WiAC Interview: Sarah Baker, a Director of Operations at mSpot

In a new Women in Advanced Computing (WiAC) interview series, we focus on sysadmins. In this interview, we hear from Sarah Baker, a Director of Operations at mSpot.

RE:
Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

SB: I'm a Director of Operations for mSpot, a Samsung subsidiary. I have a team that takes care not only of the IT and security of the office, but the global management of the MusicHub service product seen on Samsung Galaxy SIII phones. Production is UNIX; office is Windows and Mac. If it plugs into a wall, my team and I generally take care of it—that includes the phones, A/V, doors, security cards and sometimes power issues.

Today my day included:

  • spec and detail for analog phone wiring in the new office (66 blocks and punch downs),

  • review an SSL certificate update on production (httpd server detail),

  • review network config change for an office routing issue for our VPN users (Cisco router configs),
  • coordinated issues with my team on upcoming launch activities,

  • coordinated finance detail for past expenses from operations,

  • login and review a server, seeking to reduce disk space ,

  • reviewed our opsview alerts for the day,

  • talked with marketing to plan out a demo capability and a Drupal marketing website they plan to launch, and

  • I taught our new Program Manager about our deployment processes past and present and current challenges.

It's a very broad set of activities.

RE: How did you get started as a sys admin?

SB: I was a Electrical Computer Engineering [University of Iowa] graduate student. I was playing D&D with a friend who happened to be working for EE as their full-time sys admin and he had a TA position open for a helper.

It was for BSD4.3 on DEC hardware. I changed reel-to-reel tapes, managed backups, did little scripting tasks he gave me to learn admin, created accounts, etc. Later he quit and I didn't want to continue without a full-time counterpart, so I quit as well. I applied to an opening for a consultant/lab manager in the Engineering College computing group (not just EE research boxes), and got the job as I finished my grad degree.

RE: Do you think you've hit barriers working in IT that your male counterparts haven't had to deal with?

SB: Yes, I have to prove myself over and over again. And some males you just can't convince. I'm a manager of technical people. I like to straddle both sides of technology and management.

Every so often, a vendor thinks I'm not technical, manager only, and I have to be rude and interrupt to tell them that they are talking to the engineer.

Worst belief I've run across: "I have to take care of her, poor girl." I hate this one; it's insidious for a manager like me. You don't get promoted and get more resources, you have things taken away so you aren't “overloaded”. Too valuable where you are. It's used by some males to make themselves appear like a “hero” to higher management and advance themselves by showing how they are “helping you”, which is something they would not do to another male. It sounds petty if I try to call them on it.

I have experienced some male managers who I think are more likely to micromanage me and less likely to truly delegate than other counterparts because of the same belief. I sometimes feel I'm fighting to keep the authority I have where I'm at, or that my authority is undermined because they “do it for me/decide for me” all in the name of “helpfulness”.

I've never been promoted. To advance, I've always had to leave the company.

RE: What advice would you give employers to help them get a more diverse (yet qualified) mix of job applicants?

SB: Look in unlikely places. I find a lot of women I run into falling into sys admin as their second job, not their first. There's no degree in system administration. They are more likely found as associates of existing system admins. I found several as girlfriends of male system admins.

Systers mailing list has been one of the best source of female applicants.

Craigslist was great resource for me. I see more diversity come in through there than Monster.com or other boards for me.

RE: If you could offer one piece of career advice to a woman joining a predominately male team, what would it be?

SB: I can't give less than two, sorry.

  1. Understand how teams form and how it'll get worse before it gets better. It's okay to feel uncomfortable in a new team. It's normal. It's not always because you are female; it could be you are just new to the team.

  2. Ask lots of questions. Make sure to be annoying about it. It's Ok if they appear annoyed with your questions for up to three months after start—then you know you are learning deeply enough. Many people are defensive when you ask questions that might reveal their shortcomings, and that reflects that you are learning enough to know where you can make improvements and prove your worth.

RE: And what advice would you have for her employer and colleagues to help them make the work environment inviting, friendly, and productive?

SB: Insure professional behavior, and make social contacts accessible (i.e., no all-boys-club activities). Give them [the new hire] more than you think they can take. They can take it. Make them push back and say “give”. When they are truly overloaded, give them training, or more resource, not a new manager.

RE: Which specific resources (websites, mailing lists, events, etc.) have been most helpful for you in your career?

SB: Systers mailing list helps keep things realistic and grounded. I try to go to events when I can. Systers, She's Geeky, and Networld/Interop stand out for me. I had times when conferences were instrumental in boot strapping my knowledge and contacts network. I volunteered a while for Networld Interop and considered that a great experience.

RE: How has mentoring (being a mentor or mentee) influenced your career?

SB: It really has had no impact. I have people I admire and are part of my network, but no mentor ever presented itself. I know few people who do what I do. I have tried to be available for others as mentor (all my staff and some past [staff]), and sometimes I hit for a year or two with someone. I tried to volunteer for a couple of organizations that organize mentors, but never got matched.

Thanks to Sarah and all the other women who have contributed to our interview series. If you or someone you know would like to contribute to our series of interviews with women in advanced computing, email me at rikki@usenix.org.

Also read:

Video from WiAC '12:

"Career Information and Workload Warriors - Time Saving Tips and Tricks" Presentation

"Staying Happy in System Administration" Presentation

Uncharted Paths

"Overcoming My Biggest Roadblock, Myself" Presentation

Strategies for a Successful Career in Computing

WiAC Panel at LISA '12: Advancing Women in Computing

Please join us for the 2nd USENIX Women in Advanced Computing Summit (WiAC '13), June 27 in San Jose, California.