I am one of the new guys in the Seattle datacenter. Since I started, people often ask me that question or some variation of it. The short answer: It’s wonderful, I love it.

The long answer is…well, long.

First some background! I’m a recent addition to the IT industry. Since I joined the workforce, I’ve worked in fast food, security, retail, and even a call center. After my call center job, I decided to take my computer hobby and turn it into a career. I received my associates degree and found that I really needed employment. Luckily, my school helped me search.

For almost three months, I received calls from IT recruiters. I interviewed with 4 companies. I finally had a position lined up that was very promising.

Then my Career Services recruiter called, asking if I wanted to come in for an on-site interview, as SoftLayer was interested in recruiting students. I was hesitant, as I already had a position lined up. She convinced me to interview anyway. The day before the interview, she sent me tons of information about SoftLayer. After poking around, I found the InnerLayer. (Has this come full circle or what?)

After reading a few blogs, I realized that SoftLayer had the perfect corporate culture for me.

The next day I interviewed. Joshua Rushe, VP of Operations conducted the interview. He was warm, friendly, and very down to earth. In some ways it was the strangest interview I’ve ever had. Josh appeared to be more interested in me as a person, than my qualifications. (Of course, he had already seen my résumé.) I was more than a little shocked when he ignored my prepared portfolio. We spent most of the interview time talking about the work, what SoftLayer expected out of an employee, and SoftLayer’s corporate culture.

Here I am, 2.5 months later, and I love my position.

So enough of background! What’s it like to work at SoftLayer?

We work hard, and we play hard. In the few moments between working hard, when we have the time, we joke around and have fun. SoftLayer recently flew myself and a co-worker down to Dallas to work alongside the great people down there. I learned a great deal. For instance, I learned at the cable labeling party in Dallas that we can work hard and have fun at the same time!

The people are helpful and friendly. The work is challenging and rewarding. It’s nice to know at the end of the day that I’ve done my part to help the internet grow.

**Cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, hack hack**

These are the famous noises that come from the NOC every so often. I swore and swore that I wouldn’t get sick. To be honest, there was something going around about four months ago, and I was just about the only one that didn’t get sick, and I was King-of-the-NOC!

Not this time.

Emails were sent out — “Clean your workstations — wash your hands — don’t throw your used Kleenex tissues at other NOC personnel — and for the love of God, don’t get sick”. Oops. So, one by one, each NOC technician started getting sick. One down, two down, three down…

Then it hit me.

You know how it starts, don’t act dumb. It all starts with that sore throat, that isn’t that sore, but makes you wonder if you’re getting sick, and everything ends up becoming a psychological battle of “do’s and don’ts” to get better, before you get any worse. It never works. You start feeling that sore throat, which gets worse as every hour goes by, as you start overdosing on Vitamin C drops/pills. Then you think, “I don’t just need Vitamin C, right!?” So, then you did around the infamous Softlayer NOC Pharmacy, and start overdosing on off-brand multivitamin, Centrum wanna-be’s**.
Things get worse.
So, by the end of the shift, your throat feels like it’s on fire. You have to make a Wal-Mart run at 12am in the morning (depending on your shift), and you buy every little piece of medicine you think you might need to make life better while you are…Sick.

So, for a few days, you end up chugging cough syrup, feeding on Centrum wanna-be’s, Vitamin C pills/drops, Halls Mentho-lyptus “Mountain Menthol” cough drops, Airborne Formula (more on this later)…and VITAMIN GUMBALLS!!
That’s right, folks. We have vitamin gumballs, and they are GROSS! The pink one is okay, probably the best out of them all, but it still taste like rubber. Ugh. Now, as for the Airborne Formula, I just don’t trust it. I mean, people say it’s GREAT, however, I need proof. I mean, come on, it was created by a second grade teacher. Was this teacher a doctor before he/she decided to actually teach kids multiplication? Think people. Think.

Overall, most of us in the NOC got sick, including me. I’m just now getting over this, while I still fight off a tickle cough, but I’m sure this will never be the end. So folks, keep taking that Vitamin C and that Centrum wanna-be, and don’t get sick. I’m sure next time I’m NOC gonna get sick!

** Centrum Wanna-be is what I call Off-Brand (Equate) Multivitamin Tablets.