I believe in people
Tech can be stressful. You can hear the sound of someone losing their patience with their computer by the sound of their mouse; slow, evenly spaced clicks followed by rapid fire clicks, then an exasperated sigh. These are the people I specialize in, they show up in tickets, on the phone, and as of late, zoom calls. The number of times I’ve heard a coworker or client say “You must think I’m an idiot” is heartbreaking. 90% of the frustrations I’ve encountered have been solved with a one hour call. The relationships I’ve built with those clients and those departments have been the highlights of my career.
My first real customer facing gig came in 2007 when Spider-Man 3 came out on DVD. I was a rower at Marist College and Wal-Marts around the country needed actors to get into spandex and play Spider-Man in their stores. While the job mostly consisted of photo ops and autographs, I got the best piece of professional advice I’ve ever received:
“Smile when you talk, people can hear you smiling underneath the mask”
I believe in people, I believe in tech making our lives easier, and I believe that the things I build should work for you, not the other way around. I teach independence and preach the help button. If you’re like me grab my resume, and let’s change the world.