About
Realistically, this will probably be the least visited page on my site. But, for those of you who are venturing to have a look, I owe it to you at least to try to make it interesting, so I’ll do my best. My name is Jay Medina, and I’m an Information Technology consultant. More about me in a minute.
Why Helpful Advisor?
Since the beginning, I wanted HelpfulAdvisor.com to mean something useful and helpful to you, my dear reader. This site has taken on many forms, or shall I say, formats, but the basic premise has never changed. I want to give back to the world around me by sharing my knowledge and information with you. I want to arm you with knowledge and truth!
When it comes to Information Technology, there are many out there who purport to be experts or gurus, but I’ve seen some very bad habits out there, many of which I’ve had to clean up for my clients.
I’m a firm believer that your business should drive the technology you use, not the other way around. I’ve seen a few scenarios play out when it comes to business and technology. Some of the scenarios I’ve seen include:
- Businesses being held hostage by their current technology, which may or may not be working to your best advantage.
- Businesses being held hostage by their IT departments, vendors, or other consultants that push for new technologies that may not necessarily benefit the business.
- Or the other extreme, businesses that ignore their technology aches and pains, hoping it’ll get better on it’s own, when really, it could be tragedy in the making.
Taking charge of your Information Technology doesn’t always need to be a painful endeavor, if you have the right information. HelpfulAdvisor.com can help arm you with that information.
Why Should I Listen to Jay?
I’ve been in the information technology field ever since I graduated high school, and so my experience spans a couple of decades now. I specialize in Microsoft Windows Server-based networks. You can see a more detailed listing of my certifications and credentials here.
To this day, I still can’t believe what a passion I hold for this line of work. Further more, I get such a kick out of bending technology to my will, and for my clients’ benefit, that I just can’t believe I can have this much fun and still get paid for it!
It started back in 1987, when I graduated high school at the age of 17. After high school I joined the Army, and before my 18th birthday, I had graduated my basic training and already had a higher than Top Secret security clearance.
The Army trained me on some very sophisticated communications systems, and it was there that I got completely hooked on technology. Once I solved my first “bug” in the technical school’s lab, I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
After graduating near the top of my class, I received a permanent assignment that was like something out of a Tom Clancy novel. Needless to say, I can’t discuss the details of that assignment, however, some really great experience came of it.
By age 19, I’d risen in rank three pay grades in less than 17 months of service. Typically, that takes about 3 years. I wasn’t gonna wait that long.
As well, by age 19, I was selected to be a technical advisor to a civilian department head to attend high-level meetings at the Pentagon to discuss the capabilities and the future a highly classified communications system. Part of the reason I was selected was that I had completely self-taught myself every aspect of that system, to the point I found myself working with the team that actually designed it when they came to test it at our classified location.
When arriving at those meetings at the Pentagon, I was not only the youngest person in the room, I was also the lowest ranking. Those meetings were packed with high-ranking civilians as well as generals and admirals from all branches of the military. Even their aides were high ranking officers in their own right. It was at an early age that I learned the fine art of picking your moment to speak, as well as being able to work with those that may rank higher than you, but who will turn to you for your expertise and advice, and then come to respect you for that knowledge.
At age 21, my final year of my four-year enlistment, I went over to serve in Operation Desert Storm. I was part of a team of 7 soldiers from my unit that were picked to go overseas and assist units that were in the combat theater. Again, this was a time where my technical experience and knowledge were needed, and in a very big way. I was part of the force that actually invaded Iraq and battled the Republican Guard as they fled Kuwait.
After the war, I came home, and got out of the Army and became a civilian Information Technology professional, all by age 21. Since that time, I’ve worked with companies that were pretty prominent during my time with them, like AOL (then it was called America Online), Aaron Spelling Entertainment Group, and Union Bank of Switzerland, to name a few.
The reason I like consulting so much is that I truly get a feeling of excitement and fulfillment when I go into a company and solve some real technical problems that ultimately save that company time, money, or in many cases, both!
In 2001, after we were attacked during the terrible tragedy of 9/11, I made a decision to enlist in the Army once again, after being out for 11 years. It took me some time, but I lost weight (over 80 pounds), and trained myself 6 days a week, and less than 9 months after 9/11, I was back in uniform.
In 2003, my combat engineering unit was called up to go to Iraq. Having actually been in Iraq in 1991 came in very handy as we prepared to go overseas and relieve the first wave of troops that invaded and toppled Saddam’s regime. When I enlisted in June of 2002, I’d gone down in rank due to the amount of time I was out of the service. I was a Private First Class. Within 17 months (again), I moved up two pay grades this time from Private First Class to Sergeant, which is a non-commissioned officer.
My second tour in Iraq, although 11 years apart from my first time over there, was still a very surreal experience, and one I also learned a lot from. My combat tour in 1991 was very different from the one in 2004 in a lot of ways. However, having been there before allowed me to be a better leader in 2004.
After coming home, I started what is now HelpfulAdvisor.com, as both a website and a technology consulting service. Now at age 40, after a lifetime of learning, maturing, and serving both my country and my clients, I’m excited to still be very much alive and capable of solving complex problems; while raising a family and enjoying a good life. The best thing is, I still get to learn new things each and every day!
If you have any questions on anything you just read, or would like to just drop me a note, please feel free to do so by contacting me here. I’d love to hear from you.
To Your Continued Success,
-Jay
