stupid. is.
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I have this recurring nightmare…. I’m at work and surrounded by the largest collection of incompetents I have ever seen. While I stand there, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people who need individual lectures on how to find their own desktops, I notice the problem is only getting worse.
I’m just kidding, of course. It’s not a nightmare. It’s just another day at work.
This morning we were called out for an important mission: Priority One. Someone’s computer wouldn’t boot up. Off we rushed. After we turned the monitor’s power ON, everything was fine.
Don’t get me wrong: we strive to provide excellent, timely service. Not everyone is a technician - it’s the nature of the business. But days and days and months of this have worn down the patience and morale of the troops.
There are people who can learn - I hear this a lot. It’s just not something I have experienced. We try to teach when we fix. But as Mr. Heinlein so aptly put it, you can’t teach a pig to sing. It only winds up annoying the pig.
If it were the first time, no one would care. It just gets tiresome after the third…
I remember grade school (yes, we had electricity). The group would pick on smart kids. It wasn’t cool to know anything. Apparently I have run straight into the result of the (failed) experiment.
4 Comments
E2001
August 27th, 2008
at 7:30am
I feel for ya, dude! I was the school egg-head; who ended (ends) up doing everything because no one else can figure out how to put batteries in a flashlight. What will finally cook your goose is realizing how much more MONEY those idiots make than you!
Jeff
August 27th, 2008
at 11:14am
I love coming to your blog and reading your stories about work. Granted I’m pretty sure they’re not really meant a whole lot for entertainment and comedy but the way you write them just keeps me coming back to see what happened today.
I used to work in a call center and dealt with idiots all the time over the phone so I can understand how you feel. Though I believe you’ve got it worse dealing with the SAME idiots day-in and day-out. I just want you to know I love coming to read your stuff!
Kevin Bailey
August 27th, 2008
at 1:40pm
I love coming to read the stuff because I used to be there but we were too good so they contracted out the computer support. I got hired into the craftsman training program so I get to become one of the guys the new contract supports but wait it feels like I get to support them and it was easier supporting the guys I work with. When the guys I work with call in a computer that doesn’t work and the answer is “box it up and send it to us and we will fix it and send it back”. I ask what happened and get told it was working fine for one guy an hour or two later another guy goes to use it and the screen is black and will not light up no matter how many times we turn the computer off and on. Does the computer come on? Yes. Does it beep at you? No. Any funny noises or sounds? No. Can you hear the fans? Yes. Is there a computer near by? Yes. Switch monitors for me. Hey your a genius that worked! Transformer went bad in the LCD monitor. Swapped it out all is well.
Thats true support. Send the good part to us we will fix it and send it back to you where it still won’t work.
leftystrat
August 28th, 2008
at 5:10pm
E: my entire team at work is laughing and toasting you.
Jeff: Thanks so much for saying so. I am thankful for people who *get it*.
Kevin: Glad to hear you’re of the Brotherhood. Keep up the good work.