Broken projectors, malfunctioning laptops and faulty software.  Attending school in the digital era presents a torrent of technological issues that frustrate both students and staff. When faced with such problems, many people rely on North’s ‘tech guy,’ who routinely solves any and all of our digital dilemmas. 

Technology Support Specialist Tim Gunier works throughout the building to fulfill North’s endless technological needs. Much of his day revolves around fixing district-provided student laptops.

“[My job] varies a lot depending on the day,” Gunier said. “In general, it would be managing the student computers that come down with issues, either trying to repair them on the spot or swap them out for a new one. If I couldn’t repair them then, once I get them in, ordering the parts and repairing them, and then also re-imaging them so that there is a fresh image on ones that were having software issues, and then reinstalling Windows.”

Teachers and other staff members are no strangers to similar conflicts.

“Occasionally, I’ll get a call from a teacher who’s having issues in their classroom with their projector, docking station, their monitor…[I will] address those things,” Gunier said.

Gunier’s path to North is just as complex as the job itself. First, he left the rural town of Newark, Illinois to attend Columbia College in Chicago.

“[My degree] was a bachelor’s in fine arts, in film and video, and I specialized in post production, so film editing,” Gunier said. 

Next, he used his education to secure work in television, editing for the entertainment series “Gangland.” 

“Gangland was fun but tedious,” Gunier said. “I wasn’t a main editor on it so I mostly did little stuff. The worst part was sorting through footage that gang members sent in. Often there would be material that really isn’t stuff you want to see. Unfortunately it all has to be captured though so you have to sit through it.”

Later, he ventured out from the Windy City and into the suburbs with his wife and first child. With fewer television jobs available, Gunier began working for the family business selling machinery to avoid commuting a long distance. 

“In that role, because it was a small family business, I kind of became the network administrator slash tech guy for all the tech needs at the building,” Gunier said. “That got me familiarized with the system.” 

Finally, Gunier left the family business to pursue a different interest.

“I never liked the sales aspect of my job,” Gunier said. “I don’t have the personality for sales and I hated half the people I had to deal with. I enjoyed the tech stuff I did in that job so when another opportunity opened up, away from the sales stuff, I jumped at it.”

That opportunity was becoming a technology specialist at North, and Gunier began working here in September 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. This circumstance made for an unconventional introduction to the school. 

“It was stressful at times,” Gunier said. “But mostly it was really nice to get my feet wet in the school before kids came back.”

Technology has always been a point of interest for Gunier. He enjoys collecting vintage audio equipment, using the CAD lab for 3D modeling and printing and racing RC cars. These hobbies intertwine audio, visuals, computers and general technology, which merges with Gunier’s current job.

“One of my personal passions in life is audio and visual stuff, audio equipment …  and there are needs for that in the auditorium, so I can mess with the microphones and set up those different things and play with things to make sure they work as efficiently and as well as possible,”  Gunier said.

Although being a technology specialist involves mostly behind-the-scenes work, Gunier’s contributions to the school have not gone unnoticed. 

“We feel so lucky to have Mr. Gunier as our building tech [specialist],”  Media Specialist Kelly Zack said. “Because of him, we are able to have a fast turnaround time when laptop and technology issues occur.” 

Additionally, both Zack and science teacher Sarah Sicinski noted that Gunier is friendly and approachable, which is fortunate due to how dependent people have become on the services of technology specialists in schools and businesses during the pandemic.

“Keeping everything functioning properly was essential last year,” Sicinski said.  “Even this year, although we aren’t Zooming or using Google Meets very often, all of our materials are online.” 

This recognition from teachers and staff is appreciated by Gunier, who is the only official technology specialist in a building with over 2,500 students and staff members. 

“For me personally, [the most difficult part of the job is] trying to prioritize the most important needs and managing those accordingly, because there are certain things that need to be addressed quickly, and there are certain things that can wait,” Gunier said. “And, then also, the customer service of it, because everybody’s problem, to them, is the most important problem right now, so managing those expectations and things like that can be a little bit of a challenge.” 

However, Gunier took care to note that “Everybody is so nice and so understanding and so patient, so it’s been incredibly helpful.” 

Despite the occasional challenges, Gunier loves being a technology specialist. His ability to continually explore different aspects of technology while interacting with North’s students and staff makes the challenges worthwhile.

“There’s a lot that I enjoy, but if I had to narrow it down to one thing, I’d say the variety,” Gunier said. “It never gets stagnant. There’s always something to do, and there’s always a variety of things to do. If I want to work by myself in my cave, I can do that…If I want to talk with people, there are plenty of things to work on with people and help them in those aspects.”

Gunier is often impossible to track down as he traverses from the front office to the library to classrooms and the auditorium. This variety serves as evidence of the important role technology plays in our everyday lives. 

“The use of computers is unavoidable in the modern world,” Gunier said. “It’s just part of life now, and having a base knowledge of how things work and how to troubleshoot them, or just a base knowledge about the machine you’re using, is incredibly valuable.”