Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with it

Where once we were lost, now we got founded. Name us plz.

TomMelee — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:02:51 -0800

Can you help us name our IT company? Or rather...will you? Myself and a friend have decided that it's time we stop doing small IT jobs on the "side" and actually incorporate and call it a business. (Mostly so we can pick up some nice contracts.) We need a name.

Bonus points for wittiness, humor, and ease of remembering. Obviously, it has to fit on a business card/car magnet. It should also sound good when we pick up the phone "Awesome Possum IT, where we make dinner from roadkill, how may I help you?"

We do pretty much everything your local IT company does, from network wiring to custom software. He's ex-millitary, huge, semi-pro rugby player. I'm uhh...smaller, and I play soccer. We are located in Appalachia, and the bulk of our work is with non-profits (although that might change once we're legal.) If we're not working, we're fishing, or at least playing in the woods.

Some suggestions from friends that have been rejected:
-Nuke From Orbit (NFO) (cuz we rarely nuke, we usually salvage the system)
-RedneckTechs (we might be good ol' boys, but we're not rednecks. We feel like this has a negative connotation.)
-Computer Fix (supposed to be a take-off on "drug fix", but I don't think 99 out of 100 people read it that way.)
-Kickass Seabass IT. (I just thought it would be fun to sign off "Kickass, Seabass!", but I think that's less than professional.)

So, lemme have it. I will espousenate any winners, if said winner desires espousenation. Feel free to include your catchy phone answer too.

Moving on from the helpdesk

khaibit — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:41:28 -0800

I graduated with a BA in Religious Studies, and am currently working in a tech support/helpdesk position. I would like to move into actual IT work. What's the best way to go about that?

Make sugar sweeter...

frwagon — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:55:54 -0800

Dedicated Hosting Rentals for SugarCRM - Help me out! I need to rent a dedicated host to house the SugarCRM application (figure 25-50 very active users) for a few months to a year. Who would you recommend, and what minimum specs would you suggest I look for? I've hosted on shared machines before, and I've built my own hardware (although was not happy with the results of either)... Who's good, and what should I look for in the hardware?

I thought I'd have it all figured out by now.

cottonswab — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:54:42 -0800

I would like to go back to school next fall. I already have an AAS degree in Computer Science/Networking from a local tech school. Help me decide what I should do my bachelor's in. I was originally going to go for an MIS degree, however the school I'm planning to apply at also has a Computer Engineering Technology degree that I find interesting. The course catalog says that it prepares students for careers as network/systems engineers, which is my goal. I'm definitely more interested in backbone/structure as opposed to software and the classes I enjoyed taking when I got my associates were more hands-on technical classes. The only problem is that I get the impression from research that the engineering technology degrees are viewed as "lesser" than other degrees (mainly the "real" engineering degrees). I suppose another option would be to get a "real" engineering degree but, 1) I'm afraid I'm not smart enough to hack it, and 2) those programs seem to be geared more toward traditional students and I am a soon-to-be-middle-aged single mom who has to work full-time while doing all this. Also, I really don't care that much about being a Real Engineer.

I think I could probably accomplish what I want to with either degree, but my question is, which is better? Will I be handicapping myself pursuing a degree that I'll enjoy getting but has a narrower focus, or would I be better off getting the MIS, which has more business courses and overall seems more general purpose?

What to do with a CISSP and little tech experience?

zombieflanders — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:45:34 -0800

I have a CISSP and 6 years experience in the IT Security field. Problem is, most of my experience is with policy, not technology. Where can I go from here? I've been working in IT Security as a government contractor since 2003, and got my CISSP earlier this year. Most of my work has been on the policy side of things such as audit response/remediation, contingency planning, and certification & accreditation. Unfortunately, I've neglected to keep up with or even study a lot of the underlying technology supporting all of it. In other words, I could quote NIST or OMB regs all day long, but put me in front of a monitor with a bunch of logic statements or log extracts on the screen, and I probably couldn't say what I'm looking at. Even worse, my only degree is a bachelor's completely unrelated to any work I've done (thanks, liberal arts education!), and I had no prior experience in the field before this job. In terms of my career path, I'm kind of spinning my wheels, and despite the itch to move on to something and somewhere else, an informal browsing of job openings tells me many employers seem to place a high value on several year's worth of experience with the tech side of things, such as VPNs and firewalls or database management. This would seem to put a kibosh in my hopes of finding something within the next 9-12 months.

