Marco Cucinotta

Years with MIL: 2.5

Why did you decide to join MIL?

At the time, I was working on my undergraduate degree in Computer Networking and Security, and I wanted to get into the IT field and work both in tandem. It is one thing to study your notes, and complete online labs, but it is another to be able to apply what you are learning in the classroom to the real world. As such, MIL decided to bring me on-board and I could not be happier. I have been able to learn from two different sources at the same time, which greatly helped my professional career and my educational career all the way to graduation. I am able to learn more every day at work.

What is the best piece of career advice you can offer someone in your field who is either applying to or beginning a career at MIL?

“Be eager to learn” is easily the best career advice I can offer. No matter your experience level, if you have a willingness and want to learn, there are endless resources at your disposal to make that happen. Every one of my coworkers has taught me something valuable. At MIL, if I ask a question, I am provided with both a detailed answer and an explanation because of my willingness to learn. Regardless of the amount of education, or years of experience under your belt, MIL will continuously provide you with something new. If you are thinking of applying to or beginning a career at MIL, be eager to learn.

What is your most memorable/significant experience that has occurred during your time with MIL?

When I first started at MIL I was a junior systems administrator. In this role, I built workstations, servers, and provided all around Tier I and II technical support. After about a year and a half into the role, I wanted to grow and do something a bit different. I hoped to expand my role to incorporate Linux systems. The exact day I was going to talk with my supervisor at MIL about requesting a change, he beat me to the punch. I was asked if I wanted to start working on the storage administration team, multiple Linux systems, learning new technologies, and working on large scale projects that have a large impact on the enterprise. I gladly accepted with a smile on my face, and more than a year later I am still learning new things, working on new projects, and still enjoying my current position here at MIL.

Why do you enjoy working at MIL?

I enjoy working at MIL for so many reasons. I enjoy the work I do and if it becomes stagnant, MIL strives to keep me engaged. I enjoy working with my coworkers, as they are all extremely helpful and supportive and truly want me to succeed. In addition, there are so many team building activities that MIL offers, such as a Crab Feast, tickets to a Capitals game, or a night at the MGM. MIL is a great company, and I can truly see a long-lasting career here.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The best aspect of MIL is the hands-on experience and learning I am provided with. Without the hands-on experience, I would be light years behind the current status quo relating to the IT industry. In addition, the work environment is also a huge plus. The comradery is unreal, as the work relationships myself and others have could not be better. For example, if you need help on something, you have three people coming to you offering what they can. I am empowered to set my own schedule, conduct research and testing, and ultimately provide top-notch results meeting or exceeding the requested completion date.

What is important about your work?

My work directly impacts everyone in my building, on my team, and dozens more whether they are here locally or across the country. I provide storage for file share access, backend storage for virtual machines, or a parallel file system for extreme I/O data analytic software. Without my team and I, we would have lost a critical aspect of the core infrastructure. Being able to test, evaluate, build, and maintain every piece of hardware or software coming in is extremely important to me because I know once we put the bow on top, the customer will have a viable and working solution that they asked us for.