Joshua Pinkerton | Data Center & Cloud Engineering

What I do

I keep campus tech running and study how to run more of it.

Right now that means IT work by day and a B.S. in Cloud and Network Engineering at WGU by night. My home lab runs alongside both, putting what I study into practice.

See my projects Get in touch

About

As a Campus Technician at Everman ISD, I help keep infrastructure running across a distributed K-12 network. I work within the district team, show up early, learn fast, and document everything I touch so the next person doesn't have to guess.

My real goal isn't tied to a specific job title. I want stable, meaningful work I can do remotely, with real security in both my job and my skills. That means finishing my B.S. in Cloud and Network Engineering at WGU, holding CompTIA A+, and building toward Linux and AWS credentials.

Outside work I run whatever I can get my hands on. I've operated a World of Warcraft 3.3.5 private server in Docker and experimented with running 500 bots that play the game on their own. I swapped the SSD in my Steam Deck for a larger drive, and I keep a headless Ubuntu box with CasaOS running for the stuff that needs to stay up.

I still game when I can. Marvel Rivals has been the main pick lately, but I drop back into WoW, Minecraft, and Diablo fairly often. I go to estate sales whenever I can find the time; that's how I collect unique patches and stickers. I also run Jellyfin off my home server for movies and TV. I enjoy anime from the 80's and 90's, and movies of all kinds.

Active Directory Linux Administration Windows 10/11 & Server AWS Fundamentals ServiceNow Layer 1-3 Networking Virtualization (VirtualBox, Docker) Technical Documentation Patches & Stickers Estate Sales Marvel Rivals Movies

Experience

Campus Technician

Everman Independent School District

Fort Worth, TX · On-site · June 2026 – Present

Tier 1 and 2 enterprise infrastructure support across a highly distributed K-12 campus network.
Troubleshoot and resolve Layer 1 through Layer 3 network connectivity issues, including physical cabling, switch connectivity, and IP routing.
Deploy and image end-user hardware, connect devices to Active Directory, and enforce district IT policy.
Support a multi-OS environment: Windows, Chrome OS, iOS, and Linux variants.
Maintain hardware inventory and draft documentation, user manuals, and troubleshooting flowcharts.
Work with the Director of Technology and systems administrators on district-wide upgrades and after-hours emergencies.

Student Service Desk Assistant Tier 1

The University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, TX · On-site · Aug 2025 – Dec 2025

Tier 1 support for a 60,000-plus person university community across phone, chat, email, and walk-up channels.
Resolved account access issues including NetID activation, password resets, MFA troubleshooting, and email access.
Managed support tickets in ServiceNow with clear incident details, troubleshooting steps, and resolutions.
Authored and maintained internal knowledge base articles and training materials to improve team efficiency.

Technical Support Representative

Tailored Brands, Inc.

Houston, TX · Full-time · Aug 2012 – Aug 2015

Supported around 250 corporate office users with account management, software and hardware troubleshooting, and executive expedited support.
Managed user account lifecycle in Salesforce and ServiceNow, including identity verification and access provisioning and deprovisioning.
Maintained asset inventory tracking, device relocation, and replacement equipment ordering.

Projects

Things I build in my spare time because I don't know how to stop learning.

Virtualized Home Lab (AD + Linux)

Infrastructure simulation

Built a multi-VM environment in VirtualBox with a Windows Server domain controller and Ubuntu Server endpoints. I use it to practice OS-level Linux administration, domain-join workflows, and GPO troubleshooting.

Simulated enterprise campus VLAN segmentation and inter-VM routing.
Documented build steps, configuration baselines, and incident-response playbooks.

Homelab Incident Tracker

First Git project

Designed my first Git project for tracking and managing homelab incidents and change records. It provides repeatable incident handling, status history, and resolution tracking for a small home environment.

Built with Git and documented in a public repository.
Demonstrates change control and documentation discipline for IT environments.

Minecraft Multiplayer Server Ops

Gaming infrastructure

Managed authentication backend, permissions management, and network troubleshooting for 15-plus concurrent users across a persistent gaming environment.

Applied the same incident-tracking and rolling backup methodology used in homelab work.
Reduced downtime and stabilized player experience across restarts.

Education

B.S. Cloud and Network Engineering

Western Governors University

Jan 2026 – Expected 2027 · AWS Track

Program emphasizes cloud infrastructure, networking fundamentals, cybersecurity, and systems administration. CompTIA A+ and AWS Cloud Practitioner are included in the curriculum.

Coursework toward A.S. Cybersecurity

Tarrant County College

May 2024 – Jul 2025

Completed coursework with 3.34 GPA. Heavy emphasis on information security, network administration, cybersecurity fundamentals, and computer forensics.

Certifications

My certification roadmap, based on my WGU program and what I've already completed.

CompTIA A+

Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202) completed.

CompTIA Linux+ / Linux Essentials

In progress. Part of the WGU Cloud and Network Engineering curriculum after A+.

CompTIA Network+

Planned. Included in the WGU track and pairs with the Linux path for a strong infrastructure foundation.

AWS Cloud Practitioner

Planned. Included in the WGU curriculum and a natural bridge from on-prem infrastructure into cloud.

Contact

I'm based in Fort Worth, TX. If you think I'd be a fit, or if you just want to talk shop about Linux, AWS, or homelab builds, reach out.