People Behind the Pipes

1.  Describe your job.

The Information Technology Services (IT) Division works across DSRSD at the District Office and heads out to other sites to help with new software or troubleshooting. New equipment or software purchases go through the IT Division. We get questions about the equipment from Field Operations staff who use their phones at off-site locations and connect to a special network. I make sure they have everything they need to do their jobs in the field. I think I’ve met everybody at the District when setting up new employees, and I’ve visited a lot of our locations.

IT for me is about staying up to date—there is always something new. The knowledge you have now may not be relevant a year from now even. I read a lot of tech news on the latest changes.

Information Technology Analyst I Zack Ruiz tests network connectivity with a handheld scanner.

2. How did you get into this field?

I graduated in June 2020 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Davis. I worked in the IT department on campus for the Social Sciences division and graduated with almost four years of IT experience, so I decided to apply for those jobs too. I’ve always been interested in computers and liked all the programming classes I took while studying engineering. Working for that department in college, I learned IT is really a customer service job. I started at DSRSD in November 2020, and now work with internal staff as well as outside vendors.

3. What do you like best about your job?

I like the satisfaction of solving problems. I’ve always enjoyed that. Some days I get to solve a lot of smaller problems; other days I’ll solve one big problem. I enjoy troubleshooting when something’s not working and then it finally does—that’s the best part. Being in IT, you learn everyone has their own way of dealing with issues and the way they describe them. It’s a challenge learning everyone’s style, but everybody’s very nice here.

4. What is the biggest challenge of your position?

Figuring out what we should be doing as the IT division, not just for employees but also within our team. That can include planning trainings for staff that involve making videos, tutorials, and written guides and determining what kinds of things people need to know.

Security is a constant thing we keep up with, especially as a public agency. We’re considered a target and have to keep things secure. I do a lot of the maintenance and make sure everything’s up to date. It can be a struggle keeping up with all the trends.

5. What is something unique about yourself?

I run my own network at home using enterprise-grade equipment. I have a small server at home, like a miniature version of what we have at the District. It’s a fun way to build skills I can use at work and also experiment and try new things. My girlfriend and I do a lot of cooking and prep meals for the week, so I use my home server to keep track of recipes and ingredients. I also have a 3D printer, and you can basically make anything within reason. I printed a replacement volume knob for my car, a tablet stand for looking up recipes in the kitchen, and drawer organizers.

6. What do you like to do in your free time? Favorite hobbies, places to go, food, etc?

I used to solve Rubik’s Cubes competitively. I started junior year of high school with a guide I printed out on a trip with no internet access. It took me about two weeks to learn, and from there, it’s just practice. I used to average 20 seconds when doing competitions. We’d drive out to the University of California, Berkeley, for World Cube Association tournaments with up to 200 people in a full lecture hall. I’m out of practice now, so I’m up to 30 or 40 seconds. But it’s kind of like riding a bike—you never really forget, but you do need to practice to keep up your times. There are no tricks; it’s not an illusion. But there is a lot of memorizing. I have a small collection of about 20 different “twisty puzzles,” as they’re called. You can buy the standard 3x3 cubes, but also pyramids and larger cubes up to 13x13. In-person competitions are starting to open up again, so I’m considering that. It’s nice and laid back. No one gets super competitive about it because you’re really trying to beat your own times. It’s fun to be part of something unique, and it’s a huge range of people who participate. Plus, it’s fun for people on the outside watching. It’s showy, and that’s part of the magic of it.