So, having belatedly realized that I've been an idiot and painted myself into a corner in the short term, education- and experience-wise, am I SOL in the job search given the timeframe above? Would moving into the auditor side of things be a viable alternative? And regardless of the job search itself it's clear I need to add a lot to my skill set, so where's a good place to start?

Help me choose a technical or trade college for IT administration.

loquacious — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:23:24 -0800

Help me research technical schools/colleges for IT, CS and systems administration. I'm looking for a technical school/college along the lines of ITT or similar schools that are affordable and offer financial aid application assistance.

I want to learn and brush up on computer/IT administration with a focus on systems/server administration. Specifically Windows Server 2008, Macintosh OS X as well as a side course in Vista and Windows 7.

I'm interested both AA and BA programs.

Please feel free to also name programs to avoid like the plague.

(For the record, I have about a decade of real world IT work and I am returning to school as an independent adult.)

Help me come up with best Mac based server and backup solution for a small business.

jesseendahl — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:27:02 -0800

Help me come up with best Mac based server and backup solution for a small business. Hi,

I have been considering either an XServe or new Mac Pro to replace our aging XServe G4. Either way, I would like to have 8TB (4 x 2TB drives) on-site and 8TB off-site storage. Preferably this storage would be rack-mountable, hot swappable, and eSata. Also, hardware RAID is not really important to me and seems to add a lot of extra costs.

I am currently using SuperDuper for backup since it is a) very fast, and b) retains all permissions and ACLs, which is very important to me. I would like to continue using SuperDuper as my backup software.

The XServe's internal hard drives have to be Apple Drive Modules, which are limited to 1Tb each but have many benefits. See: http://db.tidbits.com/article/10166

Due to the space limitations of the internal XServe hard drives, I am considering using an external rack-mount solution for both the on-site drives as well as the off-site ones.

If I go with a Mac Pro, I would be able to use the internal drive bays for the 8TB of onsite storage, and then only need 4 bays of external rack-mountable hard drive bays.

What are my best bets: XServe with 8 bays external storage or Mac Pro with 4 bays external storage? For the external storage, is it standard practice to purchase "server grade" hard drives for backup purposes?

What brand of eSata card is best for this purpose?

What is the best rack-mountable hot-swappable eSata storage solution?

Last but not least, are there any alternatives to all of the above that I may be overlooking?

Thanks in advance!

Ideas for a different job

daveyt — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:50:41 -0800

How can I direct my IT skills to somewhere other than yet another boring IT job? I've been unemployed for 3 months or so, not yet serious but enough to start getting disillusioned with my 'career'.

I've worked in IT for 15 years, never been out of work and I know I am not alone... however, the doubt that IT is what I want to do any more is now creeping in.

I have worked mainly from tech support up to infrastructure management and managed small teams. I'm a good techie, I'm a good team leader, I have a good CV that reflects this and I've found about 100+ positions to apply for, had a few interviews, come close, not quite got there. The feedback each time has been positive and I've not got positions as they've gone to internal candidates each time. I even interviewed at my 'dream IT job' (at Barclays) and came so close.

I am motivated (most of the time) and I relish the unexpected time at home with my 6 month old, I'm spending 50% of my time job hunting and some other ways to make money (ebay, PC support, some event planning but nothing that can get me a full time income) and 50% childcare.

However, I cant help thinking that maybe IT isnt for me anymore. Most of the jobs that come up for medium sized institutions with small-medium infrastructures that just bore me, I can do that blindfold, and usually in companies that dont give a monkeys about IT and see it as a burden and therefore treat it somewhere around the level they treat the cleaners.

I'm trying to come up with some other type of work where my skills - not just technical - would be valuable, and struggling to do so. I dont really want to start again salary wise either. I guess thats an impossible equation. (Oh and teaching I'm trying to avoid - my parents are teachers and its disrespectful for people to suggest this as if its some sort of last resort job that anyone can get).

