Ask Tim Cunningham about the importance of education and he'll tell you how it saved his professional life.
The 11-year LAN support specialist's principal responsibility is servicing and updating staff computers for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences through the college's Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts and Sciences.
He spent much of the early part of his career in various factories working as an equipment operator before making his move into the computer field.
"Back then, I could barely spell computer," he said. "I've done everything you can think of to break a computer."
It's that honest approach that has allowed Cunningham to build a rapport with the employees he serves at Greg Hall and the Foreign Languages Building, where his office is.
To Cunningham, there are no "dumb" questions and solutions are elusive usually because of their simplicity. It helps that he's gone through many of those problems himself - like being stymied by a problem that turns out to be as simple as a disconnected cord.
"I know what it's like to be on the other end of customer service and to feel lost," he said.
That's why Cunningham works hard to take the extra step of getting to know anyone who calls for computer help - and doesn't look down on anyone challenged by computer technology.
"It makes my job easier because everybody works differently and everybody has different needs," he said. "You have to sit down and listen to that person because, generally, they already know the answer as to why something isn't working. But that only works if you talk to them and actually watch how they do their job."
And if users won't come to the techie, then the techie will come to them. Cunningham said pre-emptive measures are sometimes the best defense against future problems.
"I spend a lot of time walking the halls, looking for problems," he said. "That face time reduces problems right from the start, before they get big.
He said being surrounded by a great staff makes finding solutions that much easier.
"There are some people who think knowledge is power, so they don't share it," he said. "The guys I work with are the opposite of that. They're all outstanding, but we know that none of us has all the answers. I'll look at a problem and get some advice from somebody else here and suddenly I'm a genius."
Cunningham's introduction to a computer support career came after successive layoffs from factory work and struggling to find consistent work.
The company that laid him off offered retraining services and Cunningham jumped at the opportunity. That was about halfway through his career and before long he had moved from the factory floor to repairing servers.
"I had gone through so many layoffs I kind of got used to it," he said. "But if it wasn't for that training, I'd have been just another 40-year-old guy looking for a job. When I started learning computers I knew right then I would never have to go through that again."
Cunningham, of Oakwood, Ill., ended up at the UI because he was trying to find a job that was close to his wife, Linda, who worked for the Illinois State Geological Survey on campus when it was under the auspices of the state of Illinois. She is now retired.
He said he tried every angle to get hired at the university and was eventually accepted for Departmental User Services (now Departmental Services) through Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services.
"I applied for everything but goat herder," he said.
Cunningham, who also is a computer-service zone manager responsible for about 600 users, is known for his easygoing demeanor and for the flowered Hawaiian-themed shirts he always wears on casual Fridays, a tradition he started years ago while working in a factory.
He said the Hawaiian theme has somewhat caught on and that from time-to-time he'll find an inspired co-worker wearing what he calls an "ugly" or "loud" shirt.
"I tell people I wear it because I'm a sloppy eater," he said. "A couple of guys started wearing them and every now and then I'll catch a secretary wearing one of those shirts. It just says it's Friday."
When he's not working Cunningham enjoys yard work and his Boston terrier, Domino, who requires a nightly bike ride with his owner. Cunningham, who has two adult-age daughters, said he became interested in landscaping his yard after realizing it meant he didn't have to mow as often.
He's also an avid kayaker and over the summer is in the water as often as possible (along with the dog, who also enjoys the sport). His favorite local spots include the Vermilion River's Salt Fork and Middle Fork runs.
He and Linda also like to travel, their favorite spot being Key West, Fla.
"That's where I get all my shirts," he said.