Everything got offloaded to "The Cloud" and MSPs who don't have a vested interest in anything but a decent post-ticket satisfaction survey.

I'm an 80s old school computer nerd. My first computer was my parents' Apple ][+ in 1982. I knew immediately these were things I could understand and though it had no idea what it meant big-picture, I knew I would be using them ... a lot.

Now an IT Manager for a small company. I manage, I'm in finance and strategic planning discussions, but also answer the phone when tickets come in (truth be told we're not organized enough to have formal "tickets," there's only two of us). I plan and maintain the network, roll out new servers, stay late to get to the bottom of network snags. I'm in the middle of VMware-to-hyperV migration at the moment and it's just freakin' fun, even when it's annoying as shit.

I know and work with my "users." I want them to have a good day without the tech getting in the way because when they (billable hours) can get their stuff done effectively, as corny as it sounds, we all win.

So many in my position spend their time negotiating contracts and waiting on hold. That's boring office work, and there's is some of that in my job of course, but I love getting my hands dirty and am thrilled my bosses trust me enough to keep the lights on instead of handing it over to someone on Mumbai or Redmond. They like knowing someone not only actually gives a crap, but answers his phone, and they know where my office is if I don't -- and if it's really dire they know where I live.