Failing that, any good resources where us doleys can get together and whinge a bit? (I'm in the UK if you didnt get that from the slang!)

(oh and since I've been off work, all I now see is adverts for courses for getting people in to IT. I'll do you a swap!)

Is there a website that tracks information about companies that have offshored information technology jobs?

cosmic.osmo — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:25:50 -0800

Is there a website that tracks information about companies that have offshored information technology jobs? I'm looking for a website that tracks companies that have offshored information technology jobs, and that can provide information about the locations and sizes of their offshore offices.

I've seen references to one at techsunite.org from around 2004, but it appears to be defunct.

My servos are seizing

cabbages — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:14:37 -0800

Posting for a Roommate: His 802.11b USB adapter is unable to connect to our 801.11n network. According to him, this adapter worked for him previously but as soon as he moved into our house it stopped working. The adapter sees the network but when you try to connect it fails.

His laptop is on the other side of the house so I tried it on my laptop (which is in the same room as the router) and ran into the same issue so I'm thinking it might be a hardware problem but I have very little knowledge when it comes to networks.

Some more details:
Driver obtained from Windows Update (Current)
Adapter only recognizes the network as 801.11g
Network is encrypted with WPA-PSK

If he's going to need to buy a new adapter I'd appreciate suggestions as well. Currently he is running a Ethernet cord through our hallway and into my room which is kind of tacky.

Contact organizations for marginalized populations in south India

msk1985 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:35:27 -0800

I'm writing a final masters thesis on whether south Indian IT can and should be replicated in Senegal. Part of what I want to investigate is whether there has been a negative impact on marginalized populations in the Indian state of Karnataka. I need to contact NGOs, government offices, and anything in between in the state of Karnataka that deal with said marginalized populations, such as Dalits, widows, etc. Any advice on relevant organizations?

How do I learn how to use a Cisco Router?

talkingmuffin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:26:02 -0800

How do I learn how to use a Cisco Router? I arrived at my new job as a sysadmin for a small non-profit just after they had paid a consultant to upgrade their basic network infrastructure. One of the results of this upgrade is a Cisco 1812 Integrated Services Router that acts as our router/firewall/vpn. The router has been working fine since the install.

The problem is that I don't really understand the device and how to properly configure/troubleshoot it should changes need to be made. Of course I can pay the original consultant to come in any time I need a change but at $100/hour things get expensive very quickly. I have the user manual but it's seems to be written for someone who already knows how to use a Cisco product.

So, on to my question. How do I best go about learning how to use this device and leverage all of its bells and whistles? I'm not interested in learning how to configure an Enterprise Data Center (which seems to be how most Cisco documentation is directed) I just need to make this black box a little more transparent.

Help me to build the ultimate IT Help Desk for a 1:1 Laptop program at a K-12 private school.

mrbarrett.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:42:58 -0800

Help me to build the ultimate IT Help Desk for a 1:1 Laptop program at a K-12 private school. We're doing a 1:1 laptop program for Fall 2010. We'll be using the new MacBooks just released by Apple. Every student from 4th-12th grade will receive one.

And so we're now planning the building of a "Tech Center" at our Middle School and Upper School campuses. Inside each of these "Tech Centers" will be a manned IT Help Desk where students can come for hardware & software problems. It will be manned from 8am - 5pm every day.

I have quite a bit of space to work with--a room about 50 feet long by 14feet wide. We'll be purchasing all new furniture, partitions, storage cabinets, shelving, etc.

What features define the best IT Help Desks you've seen? What works? What doesn't work? How have you handled intake, repair, storage, pickup logistics? If you could build the ultimate IT Help Desk, what would it look like?

How can I find what I'm looking for when I don't know what it is?

pedmands — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:14:35 -0800

I am always on the precipice of an epiphany, or so I think... I've had this lingering feeling for a long time, now; as if there's one last key to turn before the bounty. It's something that I haven't really learned to cope with, and its strength seems to ebb and flow in a direct relationship to my concentration. Like the Atlantic, the tide may seem to shallow its depth, but its mass is ever-present.

