Tuesday 25 September 2007

IT support

When you work in IT it is expected:

  • that you are the first person to ask if your friend/neighbour/spouse wants to buy a computer or software.
  • that you will know how to fix or advise about anything from a printer, to the fax, to the heater in the corridor, to the toaster, to a mobile phone. Anything in fact that plugs into a wall, has little lights or makes whirring noises.
  • that, even if the email system is down, you will nevertheless be able to receive and reply to emails saying "the emails don't seem to be working".
  • that you'll know how to use every conceivable software package without any training, even ones you've never seen or heard of.
  • that you don't expect everyone to follow the (important) instructions you send out because they don't really apply to them and anyway can be interpreted haphazardly with random variations as desired.
  • that you are always there, late in the evening, early in the morning, even on days off.
  • that you can see over a telephone line or know instinctively what the error message says without being told.

I'm feeling a little jaded - bad day today!

7 comments:

  1. Oh, no! go to bed early. Tomorrow will be better :)

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  2. Ha! So, one of those days hah? Poor you, I remember them very well.... Very exhausting yes. *sigh*

    Did you know that they say that working as a support person, you're burnt out after 18 months? After that you're not as good any longer since you had too much of problems. I think it is right, but the sad fact I want to add is that it's after 18 months that you really get's going because you've learnt so much. So it's not good looking at it neither way...

    Take care, relax, think of something else and I sincerely hope that you get some good days after this :-)

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  3. It's a pity you can't read spanish, cause I've read the same complaints before in my admired El Borde Informático's blog. So, you must know that you are not alone. Bon courage.

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  4. Tomorrow is now today and is indeed better, so far:) Thank you all for your good wishes.

    Ususally these things all seem amusing the next day, and they do.

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  5. Excuse me, but I do not see these as unreasonable expectations ;-)

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  6. You will see from my previous comment that I did some IT support in a previous life!

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  7. Good fun, isn't it Elaine! The best bit is trying to tell one of the powers that be, just where he's gone wrong without making him feel a complete idiot.

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Forethoughts, afterthoughts, any thoughts. Tell me.

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