Helpdesk as a career path – think mazes
If I had to create a lexicon for the workplace, I think I’d try to apply foods as metaphors. For example; to describe an occupation that was “predictable”, as in “I know what’s going to happen next”, then the food would be porridge. Porridge from the hand of the holy grandmother. An acquired taste, which I never acquired. One that can be modified with brown sugar and fresh milk, but that remains bland.
Of course, my job is not predictable. I help others in times of distress. I am not a miracle worker, emergency services technician or anything quite so “Hollywoodian”. Rather, I am a nerd for the masses. When you get really confused, call me. Bring me your frozen, your bluescreened, your virus-ridden. I’ll be by your side (soon).
A computer is not complicated. Software is not complicated. People are complicated. Any technology can seem incomprehensible if one never looks beyond the first layer of distraction. Remember, anything that can have its batteries removed can be mastered.
Anyone that has spent time in the world of the “help desk” is able to sympathize with the young man in a video someone pointed out on YouTube this afternoon. Forget the language barrier: the patience of the young man is exemplary. Here, look for yourself.
If you spend time in the role of the facilitator, you will find yourself in exactly this position. The ability to explain what seems to be “ordinary” or “mundane” or “porridge-like” is not given to all of us. Some people simply lack the patience. Others, and where would this world be without them, are able to lead the lost out of the maze.
