Justin Sutherland
IT Consultant, IT Consultant SW
I'm a 38 year old father of four children, a girl and three boys and am married to my wonderful wife Jeannette.
After an accident in 2007 left me disabled and housebound I lost my job as Managing Director of a Small Business IT Solutions company in Exeter. I am now disabled and wondering what on earth I will do for a career in the future.
So, rather than forget the IT industry, I have decided to study with the Open University and to extend my knowledge of Microsoft Technologies in order to hopefully be able to provide consultation from my home in Devon, England.
I am also studying hard to become a software/solutions developer and am about to start writing software commercially in 2012.
3 contactsI have been in the industry for the last 10 years and have advanced my knowledge greatly in that time. I started out as a desktop technician working for a small company in Exeter and moved through various jobs to eventually become the Managing Director of a business IT Solutions company called " St Davids IT Solutions" in Exeter, Devon.
During my time there I became a Microsoft Certified Professional and elevated the company to Microsoft Small Business Specialist in quite a short period of time. I was responsible for 2 employees, the financial running of the company as well as professional indemnity, public liability and employers liability insurances. I gained and looked after many clients ranging from veterinary practices to Shopping centres and lawyers to accountants and chartered surveyors.
I was always responsible for the initial consultation, the network health check and the specification of network and appliances appropriate to the task and any future task the companies were likely to need them to perform. Following on from consultation I was the lead role in the installation, commissioning and certification of the installations that we were involved with.
After an incident in 2007 I was injured and now suffer from chronic pain and have to take a great many medications to keep the pain at acceptable levels. As a result I am unable to drive or carry out manual labour tasks any more and so I am now studying with the Open University to further my skills in Microsoft Technologies and IT in general.
I hope to be in a position to offer expert advice and consultation for any small, medium or large enterprises that need an IT consultant in years to come.
I consider that with a disablement such as mine that makes it virtually impossible to leave the house or to be a reliable source of employment, that I don't stand much chance of obtaining and keeping a career in the larger IT companies such as Apple or Microsoft. But I do hope to be a valuable source of leads for those companies now and in the future.