Thursday, July 20, 2006

Artificial Conversations

Do I really speak to people? In the course of my job on the helpdesk, talking to numerous clients every single day, do I really actually take part in a civil conversation? Deep down the question I am truly asking is, are my conversations 'real'? Real in the sense of a sincere two way communication between two persons, rather than going through a predetermined agenda in a robotic like fashion. While it is perhaps harsh to single out particular people from particular organisations that you enjoy talking to. It is quite easy, looking back to distinguish between the proactive and passive discussions that take place. At this point I should perhaps interject with some amazing fact on the number of seconds I have spent answering the phone but there is no need. The reality is I spend a great deal of time on the telephone. Strange when you consider just a few years ago, you would be lucky for me to speak on the phone for more than five minutes. Amazing when you consider the transformation of the phone from foe to friend. Particularly now when at times I will rather pick up the phone to speak to a friend, rather than send them an e-mail.

How has work been recently? After the highs of Madrid, I landed back to England with a bump. While it has not been very busy in terms of call volume, the number of calls on the log has shot up, with us at times hitting the three figure mark. At times my motivation has dipped way below the normal expected level. I would be the first to admit morale has been suffering. Although somehow the team get through it. Well I say 'somehow' but I can actually give you exactly the reasons why. On one side we have the twenty-two year old in body, 1st line guy, trapped in his own little bubble from when he was around seventeen. Listening to Chris Moyles (either on the BBC podcast or radio player. Then we have my dearest colleague and beloved team member on 2nd line, who only has the need for some wakeup juice and hearty meal from the local friendly sandwich shop. What about Andrew? Just as Superman harnesses his energy from the sun, Andrew is powered by a 250ml, 30g sugar carton of the purple stuff.

The main problem with work at the moment is the lack of sense of achievement. You would spend a day on the phone, building laptops and fixing various problems, but the fact that the call queue is so slow to reduce in number, you feel at times you are facing an uphill struggle. Driving home and reflecting on my day, I do not feel that buzz of having got things done. Sometimes I wish I was a clog in a monster machine, just processing paperwork, rather than working on a helpdesk. Every morning I would see my work physically work from the in tray to the out tray. Then again, what would be the fun in that? For the first time in eighty four weeks I am actually considering my next step. The stepping stones between starting on the service desk and finding the next big break, will be a big challenge. I must be sure not to underestimate what the future holds but the clock is well and truly ticking.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

I Will Dispense This Advice Now

It is much harder to post an entry about work and technology. I thought, over time it would become easier as I would be able to reflect on the daily musings on the helpdesk and life generally in the field of computers, mp3s and gadgets. However I find myself struggling to find topics to cover and then at times feel forced to put something up, just to keep my sister site looking current and fresh. So today I decided to opt for a safe point of discussion. Advice.

In my twenty odd years I have already been offered a bucket load of advice from a number of people. Some related to personal issues, some related to work, sport, university, the future, even finance. Of all the discussions, perhaps there is only one phrase, on anecdote that remains with me so vividly to this day. Rather than repeat the English, the equivalent in Latin is 'Non Illegitimi Carborundum'. I will let Google do the rest, although a special clue is that it is also the title of a song by Kris Kristofferson whom you might remember from a recent vampire trilogy.

Perhaps the person you would least likely take advise from, is David Brent, star of BBC documentary The Office which focused on the employees of Wernham Hogg. Along with Stephen Merchant, he did some in-house videos for Microsoft, which have found themselves onto Google Video. They are absolutely hilarious, particularly the second clip when he offers advice on getting a new job and what methods you should use. I was a massive fan of the comedy series on BBC2 and have all episodes (including the Christmas Special) on DVD. It was just genius and as I had started working in an office for the first time, as the second series aired, it was truly refreshing to watch.

Respect goes hand in hand with advice. You only take advice from those that you respect. Yet in this modern, connected world, we can get advice from a number of sources and even personalised advice on message boards and forums related to our specific career or industry. It appears that anyone and everyone is willing to offer you their twenty pence. Just a case of if you are willing to be patient and take it all on board. I am just waiting for the advice that will finally motivate me to act.