Jim Valentine:
CLASS OF 1990
Holt High SchoolClass of 1990
Holt, MI
Holt Junior High SchoolClass of 1987
Holt, MI
Hope Middle SchoolClass of 1985
Holt, MI
Riddle Elementary SchoolClass of 1984
Lansing, MI
Cavanaugh Elementary SchoolClass of 1982
Lansing, MI
Jim's Story
Life
After graduation I decided to spend 4 years getting a degree in Hard Life. I did all the things that stupid teenagers did, drinking, drugs, etc... Once I got my head on straight again I went to college and spent 3 years getting a degree in Computer Science. It's the love of my life. Outside of work, I like to fish, camp, spend time with my nieces and nephews, play computer games, and read. I also like to study astronomy, physics, and chemistry. I'm finally living in a house of my own and have gone crazy with remodeling.
College
College was many things for me. It was how I severed myself from my party lifestyle I'd been living the previous 4 years. It was worth it. I stayed in the dorms for 3 years in the booming metropolis called Owosso at Baker College. One non core related lesson I learned in college was how to turn the jumble of information that often floods through my brain into something comprehendable, linear, and artistic. The bonus of going to college when I did was that I KNEW what I wanted to do and had already learned more about computers beforehand than I had learned in the three years at Baker. Unlike most people that go to college and find themselves into the party scene, I managed to avoid it, for the most part. The next step for me is to study something that is less popular and harder to make money at. I'm a scientist and an engineer at the core. I love physics, chemistry, and astronomy but none of these disiplins in their raw form are 'money-makers'. I would say, however, that my studying of computers and programming didn't come from a desire to make money, it was my obsession to learn as much as possible that drove me.
Workplace
I've worked at two places since I graduated from college. The first place I worked at was United Healthcare / Physicians Health Plan of Lansing. My position was as a temp at first but because I excelled at the work I was given, I was quickly offered a permanent position. At first I was just Helpdesk Support, then I was promoted to PC Analyst 1, and remained at that title for the rest of my time there. Event...Expand for more
ually I tagged on a couple more titles to my name such as Security Coordinator and Network Administrator. By the end of my tenure I was working primarily on consulting the 4 other Michigan PHP's on new technology options that they could use to make their jobs easier. I still did support but only at the highest level of difficulty. I gave up my employment as an option due to a reorganization that took place between UHG and PHP. Leaving UHG was hard on me. I don't believe I'll ever get a chance to work with a team like that again. After UHG I took a 1 year hiatus and did pretty much nothing. By the time the year was up I was desperate to get back into the swing of things: Enter Lear Corporation. I've was with Lear for three years as a contract employee. Following the same path as before, I dealt mainly with the computers systems in the highly demanding field of production/factory systems. It's the perfect place for someone of my personality to be in. No political correctness to deal with just right-now-honest-get-it-done-quick types of people. It's also a heavy responsibility knowing that something that I work on could affect the production line at General Motors in Lansing. When problems occur in my Plant, that's the first thing I think of, 'will it stop the line at GM'. I was let go from Lear in August of 2006 due to LGR pulling the business back in-house. I was unemployed again but this time for 6 months before landing a similar position at Dakkota Integrated Systems on 2nd shift. I started there on April 4th, 2007. Due to the economy and LGR cutting out their 2nd shift, I was left again with the threat of being unemployed back in November of 2008. After some quick talking I found that our plant in Louisville, Kentucky had an opening, again for 2nd shift and again with the same duties but this time servicing a Ford plant. After about a day or two of consideration, I made the move. In all, it took me two weeks to make the change. Now I'm here in Louisville, enjoying the much warmer weather and much kinder people. I still have a draw to Florida though...
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