Tools of the trade
Just what kinds of tools do you need to do a systems administrator job? I Am talking about actual hand-type tools, not fancy laptops, big brains or large amounts of your favorite caffeinated beverage and pizza. Surprisingly, I use very few.
The first thing I picked up is a little toolkit. I don’t think you need to spend a lot of cash on it, in fact, mine was less than $6, but it needs a few important pieces in it. The most important by far, probably, is a halfway decent screwdriver with at least a small selection of bits. The kit I bought (from Microcenter btw) has a regular screwdriver with extension and bit set and also has a small selection of the small jewelers screwdrivers. Although I hardly ever use jeweler screwdrivers, if your glasses happen to fall apart or something, they sure are handy to have around! The kit also includes a pair of tweezers which I have never touched, and two more quite important tools, a pair of side cutters and a pair of needle nose pliers. You’d be surprised how handy both of those are.
The other must-have is a pocket knife. Really. I cannot tell you how many times I reach for my pocket knife a day. I use it for everything from opening boxes and cutting strapping/cable ties/old wires to perforating the film on my lunch before I pop it in the microwave (yes, I wash it off first). Some guys carry around a Leatherman or a Swiss Army Knife with all kinds of screwdrivers and other things attached, but my preference is single task tools. They just seem more rugged, easier to use and better suited for daily use. To that end I picked a decent little inexpensive pocket knife, a Winchester Parfive, which was well under $20.
The only other tool I can think of that might enjoy wide use for some Systems Administrators is a good Ratcheting Telemaster cable crimper. While I don’t really use one of those at my current Sysadmin job, I used to use it almost daily at my old job. Do yourself a favor and make sure you buy a good quality tool here with a comfortable handle. After you squeeze on it a few hundred times you’ll understand why 🙂
Not the final authority on the subject, I am also interested to know what you might use yourself, and if you think I may have forgotten something. Just let me know by leaving a comment here or sending me an email in the usual manner.