Just Landed a Gig at Geek Squad as an Operations Agent

MagnumOpus

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone on this forum who has posted the great advice that has landed me a job. I know Geek Squad get a bad rep. on these boards, but after listening to the few who stated "Geek Squad experience is better than no experience" I have ultimately opened many doors for myself by accepting the position. Thank you kindly! Though I haven't started my first day yet, I'm getting a crazy amount of referrals from friends for computer fixes( because of "Geek Squad") and believe it or not...... Job offers from bigger companies. I am very familiar with computers and currently possess no certs, I will be working towards the certs as I rack up my experience with Bestbuy. Thanks for the insight guys, its been most valuable.

discount81

You gotta make ca$h money somehow

dehgrah

Congrats! I've worked for Geek Squad as my first job in IT, it's a good stepping stone.

MagnumOpus

dehgrah wrote: »

Congrats! I've worked for Geek Squad as my first job in IT, it's a good stepping stone.

Thank You! It's great to hear from people such as yourself who've used GS as a launchpad.

olaHalo

I have friends who worked for Geek Squad.
None of them had good things to say but they all got their foot in the door and plenty of experience with it.

Congrats on the job!

RobertKaucher

dehgrah wrote: »

Congrats! I've worked for Geek Squad as my first job in IT, it's a good stepping stone.

Same here. Good work, OP! Take it seriously and learn as much as you can!

blargoe

Thank you for posting your story. I don't get the hate on here for Geek Squad. Maybe it is because of rep they have from the standpoint of the comsumer. For the guy trying to break into an IT career, it is what it is - an entry level, bottom of the barrel position. Everyone has to start somewhere.

TechGuy215

I too worked at GS when I was much younger. Just be prepared to **** people, atleast at my store management tried to make us push unneccessary repairs/upgrades/charges. I happen to have morals, so I left.

You won't learn much more than the equivalent of an A+/ simple computer repair.

But as the other's have stated, you have to start somewhere!

kanecain

I too got my start there. I was there for five years and loved it.

aspiringsoul

Congrats!

I worked for Geek Squad as well for a few months before I began working for my current employer. Those few months of work experience troubleshooting and repairing computers was exactly the ink I needed on my resume to get my foot in the door with my current employer. Nearly everyone I worked with has since moved on to other positions in IT.

If you do not possess or are not currently working toward a college degree, then I strongly advise that you consider it. You don't need a bachelor degree to obtain an entry level IT position, but a bachelor degree is pretty much required to move up to higher level positions these days.

Good luck to you!

MagnumOpus

aspiringsoul wrote: »

Congrats!

I worked for Geek Squad as well for a few months before I began working for my current employer. Those few months of work experience troubleshooting and repairing computers was exactly the ink I needed on my resume to get my foot in the door with my current employer. Nearly everyone I worked with has since moved on to other positions in IT.

If you do not possess or are not currently working toward a college degree, then I strongly advise that you consider it. You don't need a bachelor degree to obtain an entry level IT position, but a bachelor degree is pretty much required to move up to higher level positions these days.

Good luck to you!

Thanks guys! Ironically enough, while on the job hunt for a entry level IT job I kept coming across "Like Geek Squad" under requirements/qualifications. I thought that was a bit hilarious, but apparently the name still has some pull. I do posses a A.S. is Business and decided to listen to a college professor who highly recommended his student take years off to gain experience in the real-world before venturing off to finish school . Shortly after he was fired.... But I can say with absolute confidence this was a smart move. I racked up a combined 12 years of customer service experience, 3.5 years of sales experience, 4 years of clerical (dealing with Big wig clients) and 6+ years of volunteer IT work. This experience has proved to be very useful in getting my foot in the door and led to a starting wage of $12.50( unheard of/rare) at GS with the flexibility to finish school. So off we go and thanks for the heads up!

Hopefully aspiring IT individuals find this post most useful as it is meant to be. Spin your experience to IT positive, its definitely working for me.
Age: 29

N2IT

I like that you get sales experience in IT and customer facing experience. Both can be really good for certain career tracks. Software sales would be a blast!

Zartanasaurus

blargoe wrote: »

Thank you for posting your story. I don't get the hate on here for Geek Squad. Maybe it is because of rep they have from the standpoint of the comsumer. For the guy trying to break into an IT career, it is what it is - an entry level, bottom of the barrel position. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Yup. I remember when I was desperate to find a job after I got my A+, and Circuit City/Best Buy would've been a great start for me. Yeah, from a consumer's POV, they suck. Overpriced items with less than knowledgeable techs who try to take advantage of less than sophisticated consumers. Last time I was there, I needed to get a stick of RAM in a hurry and the guy didn't even know what I was talking about. They let me go behind the counter at the Geek Squad desk or whatever to get what I wanted. Don't even get started on gold-plated, soaked in the tears of a 90-year old Tibetan monk A/V cables.

HackedAlias

Hey that's not too bad. I started out in GS too, was there for a couple years and it really isn't so bad if you're in a smaller town with few options. It was a really good into to that field if you have little experience with cutomers and IT work.

