Skeeeeeevy...

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Looking around our sadly eviscerated helpdesk after a couple of years of management screwage, I've noticed that there's one particular problem that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up time after time.

My co-workers.

Not in the sense of individuals. We all have one or two people in the office who make our lives hell. But this is in the aggregate - the overall impression.

Seven years ago in this same job, I came to work with a small group of techs. And they were techs. Their hobbies were largely technical, some of them programmed for fun, they built their own PCs and scavenged Mac and Sun gear. If I turned up to a computer auction anywhere in town, there would always be someone there from the office. We spoke in jargon, earned kickin' salaries, and had absolute authority in technical matters. Our hiring panel refused to consider anyone who didn't already have three years of corporate support (10,000 users and above) or who had been an experienced hands-on tech in one of our regional offices.

Now, I come to work with a large group of potted plants. Their most prominent interests appear to be looking at pictures of fast cars, collecting pogs, and talking about football. There is, I think, ONE guy who will even bring up computer-related subjects in the lunch room. He's also the only guy I know who builds his own home PCs. Some of our 'techs' don't even HAVE home PCs. Their prior experience consisted of "held down some kind of job somewhere". I use industry-standard terms (not even tech-culture or internet references) and get blank looks. 95% of the competent techs left long ago. We can't get any new ones because the salaries we're offering have almost halved. The freakin' HIRING PANEL is fortunate if it has anyone on it who could tell SCO from SCSI.

I'm the longest-serving tech they have. And in five weeks, I'm walking out that door for the last time. I will make one last attempt to fix the team, and then I will be saying "Screw all y'all."

It's a damn shame, but I won't be sticking around for the final death throes. Color me gone.

Comments

[gilmoure.livejournal.com]

Damned bean counters look at tech support a department that just costs money. They don't realize that a good tech support shop can help generate repeat sales and bring in more money. Ever since engineers were replaced by accountants in management, back in the late '50's-early '60's, this country's gone to hell in a hand basket.

[rorted.livejournal.com]

That's what happens when the bean counters take over. The whole "cheaper is better" rationale is why the industry has gone underskilled and underpaid.

[sigurther.livejournal.com]

And yet, for some reason, their hiring practices still manage to alienate people with good, solid technical skills, but bring in plenty of rejects who wouldnt know an PDA from a GameBoy DS.

Always fun.

[taleya.livejournal.com]

ug, You know, you pretty much nailed the main reason why I'm the only female NSR, and the best female tech on the floor. (flatters self)

You hire techs who are geeks if you want the job done. We are here to fix shit, we have the tech instinct, we enjoy it, and we'll move heaven and earth to take things apart and fix what's seriously busted just to see if we can.

We are not here to kiss your arse.

[alanademonkitty.livejournal.com]

My God, they still MAKE Pogs?

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

The irony, it stings.

(Nintendo has stated repeatedly that the Nintendo DS is -not- part of the Gameboy lineup, and is in fact its own product line. :p)

[anamacha.livejournal.com]

what the hell is a pog?

[neferde.livejournal.com]

Every single "entry level" tech support job I've seen advertised in my area in the last 3 months has specified "call center experience preferred." No A+ required, no basic computer skills necessary, you don't even need to know how to turn a computer on as long as you've worked the phones before. It's no wonder there's so few competant tech support people out there when HR and management decide that's all someone needs to be a tech!

[sigurther.livejournal.com]

IT STIIINGS! IT STINGS LIKE HYGENE!

Admittedly, I dont know a damn thing about Gameboys. I stopped caring about Nintendo after the SNES, and never owned any of the portable systems.

I think I played one of the dragon warriors or Zeldas on the original Gameboy when I borrowed it from a friend. Beat it in one night and returned it. Havent played or owned a portable Nintendo system since.

But I do know a Nintendo DS (See? Corrected it just for you ;) from a PDA.

[alanademonkitty.livejournal.com]

Ity's a little cardboard wafer with a picture on it. You put 'em in a stack and throw something heavier, usually another round thing with a pretty picture on it, made of metal or plastic, at the top and knock 'em off, then your opponent does the same. It was a minor fad in the early/mid ninties. I haven't seen the things since.

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly not bashing on you, I just read that and had to laugh. ;)

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what's happening around here--and part of why I'll never get out of Tier I--because Tier I now means "subliterate idiot without the ability to unplug a monitor".

[thalionar.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, they're back...

[anamacha.livejournal.com]

oh! I THINK I remember those ... vaguely :)

[kayfox.livejournal.com]

Pogs exist anymore?

I think its a trend in HR...

Ive always included this kind of language when witing tech recruiters (taken from my 3rd letter to the VMC people, who dont seem to be doing anything about anything):
As an example of current projects I have been working on (you can skip this is you like), I'm putting together a 2U server to co-locate so I can move my website and email off of my current provider. Im also working on a single module Automatic Position Reporting System[4] solution, this involves taking a NMEA sentence from a GPS unit, building a APRS packet out of that, and feeding it into a terminal node controller (combination of modem and AX25 (X.25 based) node controller) which then feeds it to a radio, that transmits the packet. Parts in this module include the single board computer for controlling everything, the TNC, radio, GPS and interface hardware. Components that need to be built from scratch are the TNC and the radio board, and most likely interface hardware between everything. I doubt I'll have a working model anytime soon, but what fun would it be if it was simple.

I believe that a good person for a technical job is someone who likes to learn and do things in that technical area... but in this new age of HR and anti-burnout BS, we have setup rules that basicly mean people need to be deeply involved in hobbies not releated to their job... to prevent burnout or something. Its all stupid.

So, I really want a better tech job, but Im not diversified enough for it.

[kayfox.livejournal.com]

Hiring practices? you mean theres actually a method behind giving someone 3 interviews then ignoring their calls and emails for 2 months before calling and telling them you found someone else?

[kayfox.livejournal.com]

Im went for one tech support job* and was told "we really dont want people with certifications."

I was there for 4 months and then they laid off everyone from my class, to little calls to justify the extra people.

* Cingular ANS/TSD/PMG/ED Help Desk.

[sigurther.livejournal.com]

Nonono, my favorite was having THEM call ME because the company boss was GUNG HO TO HIRE ME, getting two interviews, one of which the boss basically told me to lie on my resume, then getting called out by the contractor on it when I did. The contractor, btw, had the final say in the hiring.

The best part was, I didnt even earn enough respect to get a call saying "We're sorry, but it turns out you're not what we're looking for at this time."

But instead got (first) a smarmy email about waiting until after a job fair to get back to me, then an email about there being 'budget constraints' that were restricting their hiring process, and they'd get back to me. On a job that 'the boss is gung-ho to hire you for!' and 'the person you are replacing is leaving next week!'. Hrmm, okay, thanks guys. Lying = not professional, even if it's to let me down easy (which I dont fucking appreciate anyway, I'm both an adult and a vet, I've had people 100x more important shit on me and it didnt wound me for life ;).

Or the Geek Squad job that I did 3 interviews for, didn't get because of the computer knowledge test I didnt pass, and then found out that they decided not to fill the position anyway. What. A. Waste. Of. Time.

Didn't help that the hiring manager spooked me with his talk of 'giving people the hard sell'... IN THEIR HOMES. Fuck that shit, this is REPAIR, dumbass. I'm not a salesperson. Oh well, shouldn't have applied for it anyway. They want an A+ cert that they wont pay for. Nnnnot gonna happen at the wages you're offering, slick.