My name is Steve Hargrove and I’m a network security analyst. Before this I was a system administrator, but I wasn’t always a system administrator. I started out as a programmer working for Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas and later in Lubbock, Texas. About the time they decided to move me back to Dallas, I quit and went back to school. Texas Tech School of Law to be exact.
After graduating, taking and passing the Texas Bar Exam, I practiced law in Andrews, Texas for a few years and then opened my own office in Odessa, Texas. After about five years, I returned to Lubbock and practiced law for a brief period of time before deciding it wasn’t the life I wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I was good at it. I *loved* being in the courtroom and for most of those five years, that’s where I lived my life. County, state and federal. Civil and criminal law. If it was a trial, I wanted to be part of it. But a trial attorney’s life is a demanding one. Law is a jealous mistress and after a while, I wanted more out of life.
So I quit. Just like that. One Friday evening, I left the office and never went back. For the next two months, I relaxed and found myself again. I knew I wanted to get back into the technology field, but I wasn’t sure where or as what. Through the years, I had always worked dual roles, as both an attorney and a system administrator, developing my Linux and Perl skills.
Eventually, I landed a job as a system administrator at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as their Linux administrator. Through the years, I slowly became their all-around Linux/Windows/whatever-needed-to-be-done administrator. It was a fun job, with equal amounts of stress and downtime. I worked with a great bunch of guys and we had a lot of fun.
On May 14, 2007, I left that job and became a “Security Programmer/Analyst” with the same organization. On September 1, 2007, my job title changed to “Institutional Security Analyst”. The job is a tremendous change in that, while I no longer have any managerial or after-hours support responsibilities, I’m responsible for working with the Security and Networking teams, automating whatever I can. Security has always been my first love, so this job is a real break for me. However, I’ve been a “lead” system administrator for so long that it’s taking a while to change gears. The guys I work with are awesome, very helpful and patient. It’s a great gig.
I’m currently learning all I can about OS X, TextMate, Ruby, Objective C, Cocoa and preparing for my first rounds of CCNA. Because I can. I dig this stuff.
I love rock ‘n roll, heavy metal and some country (hey, I live in *Texas*, gimme a break). Some of my all-time favorites are Kiss, Warrant, Adam Ant, Buck Owens, Motorhead and Alice Cooper. Some current favorites I’m keeping my eye on include Black Label Society, Nightwish, The Bones and Deathstars.
I don’t bite, I’m not a jerk, I love a good laugh and cold beer and whiskey. I’ve got a great wife, two incredible kids, a cat and a rabbit. My mom and dad are awesome, as are my in-laws. I love photography, writing, playing Final Fantasy XI, goofing around with my computers, and hanging with my family. It’s a good life.
You can email me at hargrove at spiritofnine dot com. I’m almost always open to making new friends.
