ALT-1 How to be a better Information Technology Technician
One thing that I've noticed in my 10 years of being an IT professional is that you can always tell a good technician from a bad one. I'm not saying that bad techs are bad people, however there's certainly a noticeable difference. What's more important is that if it's noticeable by other technicians, then it's only a matter of time before clients realize it as well. So I've decided to layout (in no particular order) my "tips and tricks", if you will, on how to become a good technician:
Don't Be Afraid To Ask Questions - Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it can surely feed the eager mind as well. Never be to proud or too shy or too stubborn to stop and ask questions. If you don't know something, then there's surely someone around who may have the answer. If you're trying to solve a problem, don't just jump into it and start fiddling around. Stop and gather some information first.
Know Where To Look For Answers - Now more than ever, the answers to your questions are right at your fingertips. I used to always joke around that you could always tell a good technician by the books on his shelf. He/she always had the right information handy. Nowadays you can really get away with a lot less. The Internet is certainly full of all the answers you'll need.... if you know where to look. Sometimes honing your searching skills will help you locate what you want quicker. Bookmark handy sites and keep your bookmarks well organized. Trust me, it's quite easy to come up with a clear and precise directory structure in {insert -browser-of choice-here} and you'll be glad you did when you're trying to find that certain URL later on.
Embrace Your Geekdom - Take that free time that you have to play around and tinker with things. Try new things. Rebuild that spare system (many times if you want). Install that Linux build you heard about. Setup a network at home. Read up on the tech sites. Listen to tech podcasts. The bottom line here is that once you're in the field, you almost never stop learning. Take the initiative.
Find Yourself A Mentor - Let me explain. When I first started in the field, I was part of a group of temps that all thought that they were pretty computer savvy. I however, didn't feel that way. I knew that there was a lot to learn. When I went back to the "full time employees" to escalate issues I realized that there was a certain pecking order. Everyone seemed to go to this one individual who obviously knew quite a bit. However whenever anyone went to him he spouted a bunch of questions of items we should have had the answer to. I picked up on this and the first time I went to him I surprised him by already have most of those answers. He was impressed. I was able to pick his brain on numerous things because I showed the ability of wanting to learn. I took that knowledge with me every job I've held. As much as I've learned over the years, there's always someone around that will know more. Technicians, for the most part, want to help. Its in their nature. They don't however, want to do your work for you. Show them that you're making the effort and trying to learn and you'll reap the rewards of someone who will usually be all too willing to help guide you.
Train Your Replacement - I know, that doesn't sound like a bright idea, but hear me out. As I previously mentioned technicians want to help. That should include you too. As you learn more and move up the technical scale, there will undoubtedly be those filling in the ranks behind you. Taking the time to help teach them what you know is beneficial on multiple levels. First, it will help you emphasize what you already know. Second, by helping teach team members how to do some of these things that come easier to you, it'll help free you up to work on other projects. Trust me it will become quite obvious to others (clients, upper management team members, etc.) when you're making the effort to help. Becoming the "go to" guy can only enhance your reputation. Along those same lines, if you're the only one who knows how to do a particular task then you'll never be able to get out from doing it. It'll also make it harder for you to advance. Now of course there's a delicate balance between being able to move on and "job security", but you'll have to find the proper balance. You don't want to be so dependent upon that it prevents upward mobility, do you?
Information Sharing - Information flow between team members is extremely important. Take the time and discuss issues, projects, tips & tricks with your colleagues. Keeping an open line of communication is essential in this business. Also keeping an open line of communication with members of other teams can help establish a rapport that can certainly prove to be useful to both parties. Regular team meetings are usually a great source of information. If you're new to a team, then pay particular attention to issues and projects being discussed by the senior members. If you're a senior member, then be sure to include some of the junior members.
Tools Of The Trade - Be sure that you have your CD's, diskettes and other tools handy and up to date. Having the proper utilities at hand will make it convenient for those emergency situations. I keep a USB drive handy at all times with the latest in anti-virus & anti-spyware (both with updated definitions) at all times along with a host of other tools that I can use at a moments notice and run from just about any PC. A CD case with necessary build CD's, applications and drivers is always at hand as well. This is where organization is your friend. Too many times I see techs fumbling around a drawerful of unorganized CD's w/o labels trying to find the right one in a pinch. I don't believe that Managing Director is in the mood to wait for you when his system is coming to a screeching halt due to a virus that just infected his PC, do you?
Back to Basics - Want to have fun? Put a piece of tape underneath your co-worker's mouse. Too often a technician will become frustrated that the mouse stopped working and might resort to rebooting the PC, checking for drivers, changing settings, etc. All from their keyboard. Why? Because it has to be something in the Operating System. Maybe they'll look for dust under the trackball (unless they're using an optical mouse) and catch on. But my point is that sometimes it's the simplest solution that is overlooked. When dealing with a problem, don't be so quick to jump in and try things. Take a second. Think about the problem. Look at all pieces involved. Yes I know "if it looks like a snake and slithers like a snake then it must be a snake",but that's not always true. Not every problem is as complex as it looks.
K.I.S.S. - So it's an old adage, but sometimes you really do have to just Keep It Simple Stupid. Sorry, I like that last part. Remember what I said about getting back to basics? Well take that to the next level. If you're trying to come up with new design, a new architecture, engineer a new solution, then adhere to the KISS philosophy. Start simple before making it complex. I've worked with a number of engineers that sat down to discuss a solution to a problem and before you know it they were trying to solve everything short of world hunger with their one application. Of course it would take umpteen man hours, and X amount of money to cover the project costs. Was all this necessary? According to the client? No. They were only looking to solve ABC, not A through Z. Whether it's a project or a script or whatever you're working on. Start small. Gather all the data. Discuss the decision. Then present a solution that accomplishes what your client wants. Scalable is usually good, but don't throw in the kitchen sink when the client wants a simple solution.
Professionalism Goes a Long Way - Another lesson that you usually don't learn until you've had some years under your belt is that sometimes the job isn't always about what you know technically. Being able to communicate what you are doing or what needs to be done to your clients is just as important. Just because a client is having a computer problem, doesn't mean that you're inconvenienced. It's your job to help. And if it's not your job directly, then going a bit out of your way is usually more beneficial than harmful. I've worked with all too many technicians that clients didn't want around. Some because of poor attitude and some because they couldn't conduct themselves in a professional manner. Be gracious. Be courteous. Be polite. Dress accordingly. If you're working in the data-center and all you see all day is server racks, then fine dress down. But if you're dealing with Wall Street clientele (as I have), then dress accordingly. No one wants that sloppy, ill-mannered, grumpy tech coming into their office when they have a meeting going on.
Remember, you're in this field for a reason... you love technology. If you don't, then you may want to re-evaluate your priorities and why you're in this field. But if you do, then embrace it. It's fun. It's exciting. It's always something new.
