About Me

Hello and welcome to my online blog. I have took the plunge into the world of website design! Please bear with me on keeping weekly content and blogs posted, I'm new to this! I hope what you read and see on my website is interesting to follow and it can help or inspire my subscribers in someway going forward. Hit the subscribe button and sign up on the home page to keep up to date with my online blog. Thanks for taking the time to read it. ‌‌‌‌

Ray, Raymond either I don't mind!

I will now start by introducing myself, My full name is Raymond Joshua Newton, I am 26 years old, I live in Chorley, Lancashire with my partner Amy. I work as an IT Manager for an engineering company based in Bolton. I am a massive Liverpool fan #YNWA! If you follow me on social media platforms I'm sorry you will see a lot of LFC and football related posts! My main hobbies and interests are spending time with Family and my Partner Amy, Researching cars, Gaming (Xbox Series X), watching live football (I watch all the matches I can), watching movies / series on Netflix & Amazon Prime, buying new tech and gadgets, reading and watching online reviews, fixing and upgrading computers, helping others with Tech advice, DIY home projects, playing football and going on holidays to see more of the world!

Information Technology (IT)

Professionally I have been working IT for 10 years and can honestly say I love it! I see working in IT as more of a hobby rather than a job. I was taught from a very young age that your always better to work in a job that you enjoy doing every day. I have been fixing and using computers, tech and gadgets since I can remember! I have been my family's IT technical support line too! Anything technology related, I'm the person they call! Even more so with the new tech that's available today.

This is what inspired me along the way!

I was introduced to computers and gaming by my Uncle Brian (Who is now a retired Draughtsman). My uncle Brian taught me a lot and I value this so much! Brian is very technically minded from working in engineering all his life and also had a love for gaming and new technologies. His passion inspired me, it was a great insight into what new technology's were out there at that time. It set me on a pathway to look for a future in IT and learn more about computers and how they worked. I also learned and understood that nearly all business's and industries will rely massively on technology and live systems. I was very lucky that throughout my school life I always knew what career path I wanted to choose. I knew IT was for me!

My Family and being taught very well....

I have also been very lucky to have people in my life who have taught me well, passing their knowledge and experiences onto me. Both sets of Grandparents, Mum, Dad, Aunties and Uncles too. Both of my Grandads worked in some form of engineering during their life and their knowledge has been a great asset to me during my life so far. I have been shown how to use tools in the correct way and I try and put my hand to anything. I have also shown them what can now be found online and that the internet can be helpful when needing guides / tutorials when taking on a new project. Having the ability to solve problems or take on a home project is a great tool to have because this means you can always have ago yourself. Doing it the way you plan to could even save you money rather than getting outside help in. Sometimes outside help would be needed but I have learnt that its not always the first option. Nothing is lost in learning and having ago yourself!

I have recently just transformed the small front garden at home. From an overgrown jungle to a sitting area with private fence. I will write more about this project soon, so please stay posted!)

Making a start in life!

I started in IT as an apprentice at 16 after graduating from high school. The experiences I have gained from learning on the job have been essential to the role I'm in today. Taking this opportunity was a big step for me as I had never worked anywhere else before and I was fresh out of high school too. I was nervous but very keen to start work, learn, progress and start earning my own money doing something I love!

That goal might just of changed everything!

My first personal goal when taking on my new job was to learn to drive as soon as possible and buy my own car. I had to wait around one year before I could start learning but I was so excited to start driving. I had already started to save money towards my lessons, car and insurance. I love my cars! I will write more about this topic in another post as I'm very much a car enthusiast. Having my own wheels helped me to become more independent for driving to my job each day and not having to rely on others for my daily commute to the workplace. I now look back on this of being one best things I ever did because it gave me my own freedom so early on in my life. Even though I was 17 it gave me the ability to go anywhere I wanted, when I wanted. I could now go and see all my family by just jumping into the car and taking it for a drive! I had a real passion for bicycles when I was really young I used to fix them and build them up at weekends and after school. This was taken to another level when I got my first car as I could also make changes and tinker with it. Making it my own, which ever way I could. Something I will write about is having my bicycle before I could drive and this being my own transport, I would go everywhere on my bike getting back into cycling is something I really want too do!

IT Apprenticeship "Massive Opportunity"

My IT apprenticeship role included basic IT Support across the day to day running of the business. Keeping all onsite computers maintained and up to date. I also started to learn why a server and network of PC's was so important to the structure of all IT Systems within a business. My Apprenticeship included a college course at Alliance Learning. Alliance Learning is a training school the company I work for use for helping apprentices learn, whilst they work. I studied IT Business Management for four years. This course was very helpful to me in starting my development in IT Business studies and also starting work in general. I also have to mention my tutors were very good in helping me along the way with my units, coursework exams and completing my apprenticeship to a very high standard.

"Thinking and Learning about IT on a Professional level"
When I thought about IT as a job it was just about managing computers and giving IT support to users. I have learned there are many different roles within IT which take time to manage and maintain correctly. IT Technical Support, IT Data Networking, Computer Maintenance, Server Management, Data Backup and PC Security, Just to name a few of them. I will also make new posts explaining my experiences within these roles and what I have learned doing each.

IT Technician "Working up the professional ladder"

After completing my 4 year IT apprenticeship, I was rewarded with the position of IT Technician. This included the same responsibilities as I had previously, but with more of an important role within the business. This highlighted how high the demands are of IT and how critical IT systems are to any business being successful. Being an IT technician was a great way to fully understand all roles within IT. One part of the "IT Umbrella" which is so important to the job is a business grade network infrastructure this is something I didn't know much about before going into IT full time. Yes I knew about data cabling but I didn't think it was so important. This role within IT is something I now have great interest in and manage to a high level. Having spent hours managing in this field it has been very interesting to me, learning how important the network is and that is key to any business having a successful system uptime.

IT Networks don't get smaller they get bigger! IT Networks don't get slower they get faster!

IT Manager "I'm Loving it"

After a few years of progressing well as an IT Technician, I then became IT & Systems Manager. Being given the position of the IT Manager was a great achievement to me professionally and personally. This outlined that I had excelled in all the pervious roles to a very, very high level. Having the knowledge and experience to now take this new challenge was something I was eager to do. I have now been in this role for 5 years and I can honestly say its the best role for me! I'm still learning and looking to develop my skills and knowledge further. The best thing about IT is that things are always improving and new technologies are always being developed.

Thanks for reading my "About Me" page so far! I hope you keep on reading all my up and coming blogs and posts! Hit subscribe to stay in the loop!