(no subject)

[axessdenyd.livejournal.com]

First time poster here, I have some stories but this is not the time for telling.

I have a question regardingsupport jobs:

I currently work in a small computer store, tech work, sales, that sort of thing.

I'm considering moving to a job for an ISP working helpdesk.

Anyone made a change of this nature and care to comment on the differences in the two?  I take several support calls a day already whether they be from customers or random people who think that computer stores should just give out free tech advice to anyone (I bet lots of them are Best Buy, their tech department is utter crap).

Comments

[tmercenary.livejournal.com]

Out of the pot and into the frying pan, eh?

[axessdenyd.livejournal.com]

Had a feeling it might go that way.

On the other hand, I don't think I'll have to teach them how to do certain other things that should be freakin obvious to everyone

but I won't get to play with hardware any more.

[celyste.livejournal.com]

hehehe... yeah... sure. Now instead of saying "ok, now just move the mouse like so, click here and voila!" you'll be saying "please move the mouse to start... umm... sir? that cllicking noise... is that your mouse against the monitor? could you please set that back on the desk and move it so the ARROW is over the start button..."

I like phone support, but it requires huge amounts of patience somedays. I do a bit of real time support too... I find the latter to be easier, but that could just be me.

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

I went the other direction and can't be happier. I do desktop support for a community college. I absolutely hate walking people through things over the phone. It's much easier to go to their desk and show them. And much easier to troubleshoot hardware in person. And I really like hands-on stuff. But that's just me. Some people actually like phone support.

[axessdenyd.livejournal.com]

I did the computer lab tech support thing for 5 years or so. That was not a bunch of fun for me.

Plus. this one has the chance to turn into a Career, I think. Careers are better than jobs.

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

I didn't like doing lab support much either. I did it for two years until I moved up to staff/faculty support. I like that much better. I'm hoping it turns into a career. I've been here 5 years total so far.

Give phone support a try. You might actually like it.

[ex-prunesnp.livejournal.com]

So much icon love!

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

Thanks :o) I made more here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/residentgeek/72041.html) if you want one.

[ex-prunesnp.livejournal.com]

Those are pretty cool! What's the difference between the two Willow ones?

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

One has shading behind the lettering making it darker, the other doesn't. I couldn't decide which was better, so I put them both up.

[ex-prunesnp.livejournal.com]

It was hard for me to tell the difference in my crappy fluorescent lit office today. =) Sorry if it's a dumb question.

[darkblade1.livejournal.com]

First of all, welcome. Secondly...I work for ISP phone support, and I'm sure others in this community do as well. I would go crazy saying it, but I'll control myself and give you one word.

No.

Don't do it. Keep the job you have now, or else you'll be wanting to post in this community everyday about the people who annoy the hell out of you because you didn't know society could be that stupid.

By the way...don't consider ISP phone support a career...it's a temporary job to get you to something a hell of a lot better.

I'm already looking for a new one. :X

[mtlchick.livejournal.com]

Agreed.
(I also had to restrain myself there)

[axessdenyd.livejournal.com]

Oh no, ths ISP phone support isn't the permanent career

butthe company it is with has much advancement involved.

Career in phone support? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

[zercool.livejournal.com]

Some people actually like phone support.

Some people also like smoking crack.
Some people like looking at goatse.cx.
Some people like fornicating with farm animals.

Just because some people like it doesn't make it OK. :-)

[abstrak-tokatl.livejournal.com]

if you can find a helpdesk job (first), then one that pays, then one that isn't 100 miles away.... take it!

[inahandbasket]

I'd have to go with the majority here, and say that you're going to find a LOT more stupidity at an ISP helpdesk.
That said, if the money's a lot better, or some other tangible benefit is to be gained, weigh your options and see which comes out ahead. But I hear too many horror stories about ISP support to advise a friend to go that route.

[jacobine.livejournal.com]

I haven't moved that direction, but I have done both desktop support and phone support. I do phone support now, but I work doing corporate support for my company, so all my users are internal.

Moneywise, I think if you can get a job doing helpdesk/phone support for a company, it'll pay better than an ISP. All the ISP support jobs I've seen pay crap.

Personally, I prefer fixing things hands on to over the phone; I only stick with my job in large part because of the network security aspect of it.

[oddball42.livejournal.com]

well i for one would say dont do it.

helpdesk/tech support/customer service on the phone gets the ass scrapings of a company and they feild all of the abuse and ill will directed at the company.

doing so for a major isp amplifies this.

so unless you have the patience of bhuddah id steer clear unless you are really needing the pay. im actually trying to go the other direction and get of the phones.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Quoting a poster on this community's website -

"[You're a] kindergarten/high-school teacher, mediator, negotiator, psychiatrist, detective, linguist, salesperson, cat herder, psychic, grief counselor, researcher, and secretary. And you have to fix their computer. Without being able to see or touch it."

For an approximate idea of what it will be like, take the five stupidest people who have talked to you in any given month. Now imagine one of those five people or their intellectual soulmates calling you every five to ten minutes, for eight hours a day, demanding you fix their computer.

And as the quote says, you can't see it or touch it. And at least one of these people will call you three times a day for the rest of your life.

Still, if the pay is good and you have a rock-solid plan on how to get the heck out of Dodge in six to twelve months, go for it. The grey hair and twitching are partially balanced by the air of world-weariness and sheer number of war stories you'll collect.

You'll also never be able to trust another human being to tie their own shoelaces without you doing it for them. Be aware of this, and make sure it doesn't carry over into personal relationships - Significant Others don't always appreciate you trying to troubleshoot their non-technical problems when they're just after a shoulder to cry on.

[darkblade1.livejournal.com]

Fantastic. That sounds about right.

[prozacnation.livejournal.com]

I came from working in an office world to a call center.

No call center experience whatsoever.

But you learn quickly. :)