Sirbloody

Congrats on getting your foot in the door, everyone has to start somewhere right?

NetworkVeteran

Congratulations! Taking on your first IT job, even a humble one, puts you several steps ahead of those thinking about it. Just remember why you're there, and do your best to ensure you're not still hustling the unwary in two years.

Sirbloody

Also, some advice. When you do raise in the IT ranks do not forget where you came from. I know a bunch of sys admins/network admins that look down on "help desk" because they think they are "better" yet a good majority of them were help desk at sometime in their career.

stryder144

I work at both Geek Squad and a large Telco. At least at the store I work for, we are supposed to only offer what is needed. No upselling. Our GM wants our customers to know that we are honest and above board with them. That transparency goes a long way in building a long, trusting relationship. Unfortunately, not every store is run like that.

MagnumOpus

Sirbloody wrote: »

Also, some advice. When you do raise in the IT ranks do not forget where you came from. I know a bunch of sys admins/network admins that look down on "help desk" because they think they are "better" yet a good majority of them were help desk at sometime in their career.

Thanks for the advice. Ironically, I'm already seeing this in action already. I'll be sure to keep this advice close to home.

gbdavidx

may i ask what the starting pay is for geeksquad?

MagnumOpus

My first official day on the floor was today and it was pretty awesome. Having to explaining technical terms to a 65+ senior citizen is truly a challenge, but provides excellent experience. I really took that for granted and never really understood its difficulty until now. Hats off to those who perform this on the daily. Though GS is not your ultimate repair shop as some may envision it, much can be learned here. I admit some of the rumors of middle aged inexperienced individuals without a care of IT are true. By the same token, I would also mention that these individuals see GS as a job instead of an opportunity to advance their careers. Fortunately we have a handful of individuals who really enjoy IT and that truly really makes all the difference. As it has been said many times before on this board, gain as much knowledge as possible (while exercising all of GS's perks) and elevate to a better position.

blargoe

Being able to relate to people (customers) who do not understand the technology they are using and put things in terms they do understand is a skill that will be valuable to you as you advance in IT.

White Wizard

Congrats!

As an ex geek squad employee I have my opinions but it is a stepping stone.

Now get back to selling anti virus and geek squad packages!!

Curse that MRI disc!

CiscoKing12

Congratulations!!!

devils_haircut

I think I applied a total of 3 times to several Best Buy locations in my area with my A+ and Net+, and I never even received a call back But I do the same basic work now for a locally-owned repair shop with a pretty cool boss in a very laid back environment, so all is well.

Congratulations though. Everybody has to start somewhere.

networkjutsu

Just use it as a stepping stone. I started in Geek Squad because I didn't want to apply to any of the help desk jobs available at the time. Nothing against the people that I started in help desk but it just wasn't for me.

BradleyHU

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

Don't even get started on gold-plated, soaked in the tears of a 90-year old Tibetan monk A/V cables.

looooooooooooooooooooool!!! they stay trying to make you think that non-gold plated a/v or hdmi cables aren't good....and that you need to pay $60+ for that.

Nemowolf

I started my IT career with a job as an in-store tech with the Geek Squad as well. Best six months of my life. I still bleed black and orange because of the culture instilled in me by my senior agents. I would go back in a heart beat if i could take the pay hit.

That said, GS is like owning a boat if you know the saying. The best two days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. In this cause its the day you start and the day you take your final promotion to customer. Cheers!

MagnumOpus

*Update* All is going well at GS, I actually really enjoy the job! Except when people call in demanding free tech support, and those who cant operate basic PC devices. It definitely has its moments, but the GS recognition wherever I go is definitely worth it( just started as a volunteer and they thought very highly of GS). Idk, but I'll take it.

About7Narwhal

blargoe wrote: »

Thank you for posting your story. I don't get the hate on here for Geek Squad. Maybe it is because of rep they have from the standpoint of the comsumer. For the guy trying to break into an IT career, it is what it is - an entry level, bottom of the barrel position. Everyone has to start somewhere.

I think a lot of the resistance comes from the poor business practices, not the techs themselves. I have seen many an article that test the Geek Squad Optimizations Service with no real performance increases. Additionally, I hold a personal grudge because they were all too eager to take my grandmother's money pushing trinkets and wares that she simply didn't need. Geek Squad takes advantage of ignorance in MOST (admittedly, not all) cases.

On the reverse, some of those guys do have very good intentions and offer work that should absolutely be completed. I see no difference between a $45.00 AV install and a $45.00 charge for a mechanic to change your oil - You paid for the knowledge more than the actual work.

Regardless of my personal feelings towards them, the OP is absolutely taking the right path. Get in there, learn what you can, then move on. Any starting place is good as long as you learn from it and continue to move forward.

Tremie24

Sorry to bump this semi-old thread, but I got a call for an interview for a part time position with geek squad as a advanced repair agent. Does anyone had experience with this? I've heard good and bad things about it, but I figured I should go for it, as I don't have a whole lot of IT experience and thought this might be a good opportunity.