These beautiful and intelligent people wrote

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  QkaReply

  November 10, 2008 at 9:27 am

  This explains why our IT Director is such a useless lump of humanity – he came from help(less) desk support.

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  eddieReply

  November 10, 2008 at 9:45 am

  WOW Qka sorry you had a “help(less)” IT Director. As a helpdesk manager I wouldn’t say we’re helpless, but I think it’s just the certain types of customers you have to deal with. As far as enjoying technology, still love it! We still tend to get on our soap box and preach what we think is the best… this and that (eddie whispers Apple) but it’s been enjoyable thus far. peace

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  Kurt (VertigoX)Reply

  November 10, 2008 at 11:19 am

  I’ve been in the IT industry for ten years and you NEVER truly get away from help desk support. It’s like the plague or chicken pox… no matter how much you ward / inject yourself with anti-virus, I mean anti-bodies it will always be around in one form or another.

  I mean this one job I was at we used to through tomato sized stress balls at each other because the people kept complaining that we were hitting them… Although when on the phone, throwing those stress balls through the phone lines became more challenging as the day progressed.

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  DavidReply

  November 10, 2008 at 11:44 am

  That is so true. I’m an Exchange Admin and there are times dealing with the utter insanity of users, that I want to pack up all my computers and electronics, sell them, and move to a shack in Montana. I mean even with other IT people at times it is stressing. Had an install for a new app. Sent an email to IT people (not regular users, IT!). Some of my testers already had it installed so in the email I asked them to not install this app. I get an email back from one of my testers why his install was not working and why his app was no longer working. *smacks forehead*

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  CharmaineReply

  November 10, 2008 at 1:31 pm

  Doing help desk support now has not taken the enjoyment out of technology but it sure has made me not want to talk on the phone, any type of phone.

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  PCTechYodaReply

  November 10, 2008 at 5:04 pm

  I don’t know that it’s dulled my love for technology, but I work as a solutions architect for one of the nation’s top IT resellers and used to work in independent consulting … and some of the things I’ve heard while on the phone have literally caused me to put my phone on mute while I found a piece of spare wall to bang my head against.

  I could go on and on with examples, and maybe I’ll come back later and post a few more … but I have one that is by far my favorite consulting story.

  When I was an independent consultant, I had a woman ask my advise on what kind of printer to purchase, and I recommended (and helped her purchase and install) a Xerox solid ink printer. She did print layout design and wanted beautiful, fast color — the Xerox did just that, and printing some test output, she expressed love for how it looked as I left out the door. Three days later, I get a frantic call from my personal account rep that had facilitated the sale of this printer; my end customer had called her trying to get a return authorization! My account rep was frustrated at the prospect of taking back a used solid ink printer, so I called my client for an explanation — “my favorite pen won’t write on the output” was her answer. My solution: Called up her husband, told him to take a printout over to Staples, and find a nice pen that would write on the waxy solid ink output. He did, gave her the pen as a present, and I didn’t have to return the printer.

  And don’t even get me started on the other woman that tried to return a Palm Pilot after lighting it on fire on Thanksgiving…….

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  Darky PReply

  November 11, 2008 at 10:21 pm

  Uh-oh, I know I’m gonna get in trouble for this…

  I’m sick of hearing about these ‘woe-is-me’ helldesk people. Yeah, there’s computer-illiterate people out there, and yeah, they’re fun to laugh at. But don’t get all worked up into a lather. They’re part of the reason you have a job!!!

  Anyway, I AM helldesk for a large engineering company. I’m the first port o’ call for upwards of 150 people. Most of them over 25, so still remember not having puters. And, being the first port o’ call, I get the dumb ones. That’s okay. Help them with their problem, move on. Even if I have already sent them emails as to what to do.

  So, to the people complaining about how helldesk ruined computers for them (Yep, I’m lookin at you, Shari! :D ), it’s not the users, it’s probably you.

  DISCLAIMER: It’s quite possible that the past 3 years working my way up this ladder have resulted in a very broken brain. Do not use any of this as legitamite advice. It’s just me. And my soap box.