More about Derek
I grew up in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA (yes, Groundhog Day!) until I was 18 and then moved to Pittsburgh for college and the beginning of my career in IT Support. I went to Robert Morris University for my Bachelors (Computer Information Systems) and Masters (IT Project Management) and worked in the Pittsburgh area for about 5 years to start my IT career. IN the fall of 2015 I had my first trip abroad to Germanyand there I fell in love with Berlin and immersing myself on how different culturally living in a European country could be. I decided then that I wanted to move to Berlin so that I could take a leap of faith and try to establish myself in a foreign country. Now 7 years later I have worked for a wide variety of companies, from small startups to large corporations in many industries.
Over the past 13+ years I have learned a lot, but most recently I have learned that I don't fit as well anymore in a big corporation, but instead I love working in a smaller startup or company where there is so many more unique challenges. That is why I have launched myself as a freelancer in IT Support.
More about Beary Friendly IT
Having worked with a lot of startups in Berlin I have become quite knowledgable on how teams tend to operate, the IT hardware required, and the SaaS tools needed to have the employees work efficiently. After speaking with a past colleague some time ago and her frustrations with working with freelance IT support, I realized their a a great market opportunity presented itself. I myself know from working in smaller companies that an IT person if often not hired until employee 75 to 100. It's understandable, but at the same time it often means that without a knowledgable person in place, many things are done incorrectly from the beginning. Therefore, hiring a freelancer before a full-time employee can save the company some money, but also set up a proper IT infrastructure and digital workspace from the beginning. My goal is to help these smaller startups building a strong IT-base before growing big.
So why BearyFriendlyIT?
Well, one thing that I also felt that set me aside from other in IT or Tech was my friendliness and willing to help people solve their problems. I wanted my brand to reflect my personality and also my identity. Typically IT support sites are try to look techy and nerdy. Not mine. As a member of the LGBTQI+ community, I identify as a bear in the community and fit the characteristics quite well. I love this identify for myself and wanted to somehow incorporate in my brand and website.
So with that you get BearyFriendlyIT.com