It's certainly a motivating factor in my life. I've pursued its nagging for hours at a time, but the promised payoff is always elusive. The impetus behind it is abstract and therefore frustrating, and when I inevitably turn up empty-handed, I feel a deep defeat. Hence the coping.

A few examples of this drive that some of you might relate to:

Broad: It's the feeling that, if I just find that one bit of information out there in the overwhelming stream of data, most everything will 'click'.

Specific: The knowing that if I work on this chorus a little more that the song will finally be the one I've been trying to write since I set out to capture it.

Personal: The insistence by my inner-self that when I stumble upon the right thought through free-association, I'll understand myself.

...

I consider it a gift; an affliction; a curse.

What is it, really?

Help this department of 1 get things done

genial — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:59:23 -0800

As a one-man IT department I'm beginning to have trouble juggling multiple projects along with the day to day stuff. What can I do to make this easier? Searching along this topic yields tons of GTD advice along with plenty of software to help with project management. But a lot of stuff assumes different situations involving a team of people working on something or one person tracking individual tasks. My job is comprised of being Helpdesk day to day for all the small software/hardware/networking/setup issues that arise along with a growing list of short and long term projects. For the past 5 months I've been juggling things ok, but as the list of projects grows and I'm with the company longer I need to figure out a way to manage all of this without sinking.

What I do need is good advice on ways of managing short term and long term goals. I'm a geek so anything software related that will help me is welcome. What I don't need is overpriced packages of software or the advice to just keep a to-do list. That's not working at this point. I know this question is likely somewhere in the archives but I'm having a lot of trouble finding scenarios where 1 person manages an entire department with no "team" and needs to manage short and long term projects. Help?

Knee pain above and to the outside of my kneecap

Popcorn — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:58:36 -0800

Knee pain concerns: I have a small pain that feels like it is coming from the upper outside of my left knee. I've had this issue on and off for a long time and it doesn't prevent me from doing anything, but it has me worried. I'm in my mid 20's and am a pretty hardcore mogul skiier and I do lots of mountaineering. I'm unable to see a doctor for a few months and I'd like some insight into what this might be.

The pain seems to happen when I am extending my leg under load, for example, when I'm climbing stairs. It also comes up when I'm riding a bike. I've never had any major knee injuries but this feels like it is gradually increasing over time. Sometimes, when I'm running up stairs I get a little twinge and I have to stop running up stairs for a day or two before it goes away. When this happens in the middle of a multi day climbing expedition I can still continue but I have to be a little gentler on the knee. So this is not debilitating pain, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything possible to preserve my knees.

Looking at this picture, It feels like the LCL but I'm not sure. If you are looking at my left knee from the front, the pain is at about 2 o'clock, about 1-2cm (radially) out from the edge of the kneecap.

So I'd like some attempts at diagnosis, is this a tendon problem? Cartilage? Muscle? (I know this is frowned upon here, but I'm not able to get proper medical attention for a few months and I'm going to be climbing a mountain soon) Also, some advice about what I can do to prevent further damage. Would a brace help? If so, what kind? Are there exercises or stretches that would help? Currently I try to stretch the affected area by pulling my heel up to my butt. Seems to help.

Also, for many years I think I was riding my bike with the seat too low and I get a feeling that this is related.

Thanks!

Need recs for IT training in Seattle.

valannc — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:35:39 -0800

In the Seattle/Snohomish area. Which schools provide good training in beginning SQL, or database design, or IT project management? Needs:
- School should be well-regarded by hiring managers and look good on my resume
- Training should be rigorous. Prefer a fast-paced class.
- Location: North or central Seattle are good. Or Everett/Lynnwood area. I live in Shoreline/Edmonds.
- Hoping to start training asap. I am unemployed and have time to study. Don't want to wait until Winter semester.

Here is a listing of Seattle computer training schools. Which ones have a good rep and do a good job?

What job is this? Can I make a living with this?

fishmasta — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:31:04 -0800

I hate coding. I like conceiving of what the code could do . Work please? I've always been a tech-oriented person, but never much cared for programming/tech support (I deal with enough of that from family)/computer science sort of work. Lately at work they've had me testing out new software, where I diagnose bugs, suggest better ways to implement features, etc. I've found it really fits the way I think and seems to help the IT staff out a lot (we're not a software company, but do produce our own specialized software for internal use). I've been pretty unhappy with my current job and would like to move into something more suited to my interests, so I'm wondering if this is something that might be good for me.

