Interview with Matt Worthington - TAZ's Server Admin

Matt Worthington is MattW, TAZ's server admin. Matt set up TAZ's server, keeps it up to date, and fixes it whenever I mess something up.

Matt's well know on XenForo.com and throughout the XF community for his technical expertise and helpfulness. We're lucky he's part of the TAZ community as well.

Let's see what we can find out about Matt.


=====================================================================================


Can you give us a brief bio?

Sure, so I'm Matt Worthington, 31, Married for almost 8 years, and have a 1 year old daughter, Violet.


Tell us about life in Sheffield.

It's great. I've lived in Sheffield all my life, and don't have any plans to move elsewhere. My work is 6 miles from home, so I don't really have traffic issues starting at 7am or 7pm, depending on what shifts I'm working. One thing that catches people out, is just how hilly it actually is. That's not great for my running!


What is your educational background?

Educated to A-Level standard in the UK. I got pretty crap grades, due to them changing the way A-Levels were done (AS / A-Level) and we were the first year doing it, and got taught the wrong curriculum! Never went to University.


What do you consider as your major accomplishments up to this point?

My biggest accomplishment so far is Violet. She's turning into a cracking little toddler, and is a pleasure to be around. In my professional career, at 24, I was made a Supervisor after just 18 months of being in the job.


Any failures you'd care to tell us about?

The only thing I've really failed at was a job interview I had to be a signaller on the railway, because I got 1 part of the perception test wrong.


What is your fulltime job?

I'm a Supervisor in a Global Network Operations Centre.


What are your responsibilities as a Supervisor in a Global Network Operations Centre?

I currently manage a shift of Network Analysts, who are ultimately responsible for the running and operating of the Global Network our company has. We do things from booking out telco circuits when they fault, to troubleshooting Cisco router issues, to having to trawl through software debug to try and find out why a single transaction has failed out of several thousand. Then there is the maintenance and changes that we undertake. As a Supervisor, we are also responsible for Major Incidents, and engaging and managing various support teams to help is...

Click to expand...

The Sandman said:

I don't drink or smoke

Click to expand...

MattW said:

For example, if I'm stuck on something at work, going out for a run and having a think about it while out usually helps me figure out what I need to do.

Click to expand...

The Sandman said:

What are the most common technical mistakes you see new admins making?

Copying and pasting configuration files found on the internet, without actually taking the time to understand what they are doing. This then causes further issues when it doesn't work, and they don't know why.

Click to expand...

Alex. said:

Nice interview. Any plans on ditching the Astra and getting the Focus RS that's due to come out?

Click to expand...

MattW said:

I sold the Astra over a year ago. I now have an Audi A3 1.6 TDI

Click to expand...

Alex. said:

It could be worse. You could have bought a Zafira.

Click to expand...

Morganna said:

I have a Zafira

Click to expand...

Alex. said:

The A3 is a nice hatch, but if it's like any other Audi, the small replacements or servicing take forever. Want to change the oil filter? Remove the entire front end. Need to change the bulbs? Remove the front bumper cover, and the list goes on

Click to expand...