The Taggart InstituteJun 12, 2023

A lot of people starting out in #IT view Helpdesk/Desktop Support as a slog to endure before making it to "real" jobs.

This is not a very useful perspective.

While Helpdesk is a common entrypoint to the industry, it is also the clearest connection between technology and people. This is its greatest challenge, and its greatest value to anyone starting their career.

It's easy and lazy to be frustrated by users who "don't know better." Sure, many requests can be shockingly banal or outlandish. But every time someone needs _your_ help with technology, you have the opportunity to use your skills to make someone else's life better.

Ironically, it's not your technical skill your users will ultimately remember. They will remember whether you treated them with kindness, patience, and empathy. These are your greatest assets in the role—and all others in technology and life.

It's about service. I don't mean in the corpo "customer service" sort of way. However you slice it, Helpdesk is an opportunity to be of service to someone else. You can do with that as you wish, but I encourage you to take that chance to exercise those three assets: kindness, patience, and empathy.

Show threadOssian PuhakkaJun 12, 2023
@thetaggartinstitute My first full-time job was a helpdesk one. We handled software updates and "yearly services" packages via remote connection. This was in 2011.
Show threadOssian PuhakkaJun 12, 2023

@thetaggartinstitute One of the tasks I distinctly remember was updating a 3.5mb accounting software for a client in north-east Finland. Physical location was a small cafeteria/restaurant, and given its remote location they didn't have optic fibre nor was wireless an option due to difficult geography. So... 33k modem. Took me 1.5 hours, and as such we just... talked. Chatted.

It was far removed from the hectic day-to-day of inbound calls and such. I missed my lunch break, but gained a memory.

Show threadOssian Puhakka

@thetaggartinstitute Suppose what I'm trying to share here is that I absolutely advocate for Helpdesk as both an important stepping stone as well as a job that can help one understand the perspective of others. I didn't last beyond half a year there for reasons mostly related to myself and inconsistent sleep schedule, so while it's hardly a shining star on my CV, there's things I absolutely remember a decade later, some more vividly than others.

Remember the human.

Jun 12, 2023 at 9:34pmWeb