal computing will have nearly evaporated into the “cloud”. Instead of having a PC at home, you’ll have multiple ways to access your chunk of the cloud like cell phones, netbooks, tv’s, and even appliances.

Your opinion on:

Best OS?

They all have their own benefits. For corporations, it’s Windows. For personal use, I think OS X offers the best usability. For techies, Linux is fun to play with and offers the most flexibility.

Best Web browser?

Firefox for sure. It’s open-source nature allows it to have great plug-ins written for it. I haven’t tried Google’s Chrome browser yet, but plan on checking it out soon. IT seems to have great promise.

Best free/paid antivirus program (can include other areas such as anit-spyware and cleaning programs if you like)?

This changes so frequently it’s hard to keep up. But right now my favorite free antivirus program is AVG and my favorite paid one is Kaspersky. They both seem to strike the best balance between being safe yet un-obtrusive.

Best search engine?

There’s no question it’s google. Others have tried to offer more, but the simplicity and straightforwardness of google keeps me coming back.

What are the top 3-5 websites you visit regularly?

• www.cnet.com – To keep up-to-date with the latest trends in consumer electronics.
• www.technibble.com – To keep up-to-date with the latest trends in computer repair and consulting.
• www.pandora.com – Better than any radio station! Where I find new music based on musicians I already like. I’t always on in the background when I work on the computer at home.
• www.igoogle.com – Since I’m a google nut, I like using igoogle as a way to consolidate all of my various google applications in one place at a glance.

Thank you, Matt, for taking the time out to thoughtfully answer these questions!