This sort of work is pretty random at my employer, so there isn't a way to transfer into this as a full time position. I'd like to find something that suits my tech-knowledge without the programming focus and that lets me think outside of how the software currently works and how it could work if improved. Our coders are so focused on fixing current problems that they rarely have time to think of how to improve the interface as a whole. Is this something that A) is a job people would be looking for and B) something that would pay the bills with potential for more? Thanks.

How useful and difficult is the ACTC certification material?

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:28:03 -0800

My boss may be offering me an ACTC certification. I don't know whether computers are a hobby or a career for me, and I have limited free time. Should I talk to him seriously about sponsoring (paying the fees) me for the exam? I work at a small Mac shop supporting (not alone, obviously) a few dozen computers, a few servers, and a print system. The print system was built in-house, and we use Radmind on the client machines (although we're now exploring some imaging/ASR alternatives/supplements). Like most of my colleagues, my experience is primarily from Linux and UNIX-based CS courses, which leads to interesting problems sometimes.

I'm very interested in computers, and daydream about some kind of techy job, whether as a sysadmin or a programmer. I would totally jump at this chance to learn an operating system on someone else's dime, except I'm also a student and I cannot realistically reserve any significant amount of time to this effort except during the month of December.

So, broken out into more specific parts, my question is this:

1. How will knowing the ACTC material help me do my job, which includes both Apple-supported software and others? In other words, how relevant is the curriculum?

2. What is an ACTC certification worth in a prospective sysadmin?

3. Is it realistic to expect a pass after a month's study? My boss has made vague suggestions of willingness to buy study material and an examination for anyone who was interested, but he would then (reasonably) expect a serious effort to pass the exam.

Anonymous because I'd prefer my boss not to know my reservations going into this. Throwaway email at actc.clar@gmail.com for clarification.

Cert Study Guides Needed

Darktan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:06:11 -0800

I'm an old school IT tech who needs some certs on his resume to get past the HR drones. I'm looking at CompTIA and Microsoft certs as a start. What I need are some good sources for study. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not looking for a boot camp, just some good up to date study guides. Thank you. Peace

Help me rebuild my office helpdesk/workflow setup.

de1mar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:09:29 -0800

TechFilter: I'm part of a medium-sized IT support company and we're looking at some new helpdesk/workflow management software. What advice can you give on your setup or software you are currently working with? I am currently looking at Heat from FrontRange Solutions, but it looks like it will take some time to setup. Here's some features that I am looking foward to:

• Workflow Management
• Call Logging/Tracking (most likely part of Workflow Management)
• Workflow Reporting
• Asset Management (to include hardware, software, Blackberries...etc)
• Knowledge Base

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!!!

Starting out in SF....Again!

leftfooter — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:54:02 -0800

Back in San Francisco for a Holiday, friends trying to convince me to stay. What to do???? OK, so I've been out of the Bay Area for a 10 year hiatus, mostly traveling the world and working. I still have a lot of friends here and it's been great to see & hang out with everybody. I already have plans for next summer (going back to Ireland to enjoy the festivities of the world cup). My friends have taken it upon them selves to each try & convince me to stay in the city til June. I'm not averse to the idea and I have the option of staying with a good friend in a great apartment.

This question is really a 3 parter, about getting my feet on the ground again.

Part 1:

My background is in IT and I was hoping to find some contract work. I would like to get a list of IT recruiting agencies that provide contract staff to companies in the city. Does anyone know what agencies provide IT staff to the likes of Levis, Gap, Charles Schwab etc. I've tried contacting these companies directly but they all just tell me to apply for full-time gigs.

Part II:

I've ran my own PC repair business for some time in Austin and was hoping to fix a few machines while searching for a full time gig. I've been using Craigslist to advertise on but surprisingly I have received absolutely no calls. In Austin, I got tons of work advertising on CL, but SF is dead.
Apart from Craigslist, Where should I advertise?

