What can I bring in from previous work experience?

The truth is: it depends on who is asking. What do you need? What are you looking for in an administrator?

Interface skills

I studied Media Systems, which sits between media technology and IT. That gave me a broad foundation across fields and terminology. Even though I worked in graphics and management in the entertainment industry, I always had the IT basics with me. That helps me see both sides, communicate both, and do both.

IaC (Infrastructure as Code)

I have professional experience with Git, markup languages, scripting, and versioning. Even when I sat inside Art and Design departments, the work was usually part of software development for real products used by customers—and sometimes even architecture.

Documentation

Floor plans and graphics work (e.g., logical diagrams in draw.io) are part of my toolkit. I’ve done documentation and asset management. In games, “assets” are different from physical hardware, but the discipline is similar: we organized and managed thousands of assets using SVN, Git, and similar tools.

Setting up servers

I’ve set up servers for rendering at Gaming Minds Studios, AI image generation, and local web services—from my Proxmox homelab to a render cluster that supported almost the entire company’s pipeline.

Building PCs

During my studies I assembled used PC parts and sold them on eBay. Recently, through my last job and my homelab, I got back into hardware—hands-on, as every technician should.

 

 

Administering test centers

At Skill Networks I set up rooms with many PCs for test candidates, installed and connected the testing software, handled surveillance and security, and spoke with Microsoft support when things broke. I was also expected to set up email accounts and VPNs.

Ticket systems

Not just receiving tickets: I’ve created tickets, built workflows, and managed timelines for features and tasks. I also worked as a QA tester. Most of my work was iterative and agile. (ITIL—not much.) Tools I’ve touched: Jira, Hansoft, Mantis, Trac. A favorite from my uni and freelance days was Clocking IT (FOSS). I adapt quickly to new systems, although some modern, always-online tools can create extra work. I’m currently involved with a company that routes everything through AI (Fountain). The AI isn’t the problem—lack of access to a human for special cases is.

English skills

I work in English comfortably.

Lifelong learning

I keep adapting to new tech. I use memory techniques like memory palaces and the Major System.

Presentations and teaching

I’ve taught and I’ve done QA, so I can explain, present, and train. I use techniques like graphic facilitation and Feynman-style teaching.

Media fundamentals

Media Systems also covers displays, print, DPI/PPI, color, light, spectral characteristics, and how to represent them across screens and modern media for games, film, and VR.

Negotiation, entrepreneurship, time management

Running my own studio with clients—from small to not so small—forced me to manage time and myself. Acting as a producer on game projects gave me management experience beyond a typical junior.

Quality assurance

I was once asked about QA experience—maybe to test my standards. I did freelance QA for about half a year at InnoGames to get some financing while I got started as a freelance artist. It taught me systematic testing and clear reporting.

By the end of the day, it’s up to you: what do you want, what do you need?

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