For Mica, working at ITS has been a great experience as they learned and discovered many things about themself, their passion, and their strengths.
Who is Mica, and what do they do?
Mica Messersmith is a Project Technician at Intelligent Technical Solutions (ITS) who has been with the company for more than four years. As a Project Technician, their day comprises working on projects and trying to keep them moving.
“A lot of what I do involves writing scripts to handle automated tasks. My typical workday is I clock in and go to a morning meeting. And then I come into my office and just work the rest of the day there.” Mica says.
Mica definitely loves what they do because they usually clock out way later than they should. Their reason is, “Because I don’t seem to know how to stop working.”
On most days, they work remotely in their Las Vegas home office and only come to the office if something urgent comes up that physically needs them to be there. They cite one recent incident:
“So we had to configure a bunch of switches for a client… They were in the boxes, so I had to go to the office, pull them out of the boxes, hook them up, get them configured, and pack them back up… Other than that, I don’t really go to the office for anything at this point.”
How did they end up in tech?
Mica’s passion for technology goes way back to their youth, curiously learning programs, and falling in love with it.
“This was back in the early 80s. I just really enjoyed doing any tech-related stuff in my free time.” Mica shares.
Over time, they became the ‘computer person’ wherever they worked. But it wasn’t until 1996 that they got their first official IT-related job.
“I did tech support, desktop support, and tech documentation. But most of that time was basically just a transition from phone-based tech support to internal corporate desktop support to server admin stuff,” they explain. “Then, I got pulled into working for MSPs, and here I am still.”
What has been their most significant achievement working at ITS?
To be able to make a living out of something they love is already a feat in itself. But if asked what their greatest achievement is, Mica is quick to answer, “My biggest accomplishment is that I created a suite of Powershell scripts to facilitate migrations to 365,” they beam. “Those have been shared with various people within the company as they need them. I feel that’s probably the most significant thing I’ve done.”
What do they do on their rest days?
Although a self-professed workaholic, Mica surely knows how to have fun–either by spending their cozy mornings at home or finding relaxation on the road.
“On days off, I typically start my day by making breakfast with my wife. We will just sit there and watch cartoons for a couple of hours. Then, I will get sucked into some projects around the house that may or may not yield anything useful, but that’s how you learn.”
These projects often involve playing and fixing pinball machines or sewing.
In terms of hobbies, they spend the most time riding or tinkering with their motorcycle. They are so passionate about this hobby that they now have several units sitting at home (that they admit they don’t need.) Nobody would assume that they were once forbidden from riding–and for justifiable reasons.
“So, I got my license back in 2006. I started riding a bit. In 2007, I started developing some vision issues. Around 2009, I had to stop riding altogether. And not long after, I had to stop driving my car too.”
Mica couldn’t drive for three long years until their vision issues stabilized. When it did, the doctors allowed them to drive again. After a few years of driving, they tried motorcycling again. Fortunately, things worked out, and they have been riding ever since.
“In fact, that’s my primary mode of transportation, regardless of what time of year it is around here,” Mica says matter-of-factly. “Honestly, that’s all I would do if I weren’t working.”
But as much as they love the healing they find when they ride, Mica prioritizes safety over anything–especially with their history. That’s why they stopped off-roading after trying it a few times.
“I’m not particularly good at off-roading, but I’m okay. However, I’ve had a bit of an incident where I dropped a bike, and it was in a place that was hard for people to get. Because of that, I started thinking that it’s probably not a good idea to do much off-roading unless I have someone with me. Since I generally ride alone, I stayed away from that.”
When asked if they ever joined competitions or had plans of doing so, they firmly declined.
“No. It’s not a good idea for me to join competitions. I can get pretty competitive, but I tend to get frazzled with things and develop a lot of anxiety about that. So, I found that it’s just better to stay out of competitions and just do things for fun.”
What do they love most about the company?
Mica is an open book to those who have known and met them. But if there’s one thing that many people probably don’t know is that they are gender-fluid.
“It’s been a big deal in my life–kind of a life-changing thing. In general, it’s not something that I really like to make a big deal of because I just want to be me. But I think the most important thing here is how supportive ITS has been. They have been super cool about it, and I love how it is a non-issue in the company, which is exactly how it should be.”
And although they/them were used throughout the article, Mica is actually fine with people using any pronoun to refer to them. They say that it’s really important that they feel comfortable being themself in the environment they’re in.
“That goes so far. And it really says something about the company culture and the people here… Everybody I worked with is just awesome, and I can’t think of one person I’ve dealt with here that I don’t like. So, it’s a pretty amazing place to be at.”
