It's Been a While, Where Have I Been?

So I really have been quite absent.  In point of fact I've been virtually non existant.  This has been a good thing, as I've not had the drive or ambition to write anything.  There've been many life events that've come and gone, and by the time I've thought to myself maybe I should write something about this the moment has passed and really not even sure what to say.

Nothing tragic has happened.  In case you're wondering.  Everything is fine.  Everything is super.

To date I've received another promotion at work and am now a technical support lead at my company.  This comes with more opportunities and the responsibility of being on call every few weeks as I work to keep that internet thing everyone likes working.  I recently heard the news that one of my best friends is engaged and I'm completely stoked for that.  I've got a couple of kids and the life my wife and I are building for ourselves in our home is beginning to take shape.

Within that last year I was also blessed to have been a part of the happy marriage of another one of my best friends.  Hearing the recent news of my best friend's engagement has given me reason to reminisce some.  What seems like just a few short years ago was our college days.  Our ambitions and thoughts about our futures (then) are different from what they are currently.  And that's okay.  In fact having caught up with my friends over the previous summer and winter months I can say with confidence that we're all doing okay and succeeding.  But I knew this anyway.  I've always made attempts to surround myself with ambitious people, people who are driven to build their skills and knowledge, and many more times people who are more knowledgeable.  To that end I'm thankful that despite the setbacks and delays in our personal goals, things are moving along

Within the last year I actually gave serious thought to beginning a YouTube channel.  However, after vetting that idea I laid it to rest, or at least filed it away in the recesses of my mind.  If I'm not even able to keep up regularly blogging my thoughts - and even I don't always understand where I come up with them - then when will I ever have time to dedicate to a YouTube channel.

In conclusion, as I sit here with Suite No. 3 in D by Johann Sebastian Bach playing and my laundry rolling around in the dryer, I can only be thankful that the last two years has been a time for growth and opportunities for my many family and friends.  This isn't the same for everyone.  There's a lot of anger out there.  There's a lot of stupidity, ignorance, all of the negative stuff of life.  I remain confident in my conviction that if the only concern you have is to improve yourself, learn something new each day, and make great effort to avoid social and political drama, you're going to be much better off than you would be otherwise.

Second Promotion

Source: https://xkcd.com/806/

I am happy to announce that for the past month I have been working in a different department.  As the title suggests I have been promoted.  Again.

It has been less than a year since I left my old job as an Optician and began working at an ISP in technical support.  Moreover the two promotions, first as a residential tier 2, and then to a business technical tier 1 analyst have both come as tremendous surprises (as well as new challenges).  Regardless, I transitioned well into the residential tier 2 position and so far as a business analyst I'm getting along with my team and building upon my knowledge base and skill set.

Mkay, so what exactly do I do?

Essentially I do the same thing I was doing for residential clients.  I trouble shoot reported issues and assist end users in solutions that resolve their problems.  But I also do so much more than I did when I was in the residential department.

With our business clients I give technical support for their phone systems, email, and general web hosting.  To say that each trouble ticket is more involved than I have previously worked with would be an understatement.

A simple issue of internet being reported as down also means that the phone systems that I support will likely also be effected.  The work that I do for a lot of trouble tickets usually involves more than just myself.  Since I am supporting everything from small businesses to medical facilities.  This means that every second counts.

I think this is the first company I've worked for where I can say with confidence that I love my job and I look forward to commuting to work every day.

The New Job: Tech Support

Wow, has life been busy!  A month ago was my last day at Walmart as an Optician (yes, I can fix your glasses, and no I didn't do eye exams - that's the Optometrist!) and a few days later started my new job at a local Internet Service Provider (ISP).  So far it's a great job, and one that I'm naturally good at.  During the same time, as I was transitioning between jobs, my wife was weaning our daughter which was its own adventure - one that I just won't get into.

So what am I doing exactly?  Well I do technical support.  Essentially I'm the guy who fixes your internet when you call in saying that your internet is slow or down.  (Occasionally I help out the customer service representatives by taking payments from customers too, but that's not exactly exciting.)  The exciting part of every day is helping people get their internet up and running.  This involves listening to the problem being described by the customer and then diagnosing the root of the problem by running tests and assembling stats on what's happening.  Sometimes I do have to escalate some issues to be handled by another department, but that's in extreme cases.

It's not always busy at the office which has a geeky ambiance that I enjoy.  It has all the markings of my dream job.  Alright, alright so what don't I like about the job?  Well, to be honest there's nothing I like less than any other part.  I mean, it's work.  However, the people I work with really have a sincere focus on team work and an emphasis on supporting each other.  It's also an environment where everyone is highly encouraged to learn something new every day regardless of whether or not you're in technical support or accounting.  It's just an all around great place to work!

Given that one of my goals is to get in to IT or programming, this is a great first step.  The best part is that I can already see that my simple entry level position is not the end of the line for me.  There's room to move up.  And you know what else?  I'm encouraged to move up if I want to.  This is a company where if you're good and what you do, then results will usually follow.

It's really a great opportunity to expand upon my skill set.  And the absolute best part is that I have a regular schedule.  That makes all the difference.  I think the sacrifice I made taking a pay cut to accept this position has opened a door to me, and I'm happy I walked through.

However, I'm not naive.  I know there are going to be tough days.  I know there are going to be days I wish I hadn't shown up to work.  There are going to be days where things are overwhelming, and maybe things just aren't working right and tickets get back logged.  This isn't any different from any other job.  The difference is that in this job I think I'm going to have a good experience during the tough times because I know I have the support of my coworkers and supervisor who want to see me be my best.