helpdesk jobs

emmajoyce

hey guys,
Ive got a question. It seems that alot of people who are new to IT get a job in helpdesk or similiar job. Actually ive seen people suggest this to new graduates. It seems to me that this type of job is a trouble shooting job. Why would you want to put someone with the least amount of troubleshooting experience into this job. Seems like you would want someone with years of experience, a person who has had a chance to live through trouble shooting experiences. That was question #1

Second question. If you were a new graduate, would you try to get a job other than helpdesk if possible, or is this the best place to start to gain knowledge.
thanks for info, later

zebra-3

a recruiter wouldn't take someone with knowledge and experience as they know the person would not last for long in the job.
I'd say it is a good opportunity for a new graduate to step-in a company and get some work experience.
Usually they don't give a **** about your tech skills, they only want you to take as much calls as possible and be resistant to stress.
This kind of job can be really tough, not because of technical expertise required, but mainly because of the people managing this kind of environements, and the process applying to this particular type of job.
Not to mention the number of ass holes you have to deal with all day long.
Usually complete assholes are going to team leader positions and Managers are former team leaders that gives you an idea...
Oh and to be good at the job, you just have to be bad ! what does that mean ? When i was working in a helpdesk for a high profile IT company, i've noticed that the guys that were giving wrong advises to users or not fully going through the resolution process with the user were getting a better call average time, which leaded them to rewards and possible TL position.

to answer 2nd question, Yes its a good place to learn how to troubleshoot and work in a strressful environement. Also if in a big company you can move on, all of my old collegues moved to better job in the company, now it's like military duties we just laugh at it and we are happy it's all over

sprkymrk

emmajoyce wrote:

It seems to me that this type of job is a trouble shooting job. Why would you want to put someone with the least amount of troubleshooting experience into this job. Seems like you would want someone with years of experience, a person who has had a chance to live through trouble shooting experiences. That was question #1

I think because it's less trouble shooting than it is just following basic procedures. Most help desk positions have a checklist, you know like when you call your cable company because you can't connect to the Internet and you get a drone on the other end who says:

1. Reboot computer.
2. Disconnect modem and restart it and your computer again.
3. Remove your router, turn off your firewall, connect your compuetr directly to the modem, reboot everything and try again.
4. Turn everything off for 3 hours and call us back.

Or for an internal help desk:
Install xyz app from server1. If they can't print do x, then y, then z. If they can't log on, check this and that. Anything else and elevate to level 2.

Trouble shooting generally starts at level 2 support, and it's the smart ones at level 1 that get promoted quickly to that level and beyond.

emmajoyce wrote:

Second question. If you were a new graduate, would you try to get a job other than helpdesk if possible, or is this the best place to start to gain knowledge.

Any job is better than no job, but start as high up the ladder as possible while remaining within your abilities to perform the job efficiently. OJT is great too if the employer is flexible in allowing it.

Kaminsky

You've answered your question yourself. Helpdesk is the best place to start for everyone.

There are many different types of helpdesks at many different knowledge levels but they all have one thing in common. You get to work with the people on the ground who you are providing IT services for in the first place and you get to learn all sorts of problems / fixes you would never ever get from a book. You also develop invaluable people skills that serve you your entire career.

It gets you into the right mindset for the more senior positions and you gain the trust of the users and fellow staff that you are actually capable of carrying out those senior roles well.

Never knock helpdesk job. They have a tough job for little pay and always get it in the neck as they arn't the ones who can fix the problems there and then.

Daniel333

Think of a help desk as an advice nurse at a hospital. Their job is really just to run through some really basic stuff to see if you can avoid the doctor. If they think you need to see a doctor, then they will set you up. But will not treat you, themselves.

pbradish

I did about 3 years total on two different helpdesks. By the end I was just so burned out that I couldn't do it anymore. We never had any of these checklists you guys speak of and troubleshooting really started at level 1. The pay was alright (in the 30-40k range) for a job right out of college and as a relatively young guy but I ended up getting so sick of it and had trouble getting out of bed to go work those jobs after awhile. You have to have some really thick skin to put up with some of the jerks you'll get on the other end and just laugh at them.