Help Desk Tier 1

[Steve Litt]

On Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:06:03 -0700
trent shipley <trent.shipley at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, as you may recall from my last installment about career
> options, I am bipolar, have autism spectrum disorder, and I have
> attention deficit disorder. Another disability is that I'm 50. After
> working with my "job coach" it turns out that if you are both ASD and
> ADD the intersection of viable, suggested career options comes down
> to "computers".  If you are ASD, something terrible uncreative and
> repetitive like QA. If you are ADD something terribly creative like
> greenfield development or web development. I like to try
> development/programming, and I like data, and have had success
> working with SQL, but that was between 2000 and 2002.
> 
> So after researching, my options I have reached the following
> conclusions:
> 
> To get an entry level job with programming or data you need.
> 
> 1) Recent, diverse experience bringing you close to a plug-n-play
> employee.
> 
> 2) Failing 1, a portfolio. If you are a self-studier who starts their
> own projects you have a good chance at an entry-level start that you
> can build on.
> 
> 3) Failing 1 or 2, If you have a BS in Computer Science or Software
> Engineering, you need to have graduated with honors from a prestigious
> school or done at least a year of internships, because odds are you
> won't get work in your field.
> 
> 4) Given 1, 2, 3 I qualify for telephone IT help desk. Help desk jobs
> with no requirements like A+ or Net+ or knowing Active Directory.
> 
> I currently work in customer service, no sales. They like high
> quality and low handle times, but it's pretty low pressure. I get $13
> & change an hour; plus, a $4 & change allowance for benefits. Not
> bad. 

That's a Kings Ransom for Orlando, FL tech support.


> The downside is people, 

People can be a pain, but if you can handle it, well, no job is perfect.


> phones, 

I'd imagine the only bad thing about phones is people.

> and dead-end McJob, 

That sounds like somebody else's criticism, not yours. Tell your
hoity-toity friends that you're on the Autistic Spectrum, you have ADD,
and you're over 50, and yet you're contributing to society.

Also, it's amazing how some dead end jobs can turn into springboards. 

Is there some way you can strongarm your ASD to the side enough to join
various user groups? That's a powerful career advancement tool.



> oh and it's seasonal. Thirty-two hours a week for about eight
> months out of the year.  

Gives you 4 months to find side jobs, gain other skills, and look for
a better job.


> I also can't sell at all, and my average,
> normalized, handle time is on the order of 1.8 standard deviations
> above the mean, and rising. (My speed is measured as being in the
> lower quartile for almost everything for which they measure
> speed--math, reading, manual dexterity, typing, everything.)

I don't know anything about ASD, but for me, there are always ways to
speed up. Why don't you pick one of the things you enumarate above, and
find ways to do it faster and faster, better and better. Then think
about the mindset you used to improve yourself, and try it on other
things. Imagine the pride you'd feel if you managed to pick yourself up
to average math. You could write a book on it for others to follow in
your footsteps (better get faster at typing too :-).

[snip]

> Unfortunately, telephone help desk, tier I or my current job are the
> only options I see myself as having.

That's fine. Do that, and be happy.
 
SteveT

Steve Litt 
October 2017 featured book: Rapid Learning for the 21st Century
http://www.troubleshooters.com/rl21