I thank you all for your responses today. I'm going to do whatever I can and we'll see what Patrick decides. I have one small favor to ask. A quick thread, from someone who has a high school diploma and gets paid to break computers now. Please do me a little favor.

Disclaimer: I am not knocking degrees. Anyone who has followed me for a while will tell you I'm not anti-degree but I am PRO believing in ppl who aren't the typical or ideal candidate.

This is because I'm not the ideal candidate.

I'm really not. I'm not a famous hacker. I never will be. Don't want to be. I wanted to understand computers. I have that understanding now. Then I wanted to hack computers. I do that now and have for years. Am I an expert?

No.

Last week I almost got fired. Read THAT thread.

I ask that if you're in a position to hire anyone you put aside what the HR manuals say you should look for and really consider candidates with skills you are NOT looking for.

No, I can't close billion dollar deals but if your roof is leaking I will go steal a tarp to cover the PBX.

I did that. Marched right into a construction office and stole one because my Merlin Legend PBX was being rained on.

I don't think like a C-level. I'm never going to.

If a hacker breaks into your system and I can't figure out how they got in, I KNOW EVERYONE ON EARTH WHO KNOWS MORE THAN ME TO HELP ME FIGURE IT OUT.

That's what I bring to the table.

I have friends here. I routinely ask them for help. And they come through as I would for them.

Just give the person you're not going to hire a second glance. I can write anything I want on paper. In fact, every job I've had, I've been called into HR to UPDATE my resume because they said I left out a lot.

I was hired via word of mouth. Managers I've had from major orgs who said "She's the one we call when we're sinking. "

One described me as a nuclear bomb to problem solving. Not sure that sounds good but lol whatever.

They vouched for me.

I ask you vouch for those like me.

Thank you for listening.

HTP.