United Tel-Com
Address: 1105 W McArtor Rd, Dodge City, KS
Homepage: https://unitedtelcom.net/index.php
Phone: 888-303-0083
Contact: Mike Salmans (mikes@unitedtelcom.net)
General Information
United Tel-Com was organized in 1951 in Ford County, they currently employ around 90 people all-round the Southwest Kansas area. Their base of operations is in Dodge City where many of their employees work. They provide internet, 4G/LTE, telephone, and television streaming services to their customers.
Why I’m Interested
There are a lot of appealing factors for me about United Tel-Com. The first being I’ve interned there a few summers already. I already have some connections there, and I have established myself there in a way. I do not like starting from scratch so having already formed some relationships there is very appealing to me. The second big appeal, and probably the most important to me, is that it’s close to home. Dodge City is only 30 minutes away from my hometown which I could easily transit from every day. The last thing that is appealing to me from this company, is that they are quite involved in the community. If you are from around the area you almost certainly have seen their logo on the back of a shirt they sponsored. They play a large role in the annual celebration of Dodge City Days. I’ve always appreciated when a company gives back to the community, so I would like to work for one who shares those values.
Questions to Help Me Succeed
- Since I already have a history there, will it be easy for me to break away from that “intern” status?
- For more senior positions, are they usually filled by promotion through the company ladder? Or hired from people outside the company?
- If I am hired as an IT Tech, what can I do to stand out from my colleagues?
- Can I expect after a certain amount of time at the company to be granted more freedom with my schedule ex. working from home?
- If I am struggling with a certain concept by what means would I get training? Shadowing with a more experienced employee? More of a teach-yourself method?
Black Dragon Networks
Address: 523 Main St, Jetmore, KS
Homepage: https://www.blackdragonnetworks.com/
Phone: 620-263-0152
Contact: Susan Nuss (620-393-9001)
General Information
Black Dragon is an internet distributor whose goal is to connect rural areas in western Kansas. They have only been established for a couple of years. They are an outside plant engineering contractor for AT&T and are minority-owned. At the moment they are based in Jetmore, their mission is to expand to other rural areas.
Why I’m Interested
I think the opportunity to be a part of something fresh and new with such a neat mission could be very fulfilling. Coming from a small town sometimes you can feel overlooked by larger carriers. Hearing about a company whose goal is to tackle that exact problem is very refreshing. Contributing to that mission could be a very gratifying experience. As I mentioned with United Tel-Com being close to home is meaningful to me. With Black Dragon, they are even closer which automatically makes it an enticing option.
Questions to Help Me Succeed
- Since this a very new business, what is the expansion of this company going to look like?
- Since this a very new business, will I be limited financially?
- Since there are only a few people employed right now, what does the individual workload look like?
- If I am hired as an IT Tech, what can I do to stand out from my colleagues?
- Is this company involved with the community beyond just the business operations?
Nex-Tech
Address: 2418 Vine St, Hays, KS
Homepage: https://www.nex-tech.com/
Phone: 877-625-7872
Contact: jobapplications@nex-tech.com
General Information
Nex-Tech is another broadband distributer. They also provide phone, television, and wireless services. Their headquarters are in Lenora, Kansas but have over 20 locations. After more than 65 years of providing service to customers, they cover a large part of Kansas. On top of their home solutions, they provide services for businesses as well, such as; cloud services, network security, managed IT, physical security and surveillance, and advertising solutions.
Why I’m Interested
Compared to the first two options, Nex-Tech is a relatively bigger corporation. Therefore there are more opportunities for promotion and more options in my career path. All of this while maintaining a relatively close distance to home, and remaining in small rural towns. There are some appeals to living in northern Kansas compared to southwest Kansas. Spending my entire life in southwest Kansas I have adapted to the heat, lack of humidity, and last but not least the wind. With that being said, I’m still not a fan of it. Nex-Tech also covers as far east as Salina, which it may not seem like the weather there could be that much difference in weather, but all it takes is a few better golfing days to potentially convince me. I also have some consumer experience with Nex-Tech, and I have nothing but compliments. This may seem insignificant, but if all their employees are as pleasant as the ones I dealt with, then it sounds like a decent place to work.
Questions to Help Me Succeed
- Since there are multiple divisions of the company, how is communication dealt with the other locations?
- Since there are multiple divisions of the company, if a job opportunity presents itself in another location do I have a leg up on other potential candidates?
- Is the standard method of promotion in this company through climbing the hierarchal ladder?
- If I am hired as an IT Tech, what can I do to stand out from my colleagues?
- If I am struggling with a certain concept by what means would I get training? Shadowing with a more experienced employee? More of a teach-yourself method?
USD 227
Address: 510 Niederacher Street, Jetmore, KS
Homepage: https://www.usd227.org/
Phone: 620-357-8301
Contact: Doug Chaney (620-357-8395)
General Information
USD 227 is the school district of Hodgeman County. There are two towns that make-up Hodgeman County; Jetmore (population: 800) and Hanston (population: 200). Both the elementary school and junior high/high school are in Jetmore and consist of about 250 students K-12. The job I would be looking to obtain at USD 227 is as a network administrator, which would include running and maintaining the school’s servers and networks.
Why I’m Interested
This option is certainly different from the rest of the list, but I think it would be unique in many ways. For one, I would be the lone operator of the network, which would be cool, from the perspective that I wouldn’t necessarily take orders from anyone. I still would in the sense that I still report to someone, but I would be the only person in my field so, I wouldn’t take orders from anyone in that way. It has shown to be a common theme with my choices, but this is back in my hometown, so that is a huge benefit. If I am being honest, I don’t see this happening. Not due to lack of interest, mainly just for logistical reasons. I think it would be an awesome opportunity to work at my old high school. I also love the idea of running a network on my own, so I will make sure to keep an open mind.
Questions to Help Me Succeed
- Will this job provide me with enough duties to work a full day?
- Is the work-load light enough that I would be able to teach on top of running the network?
- How much freedom would I have in terms of choosing what technologies or equipment I would want to implement?
- Are there opportunities to continue working in the summer?
- What are some technologies the school would like to see implemented?
References
Business news. Newsletter and Press Information. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.nex-tech.com/About/Newsroom.aspx
Home. blackdragon. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.blackdragonnetworks.com/
Lane, T. (n.d.). Our history begins with you. United Telcom. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://unitedtelcom.net/content/view/28/40/
USD 227 – USD 227 mission statement. USD 227 – USD 227 MISSION STATEMENT. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.usd227.org/vnews/display.v/ART/4da3029b60d5a
Gavin,
I like that you focused on more local companies in your research. I currently live in a similarly sized are and it sounds like the makeup of industry is quite similar. We have a local TeleCom and ISP that accounts for most of the Information Tech available jobs in the area much like the United Tel-Com and Black Dragon that you described. I also enjoyed the questions that you raised about a network admin at your old high school. I am sure that not being too long removed from those days as a high school student, you know full well that being a one person show in the IT game for a school district of that size means you have to wear many hats, and that keeps the schedule plenty full, even in the summer! I liked the information and thought put into this position however, as a small district admin myself, the job can have its perks and drawbacks when balancing a budget and demands against the ever-changing tech requirements of public education.
It looks like your first option at United Tel-Com would be a great fit! I was impressed you were able to find a contact person for most of your options. I ended up looking at bigger companies and they tend to have more general information until you’re in the actual process of interviewing.
I think the Black Dragon Networks opportunity could be really exciting and have growth potential. You will just have to keep an eye out on how they do in the coming years and ask yourself what types of stresses you are willing to/want to take on.