Part III:

Another way I was thinking of getting some extra cash was signing up to take part in Focus Groups......does anyone know of any agencies in SF that are busy with this kind of work? Or anybody got any idea how to make some quick cash while waiting on a more permanent gig?

If I can't get some work soon I'll run out of cash. This is not the end of the world as I can return to Austin & get work pretty quick. But I think I'd like to give it a shot in SF.

All suggestions welcome!

In order to make change at work happen, I need help

machine — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:03:49 -0800

Does anyone have any recruiter recommendations for looking for tech-y jobs in Toronto? I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what's working for me, and what's not, in my current job and have started to look for other opportunities outside of my current company.

So this is great (think positive!). However, I'm kind of ruled by inertia and if I don't (in the words of a friend) "make this someone else's job" then I'm going to find myself feeling stuck as I scroll through a million of monster.ca postings.

I'm very comfortable with the notion of 'selling myself' in interviews but doing the same thing in writing is hard.

Does anyone have any recommendations on recruiters for the GTA area? In a perfect world, it would be a company I could contact and then talk to someone about what I'm good at and what I'm looking for as I've done some work on figuring that out.

I need some help with finding a role that aligns with the fact that I'm really good at playing translator (explaining the technical things to the non-technical people and explaining the business needs etc. to the technical people).

Any thoughts?

What's an IT career path for me?

Anonymous — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:47:12 -0800

How do I advance my career in IT? If I were to move to a software developer position would I have to start out at the bottom? I currently work in IT in a consulting agency that works in a niche industry. We have about 50 employees at 3 sites around the country and there are no expansion plans. It appears the current partners do not wish to grow anymore. I am my department, I am in that weird state where I don't really report to anyone but the president, but I do not manage anyone. I really enjoyed setting up the various systems like e-mail, phones and the accounting system. These were actually very challenging to setup and get working, yet I don't know if I became an expert in any particular category. It is fairly clear I am a non-billable expense and I'm seen as expensive. I'm also getting bored of merely maintaining the system which is taking up increasingly less of my time.

The president of my company recognizes my plight and recommended that I setup a consulting business and manage the departments of several companies of similar size, that for day-to-day help desk work they would hire an intern. Two years later and some aggressive networking with my contacts, I've yet to find another company.

I've taught myself programming and I've built several internal web applications. I've thought about perhaps moving to a software company and becoming a developer. Would I need to start at the bottom? I don't know any software developers or anyone else in IT, so I'm sort of unclear of how to advance my career. My pay is currently $70k/yr. and starting at the bottom, below $50k is sort of scary. I've been writing these little applications in Java Spring framework. They've been things like vacation requests via an internal site and making accounting reports accessible via the web. I don't know if those are enough to get me out of entry level work, or even what I should be applying for on Dice. Thanks for your help.

New career for 60+ info-tech entrepreneur/manager?

r0w — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:10:20 -0800

Demand is way down, and so my dad is closing down his software contracting company. He founded it in 1985, and has always been its primary manager and salesman, so he has no current programming skills. He is over 60, but can't afford to retire yet. What should he do now? He lives in the DC metro area, and many of his clients have been government contractors or telecommunications companies.

From the glowing testimonials the employees wrote for a "memory book" which they gave him, it seems that he has a unique and much-appreciated management style. They describe him and the corporate culture he created as scrupulously ethical, efficient, rational, transparent, putting employees first, and so on.

He's incredibly intelligent, hardworking and committed to tasks that he takes on.

His Myers-Briggs type is INTJ, but over his life he's worked very hard to aquire skills in sales, understanding others, and public speaking, none of which come easily to an Introverted Thinker.

He's also near-fluent in Hebrew and has a lot of handyman skills.

He knows he could get work as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor, but I think it's not really worthy of his abilities.

Are there organizations or career counselors that specialize in finding a new career when you're close to retirement age?

Is there a market for his management style, which inspired such employee loyalty that people turned down offers for much higher-paid jobs?

Should he look for work in the UK, where he was born, or in Israel, as well as in the DC area?

What fields of work will be most welcoming of his personality, which is about 1/2 English, 1/4 Asperger's-ish, and 1/4 rationalist non-conformist?

Any and all ideas are welcome--there's really no box to think inside for this situation.