Working for Dell

RATTLERMAN

Anyone here ever work for DELL . I need some info from an inside perspective. I have heard the horror stories.

MCPWannabe

Unfortunately, I can verify that the stories are true. With that being said, Dell is better than a lot of other call centers in that they have some nice benefits. But the job sucks badly. I'm so glad that stage of my life is behind me.

Truthfully, Dell is a deadbeat job. If you get over there, use the time to increase your credentials/real certifications(not fake Dell ones) and then get out. Don't turn into one of the guys that gets stuck there for 10 years and finds himself unmarketable.

RATTLERMAN

Thats what I figured...they are a part of the outsourcing thats going with state govt here in GA.

dallastech

Dell Certifications are pointless if your gonna work on other machines. Dell Certs are there to allow techs to work on Dell machines and not void the warranty..Comparing a Dell Certification to A+ or something is just dumb. You might as well Call Mac Certification pointless and a fake certification too. Because its the same concept......

I am not defending Dell, I am just explaining why its not a Fake certification. If your applying to a company that doesn't work on Dell machines, Yes its pointless. If a company works on Dell PC's and your not Dell Certified (meaning you can't touch their units without voiding the warranty) that company won't hire you. Not based on the fact of your knowledge toward PC's. but the fact that your going to void the warranty.....

snadam

RATTLERMAN wrote:

Anyone here ever work for DELL . I need some info from an inside perspective. I have heard the horror stories.

undomiel has worked for dell. PM him or just wait to see if he shows up on the boards...

RATTLERMAN

THANKS FOR THE INFO I will look him up

MCPWannabe

dallastech wrote:

Dell Certifications are pointless if your gonna work on other machines. Dell Certs are there to allow techs to work on Dell machines and not void the warranty..Comparing a Dell Certification to A+ or something is just dumb. You might as well Call Mac Certification pointless and a fake certification too. Because its the same concept......

I am not defending Dell, I am just explaining why its not a Fake certification. If your applying to a company that doesn't work on Dell machines, Yes its pointless. If a company works on Dell PC's and your not Dell Certified (meaning you can't touch their units without voiding the warranty) that company won't hire you. Not based on the fact of your knowledge toward PC's. but the fact that your going to void the warranty.....

So... anyway... I hold 72 Dell 'certifications.' I got 53 of them in one weekend while I watched TV. Eventually, it hit me that Dell didn't respect the certifications themselves. What the certification meant what that you could copy, paste, and find an answer on a static text web page.

It was common at Dell for new techs to come in and believe that the Dell certifications meant something, but after a week or two, people usually wisened up. All it took was the realization that Dell did not take the certifications into account when hiring or promoting people.

A real certification takes practice, time, memory and some effort.

And furthermore, I can mention something else.. We used to receive calls from contracting field techs who were "Dell Certified." Everytime one of them invoked that term with pride, someone would put the phone on mute and laugh at them.

The Dell Certified major employers -- unisys, banctec, etc... Have you heard the stories from the contractors? I'm glad that I never mistreated any of those poor souls because they get put through the ringer, and they get fired very quickly. Hell, Unisys, starting offering $13.00 AN HOUR to work as a contractor with your own gas and paying your own health insurance and taxes.

It's worth it to get a real certification and take pride in that.

MCPWannabe

RATTLERMAN wrote:

Thats what I figured...they are a part of the outsourcing thats going with state govt here in GA.

I'm sorry to hear that. If you end up having to go there, get your certifications and get out quick.

http://ihatedell.net/forum/phpBB2/trouble-in-tech-f17.html

That's a good site for life at Dell.

dallastech

MCPWannabe wrote:

dallastech wrote:

Dell Certifications are pointless if your gonna work on other machines. Dell Certs are there to allow techs to work on Dell machines and not void the warranty..Comparing a Dell Certification to A+ or something is just dumb. You might as well Call Mac Certification pointless and a fake certification too. Because its the same concept......

I am not defending Dell, I am just explaining why its not a Fake certification. If your applying to a company that doesn't work on Dell machines, Yes its pointless. If a company works on Dell PC's and your not Dell Certified (meaning you can't touch their units without voiding the warranty) that company won't hire you. Not based on the fact of your knowledge toward PC's. but the fact that your going to void the warranty.....

So... anyway... I hold 72 Dell 'certifications.' I got 53 of them in one weekend while I watched TV. Eventually, it hit me that Dell didn't respect the certifications themselves. What the certification meant what that you could copy, paste, and find an answer on a static text web page.

It was common at Dell for new techs to come in and believe that the Dell certifications meant something, but after a week or two, people usually wisened up. All it took was the realization that Dell did not take the certifications into account when hiring or promoting people.

A real certification takes practice, time, memory and some effort.

And furthermore, I can mention something else.. We used to receive calls from contracting field techs who were "Dell Certified." Everytime one of them invoked that term with pride, someone would put the phone on mute and laugh at them.

The Dell Certified major employers -- unisys, banctec, etc... Have you heard the stories from the contractors? I'm glad that I never mistreated any of those poor souls because they get put through the ringer, and they get fired very quickly. Hell, Unisys, starting offering $13.00 AN HOUR to work as a contractor with your own gas and paying your own health insurance and taxes.

