James Barcus

VCF

Born and raised in Texas I started off my early years in the Hill Country and completed my schooling in San Antonio. I began my interest in computers as soon it was possible to do so; getting one of the first Apples released – The Apple IIc. This was before any hard drives or other data storage devices were available, and years before software was produced so I learned Basic computer language in order to create my own entertainment. I upgraded over the years keeping up with the industry while successfully avoiding all-out nerd-dom.

After school I joined the Navy. I completed basic and advanced training in Great Lakes, Illinois. From there I was fortunate enough to get stationed in the “Pineapple Fleet” in Pearl Harbor. My intellect helped open doors while in the military, however my rebelliousness over authority figures ensured those doors had formidable baby gates. So after my contract was over the Navy and I parted ways. From there I moved to the borough of Queens in NY, NY for a brief stint before moving back to Texas. I ended up in Dallas, found a wife, had a son, lost the wife but found another one. I was introduced to Oly and OCS through my first wife who worked at one of his first clients, over 21 years ago. From that point he and I continued to build and grow OCS over the years developing an amazing group of guys who are more akin to the Band of Brothers than coworkers.

Because I have been with OCS from just a few years after it’s inception I have been involved in most everything we have undertaken, to some degree, at some point. From Windows 3.1, to Windows 11, Server NT to Server 2019, Office 95 to Office 365, and various versions of Terminal Servers, SQL, and Exchange there is not a lot I have not at least had some exposure to over the years. Being the senior tech for my tenure I have taken many leads over network installs and rollovers. I have also have quite a bit of experience with new client onboarding, network security, routing and firewalls, virus cleanup and prevention, server configurations and implementation, networking, and mastering office desktop setups. And I still get to learn new things all the time in one of the most versatile fields ever, Information Technology – Computer Tech.

Being in IT I try to balance my personal life to where I am not constantly in front of a monitor or screen. So although I am a professional nerd I try and keep a somewhat active and creative life whenever I can talk myself into it. Because of where we are as a society and our evolution as a species a few hobbies and past times (like investments) still require a bit of time on a computer I like to spend time outdoors during the pleasant months. Currently I kayak rivers, often spending a night or two on a trip. I have a trailer and a Harley Iron 883 so I can be my own shuttle. So far I have kayaked, in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Virginia. I love to travel with or without the kayaks by car, boat, or plane. Through the Navy I spent some time in Korea, The Philippines, Hawaii, Australia, California, and Midway Island. Outside of the service I have continued to travel when possible spending time in most of the US states, Caribbean, and a few countries in Europe. I have taken a few college courses in photography and was even a professional photographer for a brief period which also ties in to my love of travel. I love to hike, explore, and spelunk. I also love to write and have published a few things.