Who I am

My name is Erik Strohmeyer. I grew up in North Jersey, and then went to college in Glassboro, NJ (South Jersey, by Philadelphia), graduating with a Communications degree in 1997.

Immediately upon graduation, I moved up to Connecticut to take a job at ESPN, which I interviewed for and procured during my last week as a student.

My degree was more general than job-specific, which is what I wanted. I didn't decide that I wanted to work in television until my Junior year.

So I've been with ESPN for eight years now - I've changed job descriptions several times and I changed departments about two years ago.

I had thought of myself as a sports fan and a writer, and figured that I'd end up in Production. But Production wasn't interested in me. I got a job as a studio technician, figuring that once I was in the door, I could change fairly easily.

But surprise! I was hooked. I found to my great surprise that I had a very analytical way of thinking, and a very technical way of performing. The various machines that I had to learn all fascinated me, and with new equipment rolling in all the time, I was surprisingly satisfied. I stayed in Technical Operations (as a studio technician) for six years.

In that time, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I have a certain intuitive way of being just good enough with new equipment to put it on the air and learn its nuances. After carrying a lot of stress trying to be perfect, I learned to let it go a bit. While I still strived for no mistakes, I grasped that everyone has moments where they do something dumb. The operators I admired were able to wriggle free of "sudden attacks of stupidity" very quickly, often with no one noticing their initial mistake.

I also learned that I disliked the hours that were being dictated for us to work. Tech Ops is an hourly position at my company - although overtime is not required, many of us got used to the paychecks that went along with long weeks.

I grew older, as most people do. When I was about 28, I realized that I love my girlfriend (same one as today; we met in college and have been together since) and my outside life far more than I love work. I began a search for a position that only expected forty hours a week.

I immediately found a position for "Satellite Access Control Engineer". Not having any idea what that is or what's expected, I applied. I figured that at worst I would learn something about another part of my company and meet a few new people.

Well, I hit it off with the boss right away. Some of the computers in the office were running VAX/VMS software - the same antiquated stuff I became proficient with in college. So I launched into a long series of stories about my deeds and misdeeds with that computer system (probably, in retrospect, not the best idea for a job interview situation). The boss loved it.

I had walked into the interview room a bit disheveled (I was on shift, and had no advance warning of the interview), with no expectations at all. I walked out completely determined to work in this environment.

Sure enough, the job offer came a week later. I had worried and worried about money - my base salary plus overtime were substantial, and I didn't know if this department could pay me. When the Human Resources person contacted me with a figure, I was stunned. It was more money than my salary plus overtime. I reflexively asked for a day to think it over and then chased the poor man down the hallway, screaming that I would take the position.

Anyway, that was two years ago. In that time, I learned a great deal about conditional access (don't get me started), and the specific job and requirements of my current position. After a time I realized that I suddenly had more time to myself - I had been averaging sixty hours a week in Tech Ops, and suddenly was down to about forty. So I decided to do something worthwhile with that time.

I dabbled in part-time employment, but wasn't happy with it. I tried "Continuing Education" at the local community college, and that didn't really get me anywhere I wanted to go. So I applied for the program at Quinnipiac, figuring that a Masters degree would be a wonderful thing to have. And just like before, as I learned more about the program, I got excited and immersed in the idea.

At the moment, I'm concerned about two things. First, I don't really know what kind of student I am. I've been out of school for so long and am such a different person than I was in 1997 that I have no actual idea about study habits or online learning. Second, I feel like I'm behind in the class already. I've never touched Powerpoint, and some of the presentations by my classmates are complete enough to intimidate me. For instance, I know that I can't do something as visually interesting as Serena did if you give me a month instead of a few days.

I hope that this course and this area of study challenge me, and that I respond in a good way to it. Please try to keep in mind that while you are learning about me, I am learning about myself.