It's worth it to get a real certification and take pride in that.

Think you missed my point, I am sorry you hate dell that much....

Like I said in the past post. Dell Certification is there to have techs work on Dell units without voiding the warranty. The Dell Certification isn't there to teach you the ins and outs of how a computer works and how to take them apart. Thats what A+ is for.........

BTW: I contract for a Dell Service provider and i currently make 25 bucks an hour minimum. i can make up to 50 depending on the distance the call is from me.....

I am not out to make 100 dollars an hour as a computer Technician. I am happy at 25 an hour. My overhead is pretty low compared to most people....

I own a music business, and I am gonna be touring the country promoting the business. Since the company i contract for is a nationwide service provider. I am gonna be working while on the road. I'll be living in an RV by the way.......

The amount one makes really doesn't determine their wealth. Because most people owe 5 times what they make....Hell I make more than my brother and he makes 20 thousand dollars more than me. thats because Half my salary doesn't go to debt..

I talked to a guy who has worked in computers for 25 years. He told me certs really don't mean S#$% to him. and he laughs at anybody who thinks they are worth more than somebody else just because they have certifications.........

MCPWannabe

dallastech wrote:

MCPWannabe wrote:

dallastech wrote:

Dell Certifications are pointless if your gonna work on other machines. Dell Certs are there to allow techs to work on Dell machines and not void the warranty..Comparing a Dell Certification to A+ or something is just dumb. You might as well Call Mac Certification pointless and a fake certification too. Because its the same concept......

I am not defending Dell, I am just explaining why its not a Fake certification. If your applying to a company that doesn't work on Dell machines, Yes its pointless. If a company works on Dell PC's and your not Dell Certified (meaning you can't touch their units without voiding the warranty) that company won't hire you. Not based on the fact of your knowledge toward PC's. but the fact that your going to void the warranty.....

So... anyway... I hold 72 Dell 'certifications.' I got 53 of them in one weekend while I watched TV. Eventually, it hit me that Dell didn't respect the certifications themselves. What the certification meant what that you could copy, paste, and find an answer on a static text web page.

It was common at Dell for new techs to come in and believe that the Dell certifications meant something, but after a week or two, people usually wisened up. All it took was the realization that Dell did not take the certifications into account when hiring or promoting people.

A real certification takes practice, time, memory and some effort.

And furthermore, I can mention something else.. We used to receive calls from contracting field techs who were "Dell Certified." Everytime one of them invoked that term with pride, someone would put the phone on mute and laugh at them.

The Dell Certified major employers -- unisys, banctec, etc... Have you heard the stories from the contractors? I'm glad that I never mistreated any of those poor souls because they get put through the ringer, and they get fired very quickly. Hell, Unisys, starting offering $13.00 AN HOUR to work as a contractor with your own gas and paying your own health insurance and taxes.

It's worth it to get a real certification and take pride in that.

Think you missed my point, I am sorry you hate dell that much....

Like I said in the past post. Dell Certification is there to have techs work on Dell units without voiding the warranty. The Dell Certification isn't there to teach you the ins and outs of how a computer works and how to take them apart. Thats what A+ is for.........

BTW: I contract for a Dell Service provider and i currently make 25 bucks an hour minimum. i can make up to 50 depending on the distance the call is from me.....

I am not out to make 100 dollars an hour as a computer Technician. I am happy at 25 an hour. My overhead is pretty low compared to most people....

I own a music business, and I am gonna be touring the country promoting the business. Since the company i contract for is a nationwide service provider. I am gonna be working while on the road. I'll be living in an RV by the way.......

The amount one makes really doesn't determine their wealth. Because most people owe 5 times what they make....Hell I make more than my brother and he makes 20 thousand dollars more than me. thats because Half my salary doesn't go to debt..

I talked to a guy who has worked in computers for 25 years. He told me certs really don't mean S#$% to him. and he laughs at anybody who thinks they are worth more than somebody else just because they have certifications.........

Dallastech,

To each his own, I suppose. If you are happy living a modern day, Spartan like lifestyle and trusting Dell to keep you employed, so be it.


Actually, I don't hate Dell, but it is a sucky place to work, and I'm glad that I left.

Perhaps, it doesn't matter to you, but you should know something. Recently, Dell has lost a lot of money despite massive layoffs. In fact, they started under-performing when the economy was still going strong.

Market research indicated that the company was running on an outdated model -- declining prices on PC's had reduced the company's profit to almost nothing.

Dell has tried to change this by going to a service-oriented approach, e.g. attracting highly-qualified individuals to offer high priced/ high margin consulting to customers like HP, SUN, and IBM.

So, they've been restructuring == essentially, the've been taking massive steps to decrease margins for contractors and employees while trying to increase hiring of the individuals with certifications (who your friend laughs at). They have not been very successful in attracting high-skilled talent -- the company's reputation and pay has scared away the high end contractors.

Just keep that in mind and I hope that everything works out for you. Hopefully, you don't end up following the steps of many others who mistakenly believed that lower pay equals security as long as they do a good job for Dell.