Rant

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

ACK!  Sprint just called me for a tech support position!  Tier I!  They saw my résumé on monster.com.  The résumé that includes my master's degree.  And they think I should do Tier I tech support... just like I'm doing now and have been doing for five friggin YEARS.

I WILL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS.

*stabs self in head*

Sorry, folks.  I promise to have more upbeat, funny tech support stories soon.  But I just had to get that out.  *growl*

Comments

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

It doesn't surprise me. Sprint has flooded the IT market here with their constant layoffs and "restructuring". It's a wonder they can get anyone to do support for them. Just about every position I've applied for in the last 5-8 years has had at least a dozen former Sprint employees trying for it too.

One way or another, you'll get out of Tier I - even if you have to kill somebody to do it :o)

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wouldn't even know who to kill! :D

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

Surely there's someone in your department worthy of a good sporking...

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Certainly, but I don't want their job either. The whole HD is tanking, totally. It's like working at Dell and having the customer service stats go totally down the drain.

And don't call me Shirley. :P

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

But if you kill them, you'll get off the help desk, get three hot meals a day, and a place to stay, all for free. Sure, you might not like your roommate, but hey, life's not perfect :o)

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Nah, killing anyone around me, even if I got their job, would still leave me at the helpdesk!

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

I should be more specific. They would probably make me do helpdesk stuff in jail.

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Not so! I made it out of Tier I. BUT that being said, all the damn calls I get are now for Tier I. I was like, dude, I am Tier 2 for years, I ain't goin back can't make me!!!! Neener neener. I don't care how much money you throw at me!!!

Tier 2 will happen. Just keep applying for it.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Maybe so. I've only been applying for that for about four years, so I guess that's not enough time. :(

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Hm, the other thing is see if you can get one big name on your res and that will bring in the calls. Even if it was for a short term contract.

I was blackballed into HD at one job. I got out and was able to find desktop two jobs later.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

I think the name I've got right now is pretty big... we've got nearly 150,000 employees. But internally, I can't get out. They see "helpdesk" on my res and I'm right out.

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Start buttering em up. Volunteer for projects, let them see you know your stuff. I harrassed the director for days until he finally hired me. I was cuter and younger then but it could still work.

I was talking big names like Sony or Ebay or something.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see.

Yes, I've been volunteering for all sorts of projects since day one, from web design to second-shift to learning all the skill sets so I could sub for anyone.

The company I work for is a defense contractor, and I promise you've heard of it. ;)

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Well damn, I just applied for a job with the DOD and they turned me down due to "lack of project mgmt experience" and had someone else from the inside they were looking at.

I wonder if it is another good ol boys club. That was what the last place that wouldn't promote me was like.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Heh, nah, the DOD wouldn't take me on a bet. :)

And that's the mystifying thing. I don't think it is a good ol boys club thing either. I know it is not the fact I am female holding me back because all the women I used to work with have been promoted out of here.

Oddly, the only difference I can think of between them and me is education.

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Wow threatened?? By your schooling? Could be. I wouldn't think so though.

Maybe it is time to seriously look.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Nah, I don't think they're threatened; I think they see it and think they'll have to pay me more than they're prepared to pay. And that's the bottom line, right?

Heh, I am seriously looking. Hence monster.com and the Sprint call ;)

But I may just go for my doctorate instead if I'm gonna be Tier I forever. Then I can at least make them call me Dr. Megan.

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Well think about it. Do you want to be picking up monitors when you are 40? That is how I am looking at it. I go home exausted and sore some days. I don't want to be doing physical work at 40. So, I am supposed to be enrolled right now, but I am slacking. Maybe tomorrow after I get this laptop off my desk or Friday when I get paid. I need to get my degree and do something else. Computers will have to be a hobby.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was told to get my degree and do something else, but I failed miserably at Part II of the directive.

No, I don't want to be picking up monitors when I am 40. I was picking up monitors here when I was eight and a half months pregnant!

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Now see I was slapping my lead around when she was prego. She was lifting stuff and wasn't supposed to. That is another thing. I want a job I can do part time at home if I do, do the kid thing in 2 years or so.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Heh, well, it was part of my job. Other pregnant people in the organization have been permitted to work from home and stuff, but I wasn't, because I am helpdesk and we must be micromanaged.

I'd love to go part time or whatever but I'm our sole support right now (husband is getting his bachelor's and taking care of Mr. Baby).

On the good side, everything but work is at least going well! :D

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

"Make it a level 2 or pay me 150% of what I'm making now, or no deal."

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Heh, what I make here is about 150% of what they were offering at Sprint. ;)

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

A knife to twist, I do declare. A veritable knife!

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

[ex-deliveryboy.livejournal.com]

just out of curiousity, what is your master's degree in?

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Corporate communication & technology. It's basically an MBA but with computer stuff instead of math. So we did everything from tech stuff to proposal-writing and live presentations.

[ex-deliveryboy.livejournal.com]

talk about seriously overqualified. In my measly, tiny little call center, we've had some people come in with bachelors in advertising, graphics, etc. we have engineering students and a few people with varying certifications.


I'm an assistant supervisor, and I have no degree or certification (god I need to go back to school)

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Don't be too quick to. It's mostly the people who don't have master's degrees here that have been able to move out of the helpdesk. My queue lead has two master's degrees, and he's as stuck as I am.

My bachelor's is in theater (acting). So I can act like I know what I'm talking about. ;)