Episode 14: Life as a SysAdmin with Nate Lager

The role of the system administrator has changed a lot in the last couple decades, but some of us are still proudly flying the flag. Eric sits down with longtime friend Nate Lager to talk about his career journey, lessons learned from the trenches, and what still excites him about tech today.

We’ll cover everything from burnout to bash scripts, automation to authenticity. Whether you’re a new sysadmin, a grizzled graybeard, or someone who just loves nerding out about Linux and infrastructure—you’ll feel right at home.

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Welcome to The IT Guy Show, your go-to destination for all things tech with Eric, your friendly neighborhood IT guy! Join Eric as he shares his wealth of knowledge, insights, and experiences gained from years of working in the IT industry. From troubleshooting common tech issues to exploring the latest trends and innovations, each episode is packed with practical tips, skilled advice, and engaging discussions.

Connect with me! https://linktr.ee/itguyeric
Join our:
Discord: https://itguyeric.com/discord
Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#podcast-itguyeric:matrix.org
Connect with Nate:
https://social.undrground.org/@gangrif
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ironsysadmin/

Iron SysAdmin Podcast
https://www.ironsysadmin.com
https://www.youtube.com/@ironsysadmin

SWB Crawler
https://www.swbcrawler.com
https://www.youtube.com/swbcrawler

Hetzner Hosting
https://www.hetzner.com/

BootC: Getting Started with Bootable Containers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf1xqjLeA9M

Security: Configuring Sudo Access | Into the Terminal 62
https://www.youtube.com/live/rEdBkgKs4NA?si=UV43zA_Kss86hoia

Chapters:
00:00 Stream Start
00:14 Introduction
01:36 Nate Lager
06:38 Starting in Technology
18:04 Technology Career
31:38 Moving to Red Hat
44:55 Jeep Guy
50:03 Lightning Round
55:53 Nate’s Advice
01:08:32 Wrap up

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Graphics and bumpers by Free Hive Agency
Photo by Thomas Jensen on Unsplash

Special Guest: Nate Lager.