@elena obviously yes to "sysadmin". But I'd also love "I selfhost" (or "I selfhost my ___" - email, DNS, nextcloud, photos? Dunno)
"What a selfhoster looks like" sounds weird to me.

@elena my initial thoughts when I here someone calling themselves a sysadmin is that they do system administration as their day job. One could of course be a sysadmin on one's spare time.

If one feels like they don't know enough (because they don't have sysadmin as their dayjob), one could maybe say "I'm a self hoster".

But a self-hoster or "hobby sysadmin" might know more about sysadmin stuff than one who works as a sysadmin.

Just rambling here. I think you could call yourself a sysadmin.

@elena if you have enough access to break it and it's still working, you're not only an admin, you're a successful one!

@elena You are running a system. You are maintaining a system. You administer care to that system. I think you can call you a system administrator. As with everything, you do have levels. The only con would be that you don’t do this as a (paid) job. But that is for me ‘syntactic sugar’ 😁
But what you are most of all to this community is a ‘face’ that knows how to make noise. And shows/fights for what the O is FOSS should really stand for!

@elena what do you mean you can't call yourself a sysadmin? the moment you touched a terminal, remotely over ssh or something else, to update or configure something, the vale of ignorance has been lifted, and now you're a sysadmin! The bad part of this deal is, of course, that you can't put the vale of ignorance back on or shut pandora's box, so yeah, be ware of cursed knowledge and its consequences.

@elena I had a sweatshirt that said "sysadmin - because even devs need heroines."

@elena 100% agreed with the other commenters here. You're a sysadmin because you've administered systems. The Computer Touching world is full enough of gatekeeping as it is. We could all stand to be a bit more welcoming and accepting. Congrats on the new title!

@elena You're administering a system, that sounds like a Sysadmin to me.
You ever broken something in production? You're *absolutely* a sysadmin!
I'd happily help you distribute - or set up a rogue room if you'd like.

@elena hm. is there a deeper message you want to send? To me, you're not JUST a Sysadmin. This hides the whole selfhosting-topic somehow. Not meaning that better than the other.
But .. hm not sure how I'd call it. but do you know what I mean?

@elena Something about this thread is making me tear up... The juxtaposition of you wanting to do something so women and other folks can see themselves in this community but then your hesitance around using "sysadmin" for yourself, suggesting maybe you don't 100% see *yourself* as having a place here? And then the comments all saying that absolutely you are a sysadmin. Its fucking beautiful.

@elena I know XKCD is considered a reliable source of information nowadays. Especially after the whole private key fiasco earlier this week. But I can assure you XKCD 705 puts the bar way too high.

A bit more serious: I've formally studied software development. And I have never used tmux. So think you're a more capable sysadmin than I.

@elena you *ARE* a #SysAdmin

@elena "Yes, I know how to reboot my computer" would be kinda fun

@elena Hi Elena, sometimes, somewhere, I read this definition of sysadmin and I made a t-shirt just for me, I like to wear.

@elena It's not about a paycheck. If you're running a homelab, you're a sysadmin.

@elena a sysadmin administers systems.

There will always be sysadmins with more knowledge and experience than you, no matter how long you do it.

A good sysadmin is willing to learn and take advice from others, and to learn from their own mistakes so they will do it better next time.

A dangerous sysadmin thinks they know everything!

You are a good sysadmin!

@elena You administer your own services, that's sysadmin work. I'm 100% certain there are sysadmins out there who've spent many years doing everything through, say, Windows Server desktop utilities, professionally, even!

@elena you are absolutely a system admin - you've earned that title and have the scars to show for it. Loud and Proud!

@elena you have systems. You admin them. Congratulations, you’re a sysadmin!

@elena
Being Dutch and being blunt: H*ll yes!
You are. Period.

@elena I don't know what makes someone a worthy sys admin, but how about "this is what a sodoer looks like" for a shirt idea?

@elena Go on. If you need an official blessing by a (former) sysadmin, here it is.

In recognition of merit, hereby I anoint you as a sysadmin.

Congratulations, shaking hands, hugs. Good luck 💜

PS. Squeee 🥰